No. 25 Michigan (5-3, 3-2) at No. 21 Northwestern (5-2, 3-1)
The Wildcats have made great strides in 2005. A team usually confined to the basement of the Big Ten standings, the Wildcats have moved into the Top 25 for the first time this season on the strength of three straight conference wins.
The Wildcats rolled over MSU in their last game, 49-14.
Led by senior quarterback Brett Basanez, the Wildcats' offense is rolling, piling on 559.2 yards and 40.8 points a game against Big Ten opponents.
They'll face the third-ranked defense in the Big Ten. The Wolverines have given up 347.6 yards per game, and cornerback Grant Mason leads the Wolverines with 69 tackles on the season.
The Wolverines seem to have recovered from their early-season troubles, having squeaked past Penn State and Iowa in their last two games.
The Wolverines have won the last two games in the rivalry. The Wildcats enter the game with a higher ranking than the Wolverines for the first time since 1959.
The matchup will play out in front of a prime time national audience, as ESPN is broadcasting the game at 6 p.m. from Ryan Field. It is the Wildcats' Homecoming game.
Ethan Conley
Purdue (2-5, 0-4) at No. 11 Penn State (7-1, 4-1)
The Nittany Lions wasted no time recovering from their last-second loss to Michigan two weeks ago, tallying 56 points in the first half of last weekend's 63-10 blowout against Illinois. They'll face Purdue at Beaver Stadium, where Penn State has yet to lose a game this season.
The Boilermakers continue to struggle, despite a schedule that features neither U-M nor Ohio State and a defense that returned all 11 starters from 2004.
Purdue has dropped five games in a row, including last week's 31-20 loss to Wisconsin. The Boilermakers are tied with Illinois for last place in the Big Ten standings.
Penn State's defense is holding opponents to just 16.2 points and 299 yards per game. The offense is averaging 417.2 yards a game, but it will be without freshman wide receiver Derrick Williams, who broke his left arm against U-M and is out for the rest of the season.
Penn State holds a 6-3-1 advantage in the series, and is 6-2 since moving to the Big Ten. Purdue beat the Nittany Lions 20-13 in last year's game, and has won the last two meetings.
Ethan Conley
No. 12 Ohio State (3-1, 5-2) at Minnesota (2-2, 5-2)
The Buckeyes and their stellar rushing defense are looking to stay near the top of the Big Ten when they head into Minnesota.
The Buckeyes have the top rushing defense in the nation, holding opponents to an average of 62.7 yards per game.
The defense will be tested, though, by a Gophers team that has two very strong runners in Laurence Maroney and Gary Russell, who both have broken the 100-yard mark in each of the last two games.
The Buckeyes have won two straight after a loss to No. 11 Penn State and are coming off a 41-10 beating of Indiana last weekend.
During the game last week, wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. tied the Big Ten record with his fifth career punt return for a touchdown.
The Gophers are not riding as high, however.
They had a bye week after a heartbreaking loss to the Badgers two weeks ago when they were leading late before a punt was blocked in the end zone that was recovered by Wisconsin for the game-winning touchdown.
The bright spot for the Gophers has been Maroney, who has rushed for 1,133 yards thus far and will look to break the 100-yard mark once again against the Buckeyes top rushing defense.
Minnesota likely will need to win out if they hope for any chance at a Big Ten championship this year.
Chris Barsotti
No. 15 Wisconsin (7-1, 4-1) at Illinois (2-5, 0-4)
The Badgers will look to stay in the lead in the Big Ten conference this weekend when they travel to Illinois.
The Badgers are coming off a victory last weekend against Purdue and seek a victory for the third straight game.
This game is looming large for the Badgers, who will head to Happy Valley, Pa., next week in a game that is shaping up to be a big factor in determining the Big Ten champion.
Last week, the Badgers were led by junior tailback Brian Calhoun, who gained 140 all-purpose yards and had two receiving touchdowns.
The defense also stepped up big for the Badgers, returning two interceptions for touchdowns.
Illinois, on the other hand, is just trying to end a five-game losing streak and finally pick up its first win in the Big Ten.
Last week, the Fighting Illini were beaten in every aspect of the game by Penn State, 63-10.
Starting junior quarterback Tim Brasic went 8-for-16 for 49 yards in the first half before being relieved of his duties in the second half.
The road doesn't get any easier for the Illini either. After this week, they travel to No. 12 Ohio State and then to Purdue, before finishing the season at home against No. 21 Northwestern.
Chris Barsotti
