Welcome to Rivalry Week! This is the biggest week of the entire season. Bowl berths are on the line as the most hated conference rivals clash to determine the final pecking order going into the post season.

Since this is Rivalry Week in the Big Ten, I think it calls for a little change of format. 

Minnesota at #13 Iowa Saturday, November 21^st, 12:00 (ESPN)

What’s at stake: Floyd of Rosedale

Floyd is a bronze pig fashioned after a live pig wagered between Minnesota Governor Floyd Olsen and Iowa Governor Clyde Herring in 1935. Racial tensions were high that year as Iowa fielded one of the few black collegiate football players in the nation, Ozzie Simmons. The situation had escalated to the point that the two governors feared that violence might erupt at the game. The wager was made between the two to help diffuse the situation and return fans’ attention to the football game, rather than the color of Iowa’s halfback’s skin. “Rosedale” comes from Rosedale Farms near Ft. Dodge, Iowa, where Governor Herring got the prized hog he delivered to Olsen’s office upon Iowa’s defeat. The two schools have been playing for Floyd of Rosedale ever since. In 2008, Rivals.com named Floyd of Rosedale the top rivalry trophy in college football.

What’s really at stake?

For Iowa, this is the last chance to salvage their elite status within the conference. They’re on a two game losing skid that saw both a national championship and a conference championship slip away from them. There’s still hope for a BCS bowl, but with Penn State and Wisconsin both having just two losses, the Hawkeyes have to win, or they can kiss yet another dream good-bye.

For Minnesota, this is about securing a bowl and maybe moving up the ladder a little while they’re at it. There’s a three team chase for two open bowl spots. Michigan would have to upset Ohio State to become that third team, but Minnesota can’t take that chance. A win against Iowa would guarantee they’ll go bowling. A loss means they have to hope Ohio State does their part. Any time Michigan’s bowl eligible, there’s a better than average chance they’ll get an invite and that would mean Minnesota would have to convince bowl reps that they’re a better choice than Michigan State. Then again, if Michigan State beats Penn State, the Gophers could find themselves out in the cold. The only guarantee of a 13^th game is to beat the Hawkeyes.

The series: Minnesota leads the series 39-33-2, but Iowa has won the last two and seven of the last eight meetings.

Last meeting: Iowa 55 at Minnesota 0. The last game in the Dome didn’t end well for the Gophers.

Pre-game summary:

Iowa had a dream season going, winning their first nine games. They weren’t all pretty, but they were all victories and they were rated as high as #4 in the BCS standings. Then, quarterback Ricky Stanzi went down with an injury, true freshman James Vandenberg stepped into his first real action and Iowa fell to Northwestern. Vandenberg came back strong in Columbus with a really impressive performance against the Buckeyes, but it wasn’t enough and Iowa dropped their second straight. They’re still 9-2, though, and have shown they have hearts of lions all season long.

Minnesota started out well enough, winning three of their first four. Since then, they’ve been back-and-forth all season long. They’re 6-5 now, but there almost has to be an asterisk. The wins were legitimate, but none of them were against anyone noteworthy. The Gophers played California tough, but that doesn’t look so impressive anymore. They played Wisconsin tough too, but playing someone tough and beating them are two different things. The Gophers lack a signature win this year and beating Iowa could be that win.

Iowa is still working a balanced offense despite injuries and relying heavily on a strong defense to carry them through. Minnesota is trying to figure their offense out now that WR Eric Decker is lost to injury and their defense is only so-so.

Prediction?

Floyd of Rosedale stays in Iowa City another year.

Iowa 34 – Minnesota 17

#10 Ohio State at Michigan Saturday, November 21^st, 12:00 (ABC)

What’s at stake: no trophy.

The rivalry has been going since 1897, though. This match has decided the conference title no fewer than 24 times. Of those, the winner of this match won the conference title 22 times.

What’s really at stake?

There’s no conference title on the line this year. Ohio State has already locked that up and Michigan hasn’t even been on the radar this year.

For Ohio State, this is just the icing on their hard-won cake. After losing to Purdue in week 7, and with Iowa putting together an undefeated season, it looked like Ohio State was going to miss out on a piece of the conference title for the first time since 2004. Add to that their loss to USC early in the year, and the fact that Penn State had only one loss on their record (vs. Iowa), it was beginning to look like the Buckeyes wouldn’t even get a BCS bowl. Then, they knocked off Penn State in Happy Valley while Northwestern handed the Hawkeyes their first loss. Last week, Ohio State hosted the Hawkeyes and beat them in overtime, securing the Big Ten title and a trip to the Rose Bowl, making it six straight years that they’ve owned or been a part of the title.

This game has no bearing on where they’re going bowling and it won’t have any bearing on the BCS. This is strictly a pride thing for Ohio State, and a chance to do some final tuning against a live opponent before they begin month-long preparations for Pasadena.

For Michigan, this is their last shot at a bowl. At 5-6, they’ve not yet reached that crucial sixth win that makes them eligible for a bowl game. No matter how much a bowl committee may want to select the Wolverines to grace their premises, rules are rules and Michigan can’t go anywhere without six wins.

The series: Michigan lead 57-42-6, but Ohio State has won the last five and seven of the last eight meetings.

Last meeting: Ohio State 42 – Michigan 7. It was Rich Rodriguez’s first taste of the bitter rivalry and of what it’s like to play the Buckeyes in the Horseshoe.

Pre-game summary:

Ohio State has recently reasserted itself as the premier team in the conference. They were largely forgiven for losing narrowly to USC (18-15) back in the second week of the season, but they weren’t forgiven for losing to Purdue in the seventh. They’d played close to too many opponents and Terrelle Pryor was beginning to really take flack for his inability to put together a truly explosive attack. Over the last few weeks, though, Ohio State has begun to look more like the powerhouse people have come to expect.

They beat Minnesota 38-7 the week after dropping to Purdue. Then they throttled New Mexico State 45-0. Neither of those was as impressive as what they’ve done the last two weeks, though. The Buckeyes went into Beaver Stadium and manhandled Penn State 24-7, then brought conference-leading Iowa to town and knocked them off 27-24.

The Buckeye offense is starting to click and the defense has stayed solid all year.

Michigan is reeling from a four game losing streak, and from losing six of their last seven matches. After starting the season 4-0, the Wolverines have been routinely picked apart. Their defense is weak against the pass and their offense is completely dependent upon the production of true freshman Tate Forcier.

Don’t count the Wolverines out completely, though. This is for bowl eligibility, and a lot of woes could be erased with just one win.

Prediction?

Michigan will be home for the second Christmas in a row.

Ohio State 27 – Michigan 6

#14 Penn State at Michigan State Saturday, November 21^st, 3:30 (ABC Regional)

What’s at stake? The Land Grant Trophy

Michigan State and Penn State are the nation’s oldest land-grant universities. When Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993, this rivalry was formed and the Land Grant Trophy was created to present to the winner. The trophy features pictures of Penn State’s Old Main, and Michigan State’s Beaumont Tower. It was designed by Michigan State coach George Perles.

What’s really at stake?

For Penn State, this is about securing a BCS bowl. As it stands right now, Iowa should probably be the team to get the BCS at-large bid, but nothing is settled. The Hawkeyes have to get past Minnesota and Penn State is only one position behind them in the BCS standings. If the Lions win and the Hawkeyes lose, Penn State will be the ones getting the call. Another option is to perform well enough to convince the BCS that they’re the better team, despite losing to Iowa in late September, even if Iowa does beat Minnesota.

For Michigan State, this is where they have to push for the best possible bowl. That they’re going bowling is of little doubt. At the moment there are seven teams that are bowl eligible, and seven bowls with Big Ten tie-ins to house them. Which bowl they go to, though, is still up in the air. Only the Rose Bowl has been definitively decided already.

The series: Penn State leads 12-4, and has won four of the last five. The Spartans have split the last two with the Lions, though.

Last meeting: Penn State 49 – Michigan State 18

Pre-Game Summary:

Penn State’s coming off a 31-20 defeat of Indiana – after losing to Ohio State 24-7. They’ve still got the third best offense in the conference, and the second best defense. They’ve outscored their opponents 28.5-11.6, and have only two losses – to Ohio State and #13 Iowa. Penn State hasn’t always looked the part of a conference powerhouse, occasionally struggling to get the offense going. They’ve looked as good as anyone else in the conference, though, and have done what they needed to get wins.

The Lions really hadn’t been at the forefront of the conference title hunt since losing to Iowa on September 26^th. Technically, they were still there, but both the Hawkeyes and the Buckeyes remained undefeated in the conference for quite some time, keeping Penn State on the back burner. Once the Buckeyes lost to Purdue, though, it was just a matter of waiting for Iowa to slip before the Lions were right back in the hunt. Unfortunately, that slip happened at the exact same time Penn State was busy losing to the Buckeyes. They’ve rebounded exactly as expected to beat Indiana, but can they do enough to impress the BCS sufficiently to get one of the coveted bowls?

Michigan State is on a two game win streak. They’re 6-5 and have a chance to put an exclamation point on a season that just hasn’t been there. Their wins have come against the likes of Michigan, Illinois, and Western Michigan. Their losses have come against the likes of Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and Iowa. To put it more clearly: the Spartans have only beaten one bowl eligible team.

The loss to Iowa was a last-second heart breaker. So was their loss to Notre Dame. So was their loss to Central Michigan. The case could be made that Michigan State has just had some really bad luck this year. That’s just making excuses, though. Under the gun, against decent opposition, the Spartans just haven’t been able to come through.

Prediction?

The Spartans will make this really interesting, but Penn State’s 9-2 for a reason.

Penn State 24 – Michigan State 16

Purdue at Indiana Saturday, November 21^st, 3:30 (BTN)

What’s at stake: The Old Oaken Bucket

The Old Oaken Bucket dates back to 1925 when the Chicago chapters of the alumni associations for each school got together and proposed a trophy be awarded to the winner of their annual football game. The oaken bucket was to be found from a well in Indiana and was indeed found at the Bruner family farm between Kent and Hanover. The chain attached to the bucket is made of letter-links representing the winners of each contest with the date, score, and location engraved on each link. The name of the trophy refers to a poem written in 1817 by Samuel Woodworth which describes the love he had for his childhood home and symbolizes the love of the people from Indiana for their home.

What’s really at stake: Pride.

Neither of these teams are bowl eligible and neither of them can achieve that goal now. Both teams are 4-7 and out of bowl contention. This one is simply, and wonderfully, about finding out who the best team in Indiana is.

The series: Purdue leads the series 55-26-3 and has won six of the last seven meetings.

Last meeting: Purdue 62 – Indiana 10

Pre-game Summary:

Purdue is arguably the best “bad” team in the Big Ten. Despite losing seven games, they have only been blown out once – at Wisconsin. The rest of the time they’ve been very competitive, including a very narrow loss at #11 Oregon, and near misses to Notre Dame and Michigan State. Minnesota put a bit of a hurt on them, but that didn’t happen until fairly late in the game. They also have a great win over #10 Ohio State, that people (okay, me) can’t stop talking about.

Purdue has the talent to be a real contender in the conference. RB Ralph Bolden has looked like a real game-changer, when given a real chance. QB Joey Elliott is accurate (60.9 completion percentage), though not terribly consistent (13 interceptions). DE Ryan Kerrigan is a ten-sack monster that strikes fear in the hearts of quarterbacks. There are several decent receivers all contributing to the offense and there are real players like LB Jason Werner on defense that could make Purdue a really fearsome team.

They just can’t put it all together. Elliott’s inconsistency rears its ugly head at the most inopportune times. Bolden doesn’t have enough support up front to really take control of most games. The defense is atrocious and the turnover margin is hideous (-9). The Boilermakers really do have the talent to be a bowl team, but they’re so busy beating themselves, their opponents really don’t have to.

Indiana isn’t so dissimilar. QB Ben Chappell is also accurate (63.0 completion percentage) and is also inconsistent (13 interceptions). RB Darius Willis has shown real signs of being a true feature back. DE Jamie Kirlew is All-American caliber. Senior LB Matt Mayberry has comparable numbers to Jason Werner. There are five or six decent receivers that are producing for the Hoosiers.

Unlike Purdue, Indiana isn’t necessarily killing themselves. Sure, their defense is equally awful, allowing an average 28.7 points per game. Their turnover margin, though, is really very, very good (+11). They don’t commit a ton of penalties. They just can’t play defense, and their offense is too hit-or-miss.

This game will come down to who fields the best offense and doesn’t screw up too badly on defense.

Prediction?

The Oaken Bucket isn’t going anywhere.

Purdue 38 – Indiana 28

#16 Wisconsin at Northwestern Saturday, November 21^st, 3:30 (BTN)

What’s at stake: No trophy awarded for the rivalry.

This is the one game on the docket that isn’t really a rivalry. That is to say, these two teams don’t meet every year like Iowa/Minnesota, Michigan/Ohio State, and the others.

What’s really at stake:

For Wisconsin, this is for any last shot at a BCS bowl. As already outlined, it’s a long shot at best, but not an impossible dream. Stanger things have happened than both Iowa and Penn State losing in the final week. That’s what the Badgers are facing, but it can be done.

For Northwestern, it’s also about a bowl game. There’s no shot at the BCS, but Northwestern can make a case for moving up the bowl pecking order. They have one signature win over Iowa. A victory just two weeks removed over #16 Wisconsin would be a pretty decent calling card.

The Series: 55-32-5 Wisconsin

Last meeting: Wisconsin 41 – Northwestern 9, October 7, 2006.

Pre-game Summary:

Wisconsin is on a three-game winning streak that dates back to a nice 37-0 drubbing of Purdue on Halloween. They also had a five game win streak to start the season. The problem is those two pesky losses in the middle.

Ohio State and Iowa represent more than just the only two losses on Wisconsin’s schedule. They also happen to be the only two ranked teams the Badgers have faced all year. Against poor-to-decent competition, Wisconsin has been golden. Against good-to-really good competition, Wisconsin has lost to the tune of 51-26.

Fortunately for the Badgers, Northwestern fits into the first category.

The Wildcats are on a two-game win streak of their own, but have been basically 50/50 all year. They win one, lose one, win two, lose two. They haven’t had a three game streak one way or the other all year long. What’s worse, they have a loss to Syracuse on their record.

On the other hand, they have something Wisconsin doesn’t have – a win over a ranked opponent – one that beat Wisconsin. When the Wildcats marched into Iowa City and knocked off the Iowa Hawkeyes, they achieved something no one else has all year long. They beat the Hawkeyes on their home turf. At the time, beating Iowa was something no one had done all year, regardless of the venue.

Wisconsin has plenty of power on offense and a defense that isn’t all that bad either. Northwestern has a little power on offense too, but nothing as dominating as the Badger run game. Their defense is comparable to Wisconsin’s.

This could really turn into a good game if Northwestern’s offense shows up.

Prediction?

Northwester will put the Badgers on the run early, but won’t be able to handle the persistent attack.

Wisconsin 24 – Northwestern 20

Game of the week: Penn State at Michigan State

The Michigan/Ohio State game may have a much better history and may get a lot more attention from the “talking heads”, but this is a much better game. Penn State is tough, but just how tough is very questionable. Michigan State appears to be fairly weak, but just how weak is debatable. There’s a BCS bowl on the line for one team and a bowl game – period – on the line for the other.

Upset Alert: Minnesota over Iowa

For the final time this season, I’m giving an upset alert that I’m not picking. I don’t really think Minnesota will beat Iowa, but this is one I could definitely be wrong about. The Hawkeyes are still trying to find themselves without Ricky Stanzi. Replacement, James Vandenberg looked great against Ohio State last week, but he looked horrible against Northwestern the week before. Which guy will show up? The Hawkeyes have apparently run out of magic and Minnesota is an honest rival that always seems to play Iowa tough (except last year when Iowa won 55-0).

Player to watch: Penn State QB Daryl Clark

Michigan State’s pass defense is the worst in the conference. While Clark isn’t a typical passing quarterback, he could be in for a huge performance to end the regular season.

Final Thought: This is the best week of the year. Who couldn’t love the history in these rivalries? We’re at a point in the year when every team should be playing at their peak, and playing against the one opponent they want to beat more than any other. If you’re a Big Ten fan, you gotta love week 12 football!

Until next time, HAPPY BOWL HUNTING!