Big Ten breakdown | Week 12

Nov. 15—Illinois is back in action this week in a seven-game for the Big Ten. Beat writer Scott Richey ranks all of the league matchups and dives deep on his picks for Illinois MVP and Big Ten MVP to go with more thoughts on the Illini’s latest bowl game projections:

Make the time to watch

No. 1 Oregon (10-0, 7-0) at Wisconsin (5-4, 3-3) 6:30 p.m., Saturday, NBC

* Who’s on the call: Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analysis) and Kathryn Tappen

* (sideline reports).

* Who wins: Oregon, 42-17.

* The last time Wisconsin hosted a top-five team, it lost 28-13 to Penn State. The margin will likely be quite a bit wider with the Ducks bringing their dynamic offense to Madison, Wis., for the first time since 2000.

Second-screen options

Michigan State (4-5, 2-4) at Illinois (6-3, 3-3) 1:30 p.m., Saturday, FS1

* Who’s on the call: Alex Faust (play-by-play) and Robert Smith

* (analysis).

* Who wins: Illinois, 24-21.

* This qualifies as a “must-win” caliber game for the Illini. Not that there’s anything significant on the line with the College Football Playoff out of reach, but avoiding another November swoon is kind of a big deal for the program.

Nebraska (5-4, 2-4) at Southern Cal (4-5, 2-5) 3 p.m., Saturday, Fox

* Who’s on the call: Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Brock Huard (analysis) and Allison Williams (sideline reports).

* Who wins: USC, 24-21.

* The Trojans have lost four of five. Nebraska has lost three in a row. So much for the big brands in the Big Ten. USC gets the benefit of the doubt this week because it doesn’t have to travel.

Rutgers (5-4, 2-4) at Maryland (4-5, 1-5) 5 p.m., Saturday, FS1

* Who’s on the call: Chris Myers (play-by-play) and Spencer Tillman

* (analysis).

* Who wins: Rutgers, 28-20. Neither team’s had a very successful past month. Both have lost four of their last five games. But momentum is on the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/big-ten-breakdown-week-12-154800042.html

Author : The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.

Publish date : 2024-11-15 15:48:00

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