Why the Michigan game is important

Terrific. Someone still needs to explain to me why we aren't playing Indiana this week. This garbage about some kind of rivalry week is pond scum - the only rivalry games are Indiana, who would LOVE to guarantee themselves an NY6 bowl bid by playing a sister of the poor (like Purdue) and Minnesota, where Row-Row sees the opportunity to get ONE trophy in his case by year's end (against Wisconsin). NONE of the rest of the games are even close to a rivalry.

Sorry, I can't help but think Indiana pulled some strings to duck Iowa this coming week. OK, we don't dare lose against a Michigan, and a win does put us probably in the Outback Bowl - again! But beating Indiana may very well have put us into the spot they are almost guaranteed now.
First off, Indiana got the shaft and was "jumped" by OSU when the rules were changed. The B1G helps them with their record by giving them a "free" win.

After that - It looks like their first priority was scheduling rivalry games that had been cancelled, so in addition to the OSU-NW championship game they scheduled Indiana-Purdue and Wisconsin-Minnesota. Because one of those games is a West-West game, they needed an East-East game, and that would mean Maryland against MSU or Michigan as the non-rematch options. MSU gets the honor as the last place team.

That left Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois in the West, and PSU, Michigan, and Rutgers in the East. PSU had already played Iowa and Nebraska, so they get Illinois. Then maybe because Michigan beat Rutgers, they play the higher-seeded Iowa and Rutgers gets Nebraska. Or maybe the Big Ten wanted to balance out the TV viewers and worried that an Iowa-Rutgers matchup wouldn't get enough.
 
It "could" be the BIG doesn't want Indiana defeated, which could possibly mean no NY6 rep from the Big. Iowa and Indiana Citrus and Outback. This places greater odds at the BIG with a guaranteed NY6 bowl slot.
 
It "could" be the BIG doesn't want Indiana defeated, which could possibly mean no NY6 rep from the Big. Iowa and Indiana Citrus and Outback. This places greater odds at the BIG with a guaranteed NY6 bowl slot.
Yes all political. This was to get OSU into the playoffs get IU another win as well as Iowa. The conference looks stronger come bowl season as a result assuming games play out like they should.
 
Yes all political. This was to get OSU into the playoffs get IU another win as well as Iowa. The conference looks stronger come bowl season as a result assuming games play out like they should.
Yeah, it looks stronger until OSU loses by 4 TDs and Indiana gets absolutely blown out if they draw a solid opponent and as usual the Hawks have one of only two decent bowl wins for the conference.
 
Guys, sorry to piss in your cheerios. As good as Iowa has looked this year. They aint played nobody.
 
Guys, sorry to piss in your cheerios. As good as Iowa has looked this year. They aint played nobody.
Iowa's SOS was tougher than Ohio State, Clemson, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, BYU, UNC, Oregon, TCU, and Northwestern of teams in the Sagarin top 25. Iowa is ranked #9 in Sagarin.

You want a team that "ain't played nobody" go look at Clemson and Notre Dame's schedules.
 
Guys, sorry to piss in your cheerios. As good as Iowa has looked this year. They aint played nobody.
That's just lazy analysis. Hell, it's not even analysis. It's just a statement.

They are just playing their schedule. Also, the defensive scoring stat goes back much farther than just this season. Iowa is a solid team.
 
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