Jim Rossow's Big Ten football report: SI jinx for Iowa?

Check out Bob Asmussen's video preview of Minnesota here

the schedule

Want to know which of Saturday's games are worth your while? Here's the scoop from sports editor Jim Rossow, who was called out by Loren Tate in a "Dear Coach Rossow" column after a 4-2 week left him 52-16 overall:

Illinois at Minnesota

11 a.m., Big Ten Network

Here's why Juice Williams is smiling: In the last two games against the Gophers, the Illini have compiled 1,205 yards on offense. The 655 total in 2007 marked the third highest in school history.

Rossow's pick: Minnesota, 35-14

Northwestern at No. 8 Iowa

11 a.m., ESPN

Wildcats in the midst of a difficult season-ending stretch, their final four opponents combining for a 25-9 record. And six of those losses belong to Illinois, the only non-Top 25 team on the schedule.

Rossow's pick: Iowa, 17-14

No. 24 Wisconsin at Indiana

11 a.m., Big Ten Network

Terry Hawthorne wasn't the only East St. Louis star to come through last Saturday. News-Gazette All-Stater Kraig Appleton, a true freshman at Wisconsin, made the first reception of his career against Purdue. He finished with two catches for 15 yards.

Rossow's pick: Wisconsin, 31-30

Purdue at Michigan

11 a.m., Big Ten Network

As bad as the Wolverines are playing, history indicates they'll be bowl eligible by 2:30 p.m. Purdue has lost 11 consecutive road games and hasn't won in Ann Arbor since the News-Gazette sports editor was 1 year old (1966).

Rossow's pick: Michigan, 18-17

Western Michigan at Michigan State

11 a.m., Big Ten Network

Spartans are 37-7-2 against Mid-American Conference teams but had their 15-game winning streak against the league snapped by Central Michigan in September. They've lost to Western, too, but that was in 1919.

Rossow's pick: Michigan State, 31-13

No. 15 Ohio State at No. 11 Penn State

2:30 p.m., WICD (ABC)

Buckeyes are looking to tie a school record with their fourth shutout. They've tossed three for the first time since 1996 and are trying to match what Woody Hayes pulled off in 1973 and 1977.

Rossow's pick: Penn State, 21-13

looking ahead

Coaches like Ron Zook take it one game at a time. We don't:

NOV. 14

Northwestern at Illinois 11 a.m.

Michigan at Wisconsin 11 a.m.

South Dakota St. at Minnesota 11 a.m.

Michigan State at Purdue 11 a.m.

Indiana at Penn State 11 a.m.

Iowa at Ohio State 2:30 p.m.

Jim Rossow's random thoughts

HERE WE GO AGAIN

Rightfully so, the Big Ten's reputation has taken a hit in recent seasons. But at least the league has remained in the national championship conversation almost every year since Ohio State won it all in 2002. That's because it has had at least one team start 9-0 four seasons in a row and five out of the last six (Iowa in 2009, Penn State in '08, Ohio State in '07, Michigan and Ohio State in '06, Wisconsin in '04). Not every BCS conference has been so fortunate.

MVP UPDATE

I still think Daryll Clark will be the Big Ten's MVP. But he has to overcome his big-game jitters first. If the Penn State quarterback has a fault, it's his inability to play like Ricky Stanzi in the clutch. Clark was awful in two losses to Iowa, was shaky in last season's Rose Bowl and missed most of the upset of Ohio State in Columbus in 2008. His last chance to impress is Saturday, when Ohio State visits Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions close with Indiana and Michigan State.

IS IT A JINX OR NOT?

Making the cover of Sports Illustrated isn't always a good thing, jinx experts will tell you. So it's no surprise some Iowa fans are nervous to see Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and Wade Leppert on the cover of this week's SI. My question: Since SI started regionalizing its covers, does the notion of a jinx still float? After all, Iowa made the cover on SIs distributed in only nine Midwestern states (including Illinois). Derek Jeter is the cover boy in 41 states.

Temperature check

WHO'S HOT

BIG-TIME COACHES

The Ohio State-Penn State matchup will be the first regular season game involving two head coaches with more than 600 wins combined. Joe Paterno is 391-128-3 in 44 seasons, all at Penn State. Jim Tressel is 225-78-2 in 24 years as a head coach. He's 90-21 in nine years at Ohio State and was 135-57-2 in 15 years at Division I-AA Youngstown State.

IOWA IN THE CLUTCH

The Hawkeyes have outscored opponents 100-38 in the fourth quarter. Credit much-maligned Ricky Stanzi, who is 17-3 as a starter.

JAMMIE KIRLEW

If the Big Ten had an All-Behavior Team, he'd be a unanimous pick. The talented Indiana defensive end – he leads the Big Ten in fumbles forced and ranks seventh in sacks – this week was named a finalist for the Awards and Recognition Association (ARA) sportsmanship award. Earlier this season, Kirlew made the 2009 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, honoring dedicated and hard-working student-athletes for their off-the-field achievements. Northwestern's Andrew Brewer also is an ARA finalist.

WHO'S WARM

NORTHWESTERN

They're next in line for Iowa, which has the nation's second-longest winning streak (13) behind Florida's 18. But at least the Wildcats get the Hawkeyes in Iowa City. Northwestern is the only team that's won more than once at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa's last 51 games there. The Wildcats won 21-7 in 2006 and 22-17 last season.

JUICE WILLIAMS, ADAM WEBER

They're still targets of heavy criticism, but the quarterbacks at Illinois and Minnesota got fans off their backs last weekend. Juice, in danger of losing his job to a freshman, was solid in the upset of Michigan. Weber, who hadn't thrown a TD pass in three games, earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors with his 416-yard, five-TD effort.

MIKEL LESHOURE

Finally, he's getting national attention. But not all of it can be sitting well with the former Centennial star. In an Associated Press story that moved Wednesday, Leshoure was labeled as a sophomore "who played his high school ball just a couple of miles west of Memorial Stadium at Champaign Central."

WHO'S COLD

MICHIGAN QUARTERBACKS

Tate Forcier has not thrown a touchdown in the last three conference games, all losses. Against Illinois, he fumbled three times. Turnovers also have been a bugaboo for his backup, Denard Robinson, who lined up at receiver against Illinois.

OHIO STATE'S KICKING

A season-ending knee injury to reliable Aaron Pettrey means 26-year-old former Major League Soccer player Devin Barclay gets the call against Penn State. A former walk-on who beat out scholarship kicker Ben Buchanan for the No. 2 spot behind Pettrey, Barclay missed two of his three field goal attempts in his debut last week.

MICHIGAN STATE REPORTERS

For some reason, coach Mark Dantonio limited media access to players this week, making only quarterback Kirk Cousins and linebacker Greg Jones available for interviews.

Gimme fives: This week's rankings, courtesy sports editor Jim Rossow

Illinois MVP

Player PREVIOUS

Mikel Leshoure 1

Terry Hawthorne 5

Walter Aikens –

Corey Liuget –

Jon Asamoah –

Big Ten MVP

Player PREVIOUS

Daryll Clark, Penn State 1

Tyler Sash, Iowa –

Pat Angerer, Iowa 2

John Clay, Wisconsin –

Navorro Bowman, Penn State 5

Coach of the Year

Coach PREVIOUS

Kirk Ferentz, Iowa 1

Joe Paterno, Penn State 3

Bret Bielema, Wisconsin 4

Tim Brewster, Minnesota –

Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern 2

Bowl lineup

School Bowl

Iowa BCS

Penn State BCS

Ohio State Capital One

Wisconsin Outback

Minnesota Champs

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