A huge week coming up in Big Ten football!

Nebraska gets Iowa at Iowa, and while I hate Iowa as much as the next guy, it’s going to be a pretty difficult game for Nebraska to win. Nebraska must win it if they expect to have any hope of winning the Big Ten West. Lose and the Huskers are done, no matter what happens with the rest of the division.

The main contender for the Big Ten West is of course Wisconsin. They get Minnesota this weekend in the Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. Most consider this game a clear win for the Badgers, but I wouldn’t be so quick to write the Gophers off. Maybe that’s confirmation bias.

The Big Ten East scenarios are established and here they are from the mothership. Note this about the Big Ten West from that same article:

In the West, the likely winner is Wisconsin.

And then Jason Kirk from our mothership, whom I enjoy, does this on his bowl projections. (He projects Nebraska in the Outback Bowl against Auburn.):

The West champ is likely Wisconsin.

I have to hand it to my mothership counterparts. They’ve not only dismissed Minnesota, but Nebraska as well. Any time you can pull off a two-fer insult in such a subtle manner, well, I’ll tell you, it’s a testament to your wit. Or it’s an indication that the mothership staff is full of Southerners who have a disdain for anything North. Or maybe it’s that Nebraska hasn’t proved much this season and Minnesota, well, they’re just Minnesota.

Maybe I shouldn’t be so picky. They are correct, after all. The chances of Nebraska winning AND Wisconsin losing are pretty small (don’t take that as an insult against our Huskers, please).

Here’s my predictions for what’s going to happen between the Big Ten and the College Football Playoff:

• Michigan beats Ohio State this weekend to advance to the Big Ten Championship game. They then advance to the College Football Playoff after beating Wisconsin for the Big Ten title.
• Ohio State doesn’t make the Big Ten title game but does make it to the College Football playoff because I have no idea how you could keep the Buckeyes out of playoff.
• Alabama is an obvious choice for the playoff. Not only are they a juggernaut that everyone is tired of, but it’s not safe to go against them at this point. It’d be like inviting the Robopocalypse.
• Clemson would have to screw up pretty badly at this point to not be included in the playoff. They have South Carolina this coming weekend, then play either North Carolina or Virginia Tech for the ACC title.
• I’m not sure Washington will get past Washington State this coming weekend in the Apple Cup. I was pretty high on the Husky bandwagon earlier this season, but USC really stuffed them into a bucket a couple weeks ago, and the national perception of the Pac 12 wasn’t that great to begin with.
• The Big 12? Not a chance in hell unless you consider that the College Football Playoff Committee makes rankings based on whatever they want and you can be damned and stomp your feet if you don’t like what they’re doing.

NEWS

TAI WEBSTER'S NEBRASKAN BASKETBALL ODYSSEY

One of the first in the impressive current breed of Kiwis in US college basketball, Webster is in his senior - and final - year at Nebraska. In his time in Lincoln, he has experienced the whole gambit of what it means to be an American college baller.

Five burning questions heading into Iowa week

Quarterback, Quarterback, Special teams, defense, and what will happen with Wisconsin-Minnesota?

Iowa winning without a passing game

The Hawkeyes went on to defeat Illinois 28-0 anyway, which is all McCarron was focused on. But they’ve been doing it without significant contributions in the passing game most of the season.

Carriker Chronicles

Postgame Maryland with his disgustingly cute four-year old daughter

Adam Carriker breaks down the Maryland Game

Big Ten

Michigan-Ohio State is all set to be 2016’s biggest college football game - SBNation.com

The stage is now neatly set. Ohio State will host Michigan at the Horseshoe next Saturday (noon ET, ABC), and it’ll be the biggest college football game of this regular season. ESPN’s College GameDay has already announced a special, five-hour edition of its weekly road show, beginning at 7 a.m. ET in Columbus.

Maryland football has one last chance at bowl eligibility against Rutgers - Testudo Times

Our weekly outlook on the Maryland football program.

Big Ten Bowl Projections, Week 12 - Off Tackle Empire

Can Ohio State make the playoff without making the conference championship?

Northwestern’s inconsistency has led the team to a must-win final game - Inside NU

An up-and-down season must end with an up.

Minnesota Football vs Northwestern: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - The Daily Gopher

It was a fun day for the Gopher defense. Not so much for Wildcat quarterback Clayton Thorson.

Three Things: Michigan 20, Indiana 10 - The Crimson Quarry

Same Indiana, different game

Bucky’s 5th Quarter’s Fifth Quarter: Thoughts on Wisconsin’s win at Purdue - Bucky's 5th Quarter

Sunday morning musings following UW’s blowout win.

MMQB: What’s the Worst Weather You’ve Endured for a Sporting Event? - Black Shoe Diaries

The weather outside was frightful, and the bar was so delightful

Basketball

We are moving into basketball season, and I will be doing more basketball stuff as we do. In the meantime, there was this dicey finish at Michigan State.

Elsewhere

Faith No Mora: UCLA Must Replace Jim Mora With A Coach Who Can Get The Team To The Next Level - Bruins Nation

Most Bruin fans seem to understand that the team is headed in the wrong direction under Jim Mora and that Mora must be held accountable. But does Dan Guerrero agree?

Texas can't fire a head coach without it being a sloppy, public mess - SBNation.com

Charlie Strong’s awkward nightmare isn’t a new thing in Austin. Remember Mack Brown and Rick Barnes?

Kansas-24, Texas-21 - Barking Carnival

Congratulations to Kansas for a historic win. Rare that a 1-9 team with 69 losses over the last 7 years upsets a historical power in their place. Ultimately, this loss will prove to be a...

A Very Brief Eulogy for the Charlie Strong Era - Barking Carnival

As is obvious to everyone (with or without sources) the Charlie Strong Era of Texas Football has stumbled off this mortal coil. In the coming days or weeks, someone will sign the certificate and...

Why Charlie Strong is being fired at Texas - SBNation.com

In Austin, a few big moments aren’t enough to save you.

Full 2016 FCS playoffs bracket and schedule revealed: NDSU going for 6 in a row - SBNation.com

Five-time defending champion North Dakota State highlights a 24-team field.

If cold weather made you better at football, Nick Saban would’ve invested in it - SBNation.com

This is the Top Whatever, Spencer Hall’s weekly ranking of only the college football teams that need to be ranked at this time.

Funny Hall writes this about cold weather, but none of the Southern, warm-weather teams want to leave their regions and come up and play in it. Again, if the playoff expands beyond four teams, it must be home field advantage, or you can count on a Northern school never winning it again.

Ed Orgeron’s pitch to remain LSU head coach includes hiring a ‘premier’ offensive coordinator - SBNation.com

LSU interim head coach Ed Orgeron is no longer the favorite to replace Les Miles in 2017 and beyond, but he’s planning an aggressive pitch to athletic director Joe Alleva following the Tigers’ season finale on Thanksgiving night at Texas A&M.

Let’s face it. Ed Orgeron isn’t going to be the head coach of any marquee program because he just doesn’t have the pedigree. It’s not about his skills. It’s about his voice and his accent. It’s because he doesn’t belong at your gala events.

NFL kickers can't stop missing extra points in Week 11 - SBNation.com

It’s an epidemic!