Big Ten Football: 5 biggest potential upsets of the 2017 season

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EVANSTON, IL – NOVEMBER 07: Justin Jackson #21 of the Northwestern Wildcats stiff-arms Marcus Allen #2 of the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ryan Field on November 7, 2015 in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern defeated Penn State 23-21. (Photo by JonathanDaniel/Getty Images) /

2. Penn State at Northwestern (Oct. 7)

Northwestern is a team on the rise, and could end up stealing a game from Penn State the week before its bye.

After beating Penn State in their last two encounters, Northwestern could bring the streak to three in this season’s Week 6 showdown at Ryan Field.

Meet the Wildcats

Northwestern is entering its 12th season with head coach Pat Fitzgerald. The owner of a 77-62 record in Evanston, Fitzgerald is returning a team that finished an impressive 7-6 record in the Big Ten West.

Leading the Wildcats’ offense is Heisman Trophy hopeful Justin Jackson. The senior running back out of Carol Stream, Ill., is a dynamic athlete, who rushed for 1,524 yards in 2016, and has amassed over 4,000 yards in his first three years on campus. Jackson runs with a unique blend of speed and power and has been the most prolific running back in the Big Ten over the last three seasons.

Making his job easier will be the Wildcats’ offensive line. Fitzgerald’s squad will field a line composed of four upperclassman, including senior starting center Brad North, and a redshirt freshman at right tackle. This line helped Jackson average 5.1 yards per carry last season, and should continue to bully defenders in the team’s power running game.

In the backfield Jackson will be paired with red shirt junior quarterback Clayton Thorson.

After losing quarterback Trevor Siemian to the NFL in 2015, Thorson became the leader of the Wildcats’ aerial attack. After struggling as a freshman, Thorson came into his own as a sophomore, throwing for 3,182 yards on 280 completions. If Colton is able to continue to progress as a passer going into his red shirt junior season it could lead to a more balanced attack, and a better chance of winning.

Why it could be an upset

Northwestern has had Penn State’s number in recent years.

The team has beaten the Nittany Lions twice over the last two seasons, and this season could continue bring the tally up to three.

While Penn State is arguably one of the best teams in the nation, this game looks like a classic trap game. Following the team’s getaway game against Northwestern, the Nittany Lions will be going into a bye week to prepare for their week eight showdown against number two Ohio State.

This week eight showdown could go a long way to determining the ultimate winner of the Big Ten East Conference, and could set up one of its teams to compete in the college football playoffs. However, this may all be for not if Penn State loses two weeks earlier in Evanston.

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