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Big Ten Football: Northwestern climbs at Michigan State’s expense

By Richard Kimball

EAST LANSING, MI - OCTOBER 6: Wide receiver Cameron Green #84 of the Northwestern Wildcats celebrates his touchdown against linebacker Tyriq Thompson #17 of the Michigan State Spartans with wide receiver Solomon Vault #4 of the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at Spartan Stadium on October 6, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. Northwestern defeated Michigan State 29-19. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - OCTOBER 6: Wide receiver Cameron Green #84 of the Northwestern Wildcats celebrates his touchdown against linebacker Tyriq Thompson #17 of the Michigan State Spartans with wide receiver Solomon Vault #4 of the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at Spartan Stadium on October 6, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. Northwestern defeated Michigan State 29-19. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
(Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /

The Purdue Boilermakers have won two straight games and are looking to get back to .500 this Saturday. Since handing the offensive reigns over to quarterback David Blough, the Boilermakers have been laying the type of football we expected from them before the season began. With their last two wins, the Boilermakers are now just a game behind originally scheduled.

A win over Illinois this Saturday would set the Boilermakers up for a decent chance to become bowl eligible. But a loss would ultimately end any hope of playing in the postseason. Purdue still has Ohio State, Michigan State, Iowa and Wisconsin still on their schedule. A loss to the Illini and all four of these teams would put the Boilermakers on the outside looking in.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers should become bowl eligible this season. But, barring a monumental upset, they’ll have to wait until Week 8 to add to their win total as they travel to Columbus, OH  to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes this Saturday. All though winning this game is a stretch, keeping it close may not be as hard.

Don’t expect this game to come down to the final minutes but this game could be a true test of how could this Minnesota team is. Scoring over 20 points and forcing a couple of turnovers, even in a bad loss, could still provide confidence in a team that is searching for just that. Minnesota is not a powerhouse team, but has shown the flashes of a team that could compete with any team of the Big Ten West. This may not be the Golden Gopher’s year, but 2019 is sure looking bright.

The Indiana Hoosiers played a decent game on Saturday even though it resulted in a loss. Playing the top team in the conference and one of the best teams in the country is no walk in the park. But after three quarters of play, the Hoosiers found themselves down by just one possession.  Unfortunately, the better team prevailed and the Hoosiers were handed their second loss of the season.

The Hoosiers have a tough stretch of games coming up as they play host to both the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions, but even with both of those games potentially ending in a loss, the Hoosiers are on pace for a seven-win season, their first since 2007. The Hoosiers could find themselves with their backs against the wall heading into November, how they handle that situation will determine whether or not we’ll see the Hoosiers in a bowl game come December.

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