Week 3 of the Big Ten football season saw some chaos. Not chaos in the sense of big upsets, but chaos that has seen No. 6 Penn State rise to the top of our Big Ten power rankings, No. 10 Ohio State fall after two underwhelming performances and two schools from Michigan continue to rise.
Week 4 in Big Ten land still doesn’t see any big-time in-conference matchups—No. 18 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 Notre Dame being the marquee game on the slate.
Related: The five biggest issues for Wisconsin headed into Notre Dame week
There are some sneaky in-conference games that could put two rising teams on upset alert, though, as No. 19 Michigan hosts Rutgers and No. 20 Michigan State hosts Nebraska.
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Five statistics that will decide the winner of Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame
ESPN’s Bill Connelly used his SP+ metrics to predict every game on the Week 4 slate. Here are his score predictions for every Big Ten contest:
Villanova at No. 6 Penn State
Penn State’s Marquis Wilson (9), Sean Clifford (14) and Tariq Castro-Fields (5) join together in singing the alma mater after defeating Auburn 28-20 at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, in State College. Credit: Dan Rainville-Imagn Content Services, LLC
Prediction: Penn State 38, Villanova 13
Bowling Green at Minnesota
Sep 2, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Gophers running back Bryce Williams (21) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports
Prediction: Minnesota 42, Bowling Green 11
Ohio at Northwestern
Sep 3, 2021; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald reacts after a play against the Michigan State Spartans during the fourth quarter at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports
Prediction: Northwestern 30, Ohio 20
Colorado State at No. 5 Iowa
Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras (7) huddles up with teammates including center Tyler Linderbaum and fullback Monte Pottebaum (38) during a NCAA Big Ten Conference football game against Indiana, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Credit: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen-Imagn Content Services, LLC
Prediction: Iowa 34, Colorado State 9
Rutgers at No. 19 Michigan
Sep 11, 2021; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Blake Corum (2) rushes in the second half against the Washington Huskies at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Prediction: Michigan 36, Rutgers 15
Illinois at Purdue
Purdue tight end Payne Durham (87) celebrates a touchdown during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette. Credit: Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier-Imagn Content Services, LLC
Prediction: Purdue 37, Illinois 23
Kent State at Maryland
Sep 4, 2021; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins running back Tayon Fleet-Davis (8) runs the ball during the fourth quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Prediction: Maryland 40, Kent State 19
Nebraska at No. 20 Michigan State
Sep 3, 2021; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Michigan State Spartans running back Kenneth Walker III (9) celebrates their victory after the game at Ryan Field. The Michigan State Spartans won 38-21. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports
Prediction: Michigan State 27, Nebraska 24
Akron at No. 10 Ohio State
Team Brutus quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) throws a pass during the Ohio State Buckeyes football spring game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, April 17, 2021. Credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch-Imagn Content Services, LLC
Prediction: Ohio State 56, Akron 6
Indiana at Western Kentucky
Members of the Indiana football team wave to the Iowa ChildrenÕs Hospital after the first quarter against Iowa at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. Credit: Bryon Houlgrave/The Register-Imagn Content Services, LLC
Prediction: Indiana 29, Western Kentucky 21
No. 12 Notre Dame at No. 18 Wisconsin
Sep 18, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Avery Davis (3) runs Into the end zone for a touchdown in front of Purdue Boilermakers safety Chris Jefferson (17) in the third quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Prediction: Wisconsin 27, Notre Dame 22
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