Every preseason pundit is giving out their best games to watch for the upcoming season and who and when to watch and that makes sense because there are so many interesting games. I was actually going to follow this same format and list my top games to watch in the Big Ten, but as I made the list, I noticed it was filled with the same three teams; Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan.
That made me feel guilty for not including some of the less watchable teams in the conference and instead I am going to provide a key game for each team in the Big Ten and we will start with the Big Ten West Division.
Illinois Fighting Illini
Game to Watch
Illinois at Purdue – September 30th
This is an obvious selection. Jeff Brohm has left Purdue and the program replaced him with Ryan Walters, who was the defensive coordinator of the Fighting Illini last season. Many think Illinois is due for some regression this season after winning eight games last year. After barely beating the Boilermakers to the tune of 31-24 in 2022, it would be wise for Bret Bielema to place his foot on the throat of the new headman in the Big Ten and avoid as much regression as possible.
Iowa Hawkeyes
Game to Watch
Iowa at Wisconsin – October 14th
This is one of the more underrated rivalries in the Big Ten and the Hawkeyes are looking to win back-to-back against the Badgers after defeating them 24-10 at home last season. With that said, Wisconsin has won five of the past seven in this series. and new head coach, Luke Fickell, is looking to make an impact in the Big Ten for his first season.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Game to Watch
Minnesota at Iowa – October 21st
Minnesota won nine games last season and always seems to be on the brink of the top of the Big Ten, but the Hawkeyes are always there to stomp the Gophers back down. Iowa won this contest 13-10 last season and has won the last eight games in this series and ten of the past 11. If Minnesota is going to break through to the next tier of the Big Ten it needs a win in this series.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Game to Watch
Nebraska at Illinois – October 7th
This is an underrated game. Everyone is highlighting the Cornhuskers against some of the top-tier teams in the Big Ten like Iowa, but Matt Rhule is entering his first season at Nebraska and needs time to change the losing culture there. Highlighting a game against Illinois is much more reasonable. The Cornhuskers were smoked by the Fighting Illini last season, 26-9, and pulling out a win in Urbana-Champaign in 2023 would be a reasonable sign of good things to come under Rhule.
Northwestern Wildcats
Game to Watch
Northwestern at Rutgers – September 2nd
The Wildcats program took a step backward this off-season with the news of hazing. New head coach David Braun was thrown into a position he is clearly not ready for, but the 2023 season opens with a winnable game within the conference. Coming away with a win in Piscataway can win some much-needed goodwill immediately. There are not a ton of winnable games on this schedule so Northwestern needs to take advantage.
Purdue Boilermakers
Game to Watch
Illinois at Purdue – September 30th
We highlighted this game above for the Fighting Illini as well for the same reasons. Jeff Brohm left the Boilermakers and they replaced him with the former defensive coordinator of Illinois, Ryan Walters. The Purdue program made some serious strides under Brohm, and defeating the Fighting Illini would show that they aren’t going to take a step in the wrong direction.
Wisconsin Badgers
Game to Watch
Iowa at Wisconsin – October 14th
We highlighted this game for the Hawkeyes as well, but this is an important game for both programs. Iowa took the last meeting with the Badgers and they need to get a win in this series to show that Fickell and company are moving this program forward for Wisconsin.
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