1. Illinois at Indiana
11 a.m. Saturday,
Big Ten Network
Will this be the year both the Hoosiers and the Illini flee the Big Ten basement? Early indications say absolutely. Both teams have rushing attacks in the nation’s top 10, with Indiana averaging 258.7 yards per game and Illinois 258.0.
2. Michigan State at Notre Dame
2:30 p.m., WMAQ-Ch. 5
Let’s play “Rate the Insults.” Michigan linebacker Chris Graham: “I don’t even think there was an offensive line in front of [Wolverines defenders].” Jay Leno: “To avoid more embarrassment, the Catholic Archdiocese made another $287 [million] payout, this time to Notre Dame season-ticket holders.”
3. No. 10 Penn State at Michigan
2:30 p.m., WLS-Ch. 7
Michigan has won eight straight in the series. And to think, the late Bo Schembechler didn’t want Penn State to join the Big Ten.
4. No. 12 South Carolina at No. 2 LSU
2:30 p.m., WBBM-Ch. 2
There’s this history: Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier went 11-1 against LSU while at Florida. And then there’s this: South Carolina never has beaten a team ranked higher than third in 114 years of football.
5. No. 22 Georgia at No. 16 Alabama
6:45 p.m., ESPN
Georgia coach Mark Richt closed practices this week, and it wasn’t to be anti-social. “It’s the Belichick rule,” a source told ESPN.com. “We’ve been skunked in the past.” Is it a coincidence that ‘Bama coach Nick Saban worked under Bill Belichick for four seasons in Cleveland?
6. Iowa at No. 9 Wisconsin
7 p.m., WLS-Ch. 7
The nation’s best party school (according to the Princeton Review) knows how to set the mood. The Badgers are 19-1 in their last 20 night games.
