The first CFP rankings were released earlier this week, and the Big Ten saw a conference record seven teams ranked.
Among those seven were three of the four teams from the west, with Oregon at No. 9, USC at No. 20, and Washington at No. 23.
If the Playoff were to begin this week, the Big Ten would own the top two seeds with Ohio State topping the seeding, followed by Indiana. The Ducks would also join those two in the 12-team field.
But the postseason does not start just yet, and we have another month of football to play before those rankings really mean anything.
Each week, we highlight the games featuring the four West Coast schools in the Big Ten and a couple of other conference matchups.
This week, the one game left out is Ohio State at Purdue. The Buckeyes will win big and keep on rolling.
Here is a look at the six Big Ten games we are highlighting.
Northwestern Wildcats at No. 19 USC Trojans
Friday, November 7
6:00 PM PT, FOX
Line: USC –14
Over/Under: 50.5
USC can change that down the stretch, with a pair of ranked games against Iowa and Oregon coming up. But before the Trojans try to take care of that bit of business, they need to get by a gritty Northwestern squad.
The Wildcats will head west following a bye week, while the Trojans played a night game last Saturday at Nebraska. That could be something to watch for in this contest, with USC coming off a short week and Northwestern looking relatively fresh.
Both of these teams have run the ball well this season. USC has been bitten by teams that move the ball successfully on the ground. Caleb Komolafe posted a career-high 125 yards on the ground for the Cats in their last game at Nebraska.
If the Trojans can’t find a way to contain the NU ground attack, they could be in for a battle.
The big key is Jayden Maiava. The USC QB struggled throwing the football against the Huskers last week. But the Trojans shifted to the ground attack in the second half, and Maiava was a big part of that, totaling 62 rushing yards on 5.64 per carry.
That is a wrinkle that Northwestern will have to key on this week. The Wildcats are 13th in the nation against the pass, giving up just 165.1 yards through the air per game.
Any threat of Maiava pulling it down or running the option will open things up for the Trojans in the passing game.
The Cats have been solid against the run this season but look for King Miller to get a heavy workload in this one.
Northwestern will keep this one interesting for a bit, but the Trojans will pull away.
Against the spread: USC
Points Total: Under
Outright winner: USC
No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers at Penn State Nittany Lions
Saturday, November 8
9:00 AM PT, FOX
Line: Indiana –14.5
Over/Under: 48.5
This hasn’t been a typical Big Ten season, however, and the Hoosiers enter this one as a two-touchdown favorite.
And they are different because this Indiana defense is loaded with playmakers. They shut down the ground attack, and Penn State will need to get production from Kaytron Allen, who was limited to just 3.6 yards per carry last week against Ohio State.
On the season, Allen is averaging 5.78 yards per tote. The back will have trouble finding room to run in on Saturday, but if the PSU offense is to do any damage, they will need him to have a big day.
The Hoosiers also have a pretty good offense, with Fernando Mendoza spreading it all around as one of the Heisman favorites.
But the Big Ten-leading Indiana ground attack is doing most of the work, ranked sixth nationally with 245.7 yards per game.
A big issue for the Nittany Lions following the loss at OSU last week is how much the players have left in the tank.
Let’s not forget, on top of everything that has unfolded for PSU this season, the Lions are now firmly entrenched in a five-game losing streak and dealing with mental fatigue that goes with that.
If Indiana starts hot, the Hoosiers will bury the Nittany Lions. If Penn State can keep things close early, PSU could make this a 60-minute fight. The Lions still field a ton of talent.
Indiana has outscored opponents 122-16 in the third quarter and 201-38 in the second half.
Hot start or not, the Hoosiers will finish this one strong and leave central PA with a win for the first time in program history.
Against the spread: Indiana
Points Total: Over
Outright winner: Indiana
Maryland Terrapins at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Saturday November 8
11:30 AM PT, FS1
Line: Maryland –1.5
Over/Under: 58.5
Rutgers is 4-5 on the season with a trip to Ohio State on the horizon. The Terps are in the midst of a four-game losing streak and have a pair of tough tests on deck.
Needless to say, the bowl hopes of both teams are teetering on the brink, and the loser will likely see their season end early.
Maryland started hot against Indiana and had the No. 2 team in the nation on the ropes for a quarter-and-a-half before the wheels came off.
The Terps have not finished strong at all this season, having been outscored 75-24 in the fourth quarter. They need to put together a full 60 minutes.
RU has struggled to stop anyone, and enters the game giving up a Big Ten-worst 428 yards per game, which ranks 121st in the nation.
Maryland’s defense has not been great either, but Malik Washington can make more plays at QB for the Terps than Rutgers will get.
If not for a trip to Purdue a few weeks ago, Rutgers would be in the midst of a six-game slide. Maryland will need to find a way to slow down the Rutgers ground attack.
I think they can. The Terps keep their bowl hopes alive for a little while longer.
Against the spread: Maryland
Points Total: Under
Outright winner: Maryland
No. 9 Oregon Ducks at No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes
Saturday, November 8
12:30 PM PT, CBS
Line: Oregon –6
Over/Under: 40.5
Both of these teams are physical, play good defense, and will want to run the football.
The big key in this one could be big plays. Oregon leads the Big Ten with 61 plays from scrimmage of 20+ yards, the third most in the nation.
Iowa’s offense has produced just 24 such plays this season, the third fewest among conference teams.
Now, defensively the Hawkeyes have only allowed 18 plays of 20+ yards, second-best in the Big Ten and third nationally. Who in the conference has allowed fewer?
The Oregon Ducks. UO has allowed just 13 plays from scrimmage of 20+ yards this season to lead the nation in that category.
This Iowa offense is much better this season than in past seasons with Mark Gronowski under center; the QB has at least one rushing TD in each game this season.
But will Iowa have enough offense to match the Ducks? I don’t think so.
The last time the Ducks played a truly dominant defense was against Indiana, and Oregon has improved offensively since that game.
Iowa will make it difficult for Oregon to run the ball, but the Hawkeyes don’t have anything close to the pass rush that Indiana has.
Dante Moore will have time to find his receivers, and the Ducks will be able to get some explosive plays.
Oregon leaves Iowa with the win in a tight game highlighted by good defensive play.
Against the spread: Oregon
Points Total: Under
Outright winner: Oregon
No. 23 Washington Huskies at Wisconsin Badgers
Saturday, November 8
1:30 PM PT, Big Ten Network
Line: Washington –11.5
Over/Under: 46.5
The Badgers are suffering through a dreadful season. The UW offense looks like one of the best in the country.
The Wisconsin offense ranks 135th in the nation and does not look as good as its ranking. The Badgers are averaging 12.5 points per game and have managed just seven points in their last four games combined.
Can Washington leave Madison pretty happy with a win? Yes, they should, but this Badger defense can still make things pretty miserable on opposing offenses.
So, while the Huskies will be tested when they have the ball, Washington’s offense offers so many options and different looks it makes them tough to stop.
Demond Williams is versatile and will punish the Badgers if they try to take away the run.
UW was able to create space for Jonah Coleman against Illinois last time out. Finding room to run against Wisconsin will certainly be difficult, but with some patience, the ground attack should be fine.
Simply put, the Huskies will have enough offense to get it done and the Badgers will continue to struggle to score points.
Washington must do just enough to survive, and they will.
This one stays under the total on offer but almost all of the scoring will come from the visitors in Purple and Gold.
Against the spread: Washington
Points Total: Under
Outright winner: Washington
Nebraska Cornhuskers at UCLA Bruins
Saturday, November 8
6:00 PM PT, FOX
Line: UCLA -1.5
Over/Under: 43.5
Lateef, a true freshman from Orange County, CA, entered the season with a ton of upside, but also a year to learn and develop.
Now he is thrust in his first career start at the Rose Bowl.
The new QB played well against USC, with a few short passes, but the Bruins will have a week to get ready for him.
The Huskers are definitely a throw-first team, but Emmett Johnson has already topped 1,000 yards this season and carried it 29 times last week.
While the passing game will take a big hit under Lateef, the QB offers a lot more in the running game than Raiola did.
It will be interesting to see how much the Huskers incorporate this weekend.
UCLA came back to earth a bit the last time out against Indiana, but a lot of teams have done so against the Hoosiers this season. Following a bye week with the Huskers reeling, this is the perfect time for the Bruins to get things back on track.
In order to do that, UCLA will need to give Nico Iamaleava time to operate in the passing attack. The Bruins have done a good job of getting him some runs in the option and that is where he has been the strongest.
The QB needs to be a threat on every down for UCLA to be successful. In order to get the passing game rolling the Bruins might need to have some max protect looks.
Look for UCLA to keep the TE in to block and reduce some routes, but it could open more possibilities up.
Lateef could be set up for a storybook first start for as the QB returns to Southern California, but the Bruins will spoil the fairytale ending and get back to their winning ways
Against the spread: UCLA
Points Total: Over
Outright winner: UCLA
