Since I already launched into this in
another thread I thought I'd expand on it here.
With the impending end of divisions, 2022 might be the best chance that several B1G-W teams ever have of getting to the CG. As soon as next year they could all be thrown in with the B1G-E which would undoubtedly diminish their chances of making it. So, without further ado here are all seven B1G-W teams' league schedules with their five away games and four home games. I've organized this in roughly what I preliminarily think will be the order of difficulty to win (taking both opponent and H/A into account) but the teams are simply organized alphabetically:
- Illinois: @M, @UW, @UNL, vsMSU, vsIA, @IU, vsPU, vsMN, @NU
- Iowa: @tOSU, vsM, vsUW, @PU, @MN, vsUNL, @IL, vsNU, @RU
- Minnesota: @PSU, @UW, @MSU, @UNL, vsIA, vsPU, @IL, vsRU, vsNU
- Nebraska: @M, @IA, vsUW, @PU, vsMN, vsIL, vsIU, @RU, vsNU
- Northwestern: vstOSU, @PSU, @IA, vsUW, @PU, @MN, vsUNL, @UMD, vsIL
- Purdue: @UW, vsPSU, @MN, vsUNL, vsIA, @IL, @IU, @UMD, vsNU
- Wisconsin: @tOSU, @MSU, @IA, @UNL, vsPU, vsMN, vsIL, @NU, vsUMD
Purdue is the only B1G-W team not visiting Ann Arbor, Columbus, or State College this year. I think that is a big advantage because they are the only B1G-W team with a pretty good chance to go 3-0 against the B1G-E. If they can pull that off then 4-2 in divisional games will get the job done for them provided that the other teams are equal enough to each absorb a couple losses inter-divisionally.
I know that Northwestern has an odd knack for following up a terrible season (like last year) with a great one but I just don't see it this year. That schedule looks like an out-and-out nightmare to me. Having tOSU and UW at home is likely a curse disguised as a blessing. HFA is great but I think they lose those games anyway (partly because NU doesn't really have much "HFA" anyway). They gave up a home game for a neutral site game in Dublin which only leaves them with three home games and two of them are against tOSU and UW. If they lose those two then it looks like 1-8 is not unlikely and anything better than 3-6 would be a flat-out miracle.
Wisconsin has been consistently fielding good-to-great teams for better than three decades now but this schedule looks rough. The four road trips to Columbus, East Lansing, Iowa City, and Lincoln would be a tall order for anyone and Wisconsin is not an exception to that. That said, losing in Columbus and East Lansing wouldn't be all that damaging to the Badgers' CG hopes because the rest of the B1G-W teams should all lose at least once to a team not named UW so if they lose to tOSU and MSU but otherwise win they should get back to Indy.
Iowa has an interesting schedule where a lot depends on how good Michigan, Purdue, and Minnesota are. If the Hawkeyes can beat the Wolverines at home and the Boilers and Gophers on the road then they should be in good shape but if they can't then they'll be an also-ran.
Minnesota was close last year and REALLY close in 2019 but this year's road trips to State College, Madison, East Lansing, and Lincoln could make things difficult this year. Even the trip to Champaign could be tough, the Gophers lost to the Illini last year in Minneapolis.
Personally I don't think Bert will have Illinois ready to contend just yet but we'll find out early as the Illini travel to Madison on the first of October and host the Hawkeyes a week later. If they lose those two I think they are out.
Nebraska could be the wildcard in this whole thing. Last year they finished with a pathetic 3-9 record but almost every week they lost by one score and that included competitive games against some really good teams. Their nine losses last year:
- In OT @ Michigan State
- By 3 vs Michigan
- By 5 vs Purdue
- By 7 @ Oklahoma
- By 7 @ Wisconsin
- By 7 vs Iowa
- By 7 @ Minnesota
- By 8 @ Illinois
- By 9 vs Ohio State
With that many close losses they could potentially improve their record by half-a-dozen or more games without actually getting all that much better.
