I was going through our B1G schedule again, and I like our chances with this schedule.
The bottom of the league
Going into the season, there seems to be a reasonable consensus that the bottom 5 teams are expected to be Rutgers, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois and Penn State. Fortunately, we have 8 games against these bottom 5 teams (Rutgers twice, Nebraska twice, Minnesota at home, Illinois twice and @ Penn State). Last year, we were pretty successful beating the teams below us in the league. I don't expect we'll win every game as there are certainly some decent teams in this group. Still, we have an opportunity to pad our win totals against the bottom of the league as we did last season.
The middle of the league
This is where we live or die. And this is where we failed to get over the hump last season. These games kept us from being a post-season team. We got the early season win against Wisconsin, but then dropped 2 to Maryland, 2 to Ohio State, 2 to Michigan (including one in the BTT) as well as the lone game against Iowa. For this discussion, the middle of the league for 2017 is 5 teams: Ohio State, Michigan, Maryland, Iowa and Northwestern. Against these 4 other teams, we actually only have 4 games on the schedule--but 3 are at home! We play Ohio State in Columbus, but we get Michigan, Maryland, and Iowa in Evanston. Huge opportunity to get quality wins to put us ahead of other teams in this group fighting for NCAA Tournament berths.
The top of the league
Wisconsin, Michigan State, Purdue and Indiana are in another class. Any of them seems capable of being a Final Four team next March. We play 6 games against these 4 teams--and 4 are on the road. This really puts the spotlight on the home games against Indiana and Purdue. Players and fans will know what a marquee win could do for our post-season hopes. It's unfortunate that we also face each of these 4 teams on the road... At best, we always have a chance of surprising someone. At worst, a road loss against any of these teams won't hurt our RPI.
The bottom line
In theory, each game has equal importance... But I'm circling 5 home games: Indiana, Purdue, Michigan, Maryland and Iowa. These games will be the barometer of whether or not we are a special team that is going to make some noise. And I'm circling both games against Illinois--just because.
The bottom of the league
Going into the season, there seems to be a reasonable consensus that the bottom 5 teams are expected to be Rutgers, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois and Penn State. Fortunately, we have 8 games against these bottom 5 teams (Rutgers twice, Nebraska twice, Minnesota at home, Illinois twice and @ Penn State). Last year, we were pretty successful beating the teams below us in the league. I don't expect we'll win every game as there are certainly some decent teams in this group. Still, we have an opportunity to pad our win totals against the bottom of the league as we did last season.
The middle of the league
This is where we live or die. And this is where we failed to get over the hump last season. These games kept us from being a post-season team. We got the early season win against Wisconsin, but then dropped 2 to Maryland, 2 to Ohio State, 2 to Michigan (including one in the BTT) as well as the lone game against Iowa. For this discussion, the middle of the league for 2017 is 5 teams: Ohio State, Michigan, Maryland, Iowa and Northwestern. Against these 4 other teams, we actually only have 4 games on the schedule--but 3 are at home! We play Ohio State in Columbus, but we get Michigan, Maryland, and Iowa in Evanston. Huge opportunity to get quality wins to put us ahead of other teams in this group fighting for NCAA Tournament berths.
The top of the league
Wisconsin, Michigan State, Purdue and Indiana are in another class. Any of them seems capable of being a Final Four team next March. We play 6 games against these 4 teams--and 4 are on the road. This really puts the spotlight on the home games against Indiana and Purdue. Players and fans will know what a marquee win could do for our post-season hopes. It's unfortunate that we also face each of these 4 teams on the road... At best, we always have a chance of surprising someone. At worst, a road loss against any of these teams won't hurt our RPI.
The bottom line
In theory, each game has equal importance... But I'm circling 5 home games: Indiana, Purdue, Michigan, Maryland and Iowa. These games will be the barometer of whether or not we are a special team that is going to make some noise. And I'm circling both games against Illinois--just because.
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