August is just around the corner, which means we’re closing in on the start of fall camp, and then honest to goodness real football a few weeks later.
We’ll have plenty of discussion in the coming weeks about Penn State football, but today we want to discuss non-Penn State football games from the conference that has everyone excited.
Some big intra-conference games include Ohio State-Michigan, Michigan-Michigan State, Nebraska-Ohio State, and Iowa-Wisconsin.
But for me, the most intriguing non-Penn State Big Ten game this fall involves a team not in the conference: Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish had an easier than expected schedule last year, with some of their usual opponents having down years, including USC and Stanford. As a result, the Irish made the playoffs, only to be waxed by eventual national champion Clemson.
As always, the hype train for Notre Dame is real this year, as they’re projected to be a top 10 team. By the time they visit the Big House in late October, both teams will have had some tests. The Irish will have played Georgia and USC, along with P5 teams Louisville and UVA.
Michigan, meanwhile, will have gone through Army, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Penn State, in addition to “P5 teams” Rutgers and Illinois.
Both teams are being included in the College Football Playoff discussion, and as we’ve seen, more than one loss is likely to give either team the boot. It’s not unreasonable to think that this game could be a CFP elimination game for either team.
What say you, dear reader? Which non-Penn State Big Ten game are you most looking forward to this season?