So, we’re finally here. I say phhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhbt! to all the Big Ten naysayers, because evidencing from week one, there are some pretty good teams and games on the docket. The first one we are going to talk about is a pittance of offense versus defense as the romping Northwestern Wildcats travel to Iowa City to take on Kirk Ferentz‘ Iowa Hawkeyes.

The stories of these two teams may seem very different, but there’s one similar thing that they both share: they’re trying to earn respect. While their combined record is 7-1 and the only loss was a road game to a decent Pittsburgh team last week, when asked about the teams that should be competing for the Big Ten title, these two are mostly overlooked. The winner of this game should get some street cred.

And while I mentioned at the top that it was an offense versus defense type of game, the reality is that these two teams overall are pretty evenly matched in terms of yards per game (Northwestern 355 versus Iowa’s 393) as well as defensively (The Wildcats are giving up 282 ypg while Iowa gives up 255). The difference is that these stats are a bit misleading as you look at competition overall–to me, Northwestern has played the tougher schedule thus far, even with Iowa playing Pitt.

C.J. Bacher is the key in this game for the Wildcats if they want to have a chance. While he has thrown for decent yardage (758), he’s thrown only 3 TDs and thrown 5 picks. He could really exploit a young Iowa secondary if he can really make better decisions on the field and if his line can give him a bit more time. Tyrell Sutton has been huge this year–6 TDs and 383 yards rushing–so he will be counted on as well and faces a tough Iowa run defense that actually did decently against a great running Pitt team last week overall.

The Iowa question mark at quarterback continues, even though Ferentz, despite statistical comparisons, seems to want to have Jake Christensen at the helm when it counts, even though I still think Richard Stanzi is the man for the job and should be given the total reins. Shonn Greene continued to impress last week and has racked up 506 yards already in this young season. If the Hawkeyes can continue to seek respect, it may come in the form of Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, who caught six balls for 75 yards last week against the Panthers. He may be the X factor for the Hawks.

The line on this game is surprising to me, with Iowa favored at 9 at the time of this writing. While I know that having the home field advantage is pretty huge, I don’t think that this game on paper is that different. I think that Iowa will win, but it will be closer than what people think–especially if the Hawkeyes can’t figure out this QB situation quickly. My prediction: Iowa 20, Northwestern 17