The Wolverine takes a look around the Big Ten heading into college football's fourth weekend:
Indiana (1-1, 0-1 Big Ten)
While several Big Ten teams will be starting conference play this weekend, Indiana will square off with Sun Belt foe Georgia Southern ... The Hoosiers were supposed to face Florida International last week, but had the game cancelled due to Hurricane Irma ... Indiana has won nine of its last 10 non-conference games ... Redshirt junior receiver Simmie Cobbs' 16 receptions are tied for third-most in the Big Ten, while his 105.5 yards per game are second-most.
Iowa (3-0)
Iowa begins conference play this weekend by hosting No. 4 Penn State in primetime ... The Hawkeyes are currently riding a four-game winning streak in home night games, and own a 10-4 all-time record under the lights at Kinnick Stadium ... Penn State holds a slim 14-12 advantage in the series ... Sophomore quarterback Nathan Stanley's 10 touchdown passes are the most in the Big Ten and are tied for the fifth-most in the country ... Despite primarily playing running back, fifth-year senior Akrum Wadley's 25.3 yards per catch are the second-most in the league and the 10th-most in the nation.
Maryland (2-0)
Coming off a bye week, Maryland hosts UCF ... The matchup will pit the nation's top two scoring offenses against each other — the Golden Knights average 61 points per game, while the Terrapins average 57 ... If junior running back Ty Johnson rushes for 100 yards on Saturday, he'll become just the third player in school history to go over the century mark in five consecutive games ... Johnson's 15 yards per carry is the best average in the nation ... Junior receiver D.J. Moore's 115 receiving yards per game are the most in the Big Ten.
Michigan State (2-0)
Michigan State faces off against Notre Dame in a huge primetime non-conference clash ... The Irish have dominated the series with the Spartans, leading 48-29-1 ... Eleven of the last 15 meetings between the two have been decided by eight points or less ... Michigan State's defense ranks third nationally, only allowing 203.5 yards per game.
Nebraska (1-2)
After its embarrassing home loss to Northern Illinois last week, Nebraska welcomes Rutgers to Lincoln ... Junior receiver Stanley Morgan's 18 catches are the most of any Cornhusker player through a season's first three games in program history ... Nebraska's seven-game home-winning streak was snapped last week with its loss to the Huskies ... Redshirt junior quarterback Tanner Lee's seven interceptions are the most of any quarterback in the country.
No. 10 Ohio State (2-1, 1-0 Big Ten)
No. 10 Ohio State squares off with Mountain West foe UNLV on Saturday at noon ... Fifth-year senior quarterback J.T. Barrett needs just 94 more passing yards to move into second place on the Buckeyes' all-time passing yardage list ... Freshman running back J.K. Dobbins' 141 rushing yards per game are the second-most in the conference ... Saturday will mark the first all-time meeting between the Buckeyes and Runnin' Rebels.
No. 4 Penn State (3-0)
Looking to keep its undefeated record intact, No. 4 Penn State travels to Iowa in a huge conference showdown ... The Nittany Lions destroyed the Hawkeyes in Happy Valley last year, 41-14 ... Penn State's scoring defense ranks second in the country, only allowing 4.7 points per game ... The Nittany Lions have won 12 of their last 13 games ... Junior Saquon Barkley's 241 receiving yards are the second-most of any running back in all of college football.
Purdue (2-1)
After last week's 35-3 blowout win at Missouri, Purdue welcomes No. 8 Michigan to West Lafayette ... The two teams have not met since Oct. 6, 2012, when the Wolverines won, 44-13 ... The Boilermakers are just 2-9-1 all time against teams who are ranked No. 8 in the AP poll ... Purdue will be looking for its first 3-1 start since 2012 ... Redshirt junior quarterback David Blough's 76.1 completion percentage is the seventh-best in the nation.
Rutgers (1-2)
After snapping its 11-game losing streak last week with a 65-0 win over Morgan State, Rutgers looks to keep its momentum going with a trip to Nebraska ... Since the start of the 2015 season, the Scarlet Knights are just 1-16 in conference play (they won at Indiana on Oct. 17, 2015) ... After scoring four rushing touchdowns in last Saturday's victory, freshman quarterback Johnathan Lewis was named co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week (he shared the award with Ohio State's J.K. Dobbins) ... A win would give Rutgers consecutive victories for just the second time since 2014.
Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 23
— UNLV at No. 10 Ohio State: 12:00 p.m. (BTN)
— UCF at Maryland: 3:00 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)
— Rutgers at Nebraska: 3:30 p.m. (BTN)
— Georgia Southern at Indiana: 3:30 p.m. (BTN)
— No. 8 Michigan at Purdue: 4:00 p.m. (FOX)
— No. 4 Penn State at Iowa: 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
— Notre Dame at Michigan State: 8:00 p.m. (FOX)
Bye: Illinois, Minnesota, Northwestern, No. 9 Wisconsin
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