Contenders to win the Big Ten West | College Football Enquirer
Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel, and Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde and Ross Dellenger discuss the race for the Big Ten West title between Illinois, Iowa, Purdue and Minnesota, and debate if they should just cancel the Big Ten Championship Game.
Video transcript
[AUDIO LOGO]
DAN WETZEL: There are four contenders in the Big Ten West. And indeed, I was right, but then I didn't believe myself, none of them control their own destiny. Which seems mathematically improbable.
ROSS DELLENGER: How is that possible?
DAN WETZEL: I called out an abacus and it's true. They're all 4-3, Purdue, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota. Nobody controls their own destiny.
PAT FORDE: This is so inherently comical and so perfect for that division.
ROSS DELLENGER: Cancel the championship game. Nobody wins the division title.
DAN WETZEL: I don't like to say it, because it doesn't make any sense. Like, what do you mean, right?
ROSS DELLENGER: I thought it was Iowa on that chart I sent. No?
DAN WETZEL: No. Iowa needs help. I think they need Illinois to lose to Michigan.
PAT FORDE: Michigan, which should happen.
DAN WETZEL: Which should happen. Purdue seems to be in the best spot, because they're only playing Northwestern and Indiana.
PAT FORDE: Right.
DAN WETZEL: Illinois has got to go to Michigan, then they get Northwestern. Minnesota's got Iowa and Wisconsin. Iowa has Minnesota and then Nebraska on the Black Friday game. Also, and we're not just determining amongst these four teams, they're not just someone's going to win the Big Ten West, apparently. We don't know if that really will happen. There's also an old oaken bucket, and a giant Paul Bunyan axe, and a pig--
PAT FORDE: And a pig.
DAN WETZEL: --all on the line. So all sorts of other crap can happen too.
[LAUGHTER]
PAT FORDE: What a division. Oh, it's just incredible. I mean, think about this.
Think how much air we have expended on this podcast alone crushing Iowa's offense for being the worst in the country, and they still might play in the Big Ten Championship. They might win the division. It's incredible.
DAN WETZEL: I mean, they don't need much to win. So I kind of feel like Iowa is going to win this thing. And Kirk Ferentz is going to laugh and all that, then Ohio State is going to smoke them.
But I don't know. It's too fun not to look at. Completely irrelevant to anything in college football, but it's too fun not to laugh about it.
PAT FORDE: I totally agree. All right, so here was Iowa's stats from the Wisconsin game, which they somehow won by 2 touchdowns. They had a season low 146 offensive yards. They had a season low 2.15 yards per play.
They had no drives longer than 39 yards and they had no plays longer than 19 yards, and they won easily. It's just how they do it. Pick 6, long punt return, Wisconsin sucks, our defense is great and all of a sudden you win. Unbelievable.
DAN WETZEL: Yeah, it's certainly not a whole lot going on there. Not a whole lot going on there. So, anyway, we'll see. Good times ahead.
