At Rutgers, Hawkeyes will try to do their part to hold down Big Ten lower class

This could be the weekend in which Big Ten football sees something that never happens in real life. Namely, the rich start yielding to the poor.

By “poor” in this case, the subjects are teams that have been downtrodden in the conference. By “rich,” it’s those that have been consistent winners.

Friday night’s Iowa-Rutgers game joins two other Saturday games in which Big Ten teams that have been eating pork and beans could tip over the banquet table long enjoyed by the Richie Riches.

Rutgers has been a Big Ten foot wipe since the day it started playing in that conference 11 years ago. It has yet to post a winning Big Ten record, and is 20-77 in the league.

Included in that time are nine league losses by at least 40 points, four by at least 50, and a 78-0 home defeat to Michigan.

Iowa has swept its four meetings with Rutgers, outscoring the Scarlet Knights by an average of 19 points.

Under Greg Schiano, however, Rutgers went 3-6 and 4-5 in the Big Ten the last two years and finished the seasons in bowls. Though they’ve played three nonentities at home this year, they did win them all. Which sure beats their 42-13 loss to Buffalo in 2018.

The Hawkeyes are favored by a field goal, give or take a half-point. They’ve gone to bowl games annually on the backs of the Big Ten’s lesser teams. You don’t want a team like Rutgers to get used to defeating you. It’s like a seagull on the Jersey Shore. If you feed it, it will want more, more, more.

Similar situations face the longtime fat cats of Michigan and Wisconsin. Michigan goes to Nebraska on Saturday as a slight favorite, but danger awaits.

The Huskers got over one hump last year when they reached a bowl game for the first time since 2016. It was only the Pinstripe and they went with a modest 6-6 record, but Ogalalla wasn’t built in a day.

Nebraska has won its first three contests this season, destroying two tomato cans at home with ruthless routs rather than tug-of-wars. Enter Michigan, the pedigreed program. Like Nebraska was back when Ford Escorts and Backstreet Boys roamed the earth.

If the Huskers prevail, a switch flips. Plus, it should be favored to win at least five of its next six games and maybe all of them.

For so long in its Big Ten existence, Nebraska has kept running through head coaches while running in place. If Matt Rhule’s team beats the Wolverines on Saturday? Big Red will feel big again.

Wisconsin is a solid favorite to beat Maryland on Saturday, but what if it doesn’t? The Luke Fickell era has been fickle. A program that had been a model of success for three full decades has lost its way. Wisconsin is 14-14 under Fickell, 8-10 in the Big Ten.

Maryland wasn’t expected to be anything special this season and probably won’t be though it started this season with home wins over three rum-dums.

If the Terrapins rise up and swipe a win Saturday, though, the teutonic plates under Camp Randall Stadium will shake worse than the stadium itself when the fans do “Jump Around” between the third and fourth quarters.

Which brings us to the conference’s Game of the Day. Illinois at Indiana.

Seriously. This is not a prank. These are two nationally ranked teams, with the winner taking a significant step toward College Football Playoff discussion.

No. 19 Indiana actually went to the CFP last year. It finished last season in the Top 10 for the first time since 1967. You could look it up.

Illinois actually is ranked No. 9 in the nation, higher than it’s been since 2001. You could look it up.

The Illini went without a winning season between 2012 and 2021. They were 10-3 and won the Citrus Bowl last year under Bret Bielema. Indiana had two winning seasons between 2008 and 2023. It is 14-2 under Curt Cignetti.

This, a matchup not even anyone in Illinois or Indiana wanted to watch not long ago, is a compelling prime-time clash on NBC. Through three weeks, these two teams have a combined 20 touchdown passes.

The world is changing, my babies. The Hawkeyes not only need to win Friday night to stay ahead of poor Rutgers, but to keep pace with some former paupers.

Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com