Now, in truth, that last part has nothing to do with rivalry week, and this year it’s got nothing to do with the Big Ten, since it’s unlikely that any conference teams will be in the national title picture, even if the next president is from the capital of Big Ten country.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
And it’s also the case that sometimes the other stuff doesn’t come true either. Certain rivalry games end up being as lethargic or lopsided as the lousier matchups on any other Saturday—and on paper it looks like that’s how a couple could go down this year.
· The Old Oaken Bucket game: Indiana at Purdue. Someone will finish the season thinking, “Well at least we beat those losers,” and someone will be forced to concede, “Wow, we really do suck.” Indiana has the greater capacity for both dumb mistakes and big plays; Purdue is the rare team that appears to have gotten worse as the season progressed. But the emotional edge in this battle of 3-8 squads goes to the Boilermakers, who will be playing their last game under retiring coach Joe Tiller.
Out of the league:
