Ranking Big Ten non-conference schedules: Wisconsin is No. 1

The Big Ten has a wild range of football schedules this season. Wisconsin is playing Notre Dame in Green Bay’s Lambeau Field. Michigan and Ohio State each play huge games in the Pacific Northwest. Michigan State plays a really good schedule.

But the proud Big Ten also comes up lame. Five of the 14 Big Ten teams don’t play a fellow Power 5 Conference opponent. Programs like Nebraska and Northwestern have dumbed down their schedules.

We continue our series on non-conference schedules for the 2020 season by today ranking the Big Ten:

1. Wisconsin: Southern Illinois, Appalachian State, Notre Dame in Green Bay. The Fighting Irish in Lambeau Field. Talking two birds with one stone. Plus Appalachian State is a quality mid-major.

2. Michigan State: at Brigham Young, Toledo, Miami. Great schedule. A name-brand in the Hurricanes, the most tradition-rich mid-major in BYU and a solid Mid-American program in Toledo.

3. Ohio State: Bowling Green, at Oregon, Buffalo. The Buckeyes in Autzen Stadium is a dream matchup.

4. Michigan: at Washington, Ball State, Arkansas State. Similar to Ohio State’s schedule. A great trip out West, with no Division I-AA opponents.

5. Purdue: Memphis, Air Force, at Boston College. Upside down schedule. The two mid-majors probably are better opponents than the Power 5 foe.

6. Penn State: Kent State, at Virginia Tech, San Jose State. Can you believe it? This will be the first meeting between the Nittany Lions and the Hokies.

7. Iowa: Northern Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Illinois. Two Northerns and two Iowa schools.

8. Maryland: Towson, Northern Illinois, at West Virginia. Sort of a blah schedule for the Terrapins.

9. Nebraska: Central Michigan, South Dakota State, Cincinnati. Does anyone else get the feeling that the Cornhuskers have lost their pride?

10. Minnesota: Florida Atlantic, Tennessee Tech, Brigham Young. Golden Gophers are looking outside the Upper Midwest to find a mediocre schedule.

11. Rutgers: Monmouth, Syracuse, at Temple. The Owls are a decent mid-major, lifting this schedule above the bottom of the Big Ten.

12. Indiana: Western Kentucky, Ball State, at Connecticut. Not much of a schedule for a school that rarely makes football waves.

13. Northwestern: Tulane, Central Michigan, Morgan State. Wow. Northwestern usually does better than this.

14. Illinois: Illinois State, Connecticut, Bowling Green. You don’t need the pandemic to cause social distancing with a schedule like this.

Percentage of games vs. Power 5: 21.4% (9 of 42)

Percentage of road or neutral games: 21.4% (9 of 42)

Percentage of guarantee games: 59.5% (25 of 42)

Percentage of games vs. Division I-AA: 19.0% (8 of 42)

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