We have made it, Iowa fans. College football season is finally upon us. This weekend we will get our first full slate (yes, I know the teams playing; they still get me juiced up) of football from noon until midnight. It isn’t a Big Ten game, but something about Vanderbilt playing at Hawaii with a 9:30 p.m. CST kickoff encapsulates college football. There is no chance this game goes normal. Weird stuff is happening here.
The games this upcoming Saturday, Aug. 27 are “Week 0” and we will see three Big Ten West teams in action. The day gets going with a conference matchup of Northwestern and Nebraska kicking off in Dublin, Ireland, at 11:30 a.m. CST. The Illinois Fighting Illini follow it up by hosting the Wyoming Cowboys at 2 p.m. CST.
With college football and the Big Ten West getting underway, it feels right for a State of the Union. This will be a bite-sized glance at each team in the West including a few names to watch and why, what this team’s biggest question mark may be, a game that could ultimately become the most important one on the calendar, and a quick prediction on each team’s record.