Big Ten Football Week 5 Saturday Watch Grid

Week 5 of the 2023 college football season features 12 Big Ten teams in seven different games. None of the seven matchups are the heavyweight bouts that defined Week 4, but there's still plenty to like with this Saturday slate of Big Ten football.

At last, we've reached the final Saturday of September, a month that's been filled with some excellent Big Ten games. From Penn State dragging Iowa's offense down into a sport that resembles something less than football, to Northwestern miraculously winning a second game, the conference has offered ample entertainment through its first month. 

Here are the games you 100 percent need to watch this Saturday, the games that you should definitely keep an eye on and the games where you might want to get out of the house or do some chores. 

Tier 1 — Absolute Must-Watch Games

• Illinois at Purdue (HC), 3:30 p.m. ET. TV: Peacock

This section is a lot harder to write when both Ohio State and Wisconsin are on a bye!

So why is this game between two squads that are a combined 3-5 the lone must-watch Big Ten game of the day? The competitive parity within the game. 

The other four Big Ten conference matchups this Saturday all feature one heavy favorite. Purdue is only a 1.5 point favorite on FanDuel right now, and that's almost exclusively because the Boilermakers are the home team on this occasion.  

Both Illinois and Purdue desperately need a win in this game in order to stay on track with their season goals. It should be by far the closest game of the day in the Big Ten, and a close Big Ten football game is a good Big Ten football game. 

Tier 2 — Good Games to Flip to Occasionally

• Penn State at Northwestern, Noon ET. TV: Big Ten Network
• Indiana at Maryland, 3:30 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network
• Michigan at Nebraska, 3:30 p.m. ET. TV: FS1
• Michigan State at Iowa, 7:30 p.m. ET. TV: NBC

These are the four aforementioned matchups that feature a heavy favorite. 

Penn State, Maryland, Michigan and Iowa are 26.5, 14.5, 17.5 and 10.5 point favorites this Saturday. None of these games should be all that interesting in the fourth quarter if the favorites due their jobs. 

There are ways each game could get exciting. If Northwestern's "Ben Bryant just toss it deep to Bryce Kirtz" offense gets rolling, the Wildcats can annoy Penn State for a time. Indiana and Nebraska have good enough defenses to bring Michigan and Maryland down into the slog and keep the games close throughout. Michigan State's defense itself is bad, but Iowa's offense is such a self-immobilizing force that the Hawkeyes can accidentally get stuck in a close game against anyone. 

It would be a shock if a double-digit upset occurred in any of these four games, but stranger things have happened as recently as last Saturday. 

Tier 3 — Technically Still a Big Ten Football Game

• Louisiana at Minnesota (HC), Noon ET. TV: Big Ten Network
• Wagner at Rutgers, 3:30 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network

Louisiana at Minnesota is officially the morbid curiosity game of the week. 

Coach P.J. Fleck and the Gophers should be good enough to survive the Group of Five matchup. But after Minnesota completely gagged away a win at Northwestern last week, it's hard to trust that team in any capacity. 

Wagner at Rutgers is at the bottom of the list for a pretty clear reason. The one funny thing a neutral observer could watch for in this game is how little offense it takes from Rutgers to get the win. The 2023 Scarlet Knights love to leave a game 28-7 despite having fewer than 270 yards somehow. 

Related Stories on Big Ten:

• ILLINOIS VS PURDUE PREVIEW: Coach Bret Bielema and the Illinois Fighting Illini are traveling to West Lafayette this Saturday to take on coach Ryan Walters and the Purdue Boilermakers. Both Big Ten West football teams have gotten off to disappointing starts in the 2023 season, and are in major need of a win to turn things around. CLICK HERE
• OHIO STATE VS NOTRE DAME GETS 10.5 MILLION VIEWERS: Saturday's heavyweight clash between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish was one of the most-watched regular season college football games in the history of NBC. CLICK HERE
• ROBBIE HUMMEL LEAVING ESPN: The former Purdue Boilermaker and beloved college basketball color commentator is leaving ESPN to call Big Ten games for NBC and Fox this season. CLICK HERE