What to Watch: Big challenges in the Big Ten

The Big Ten has two of the most hotly contested division races in the country and this week might provide some clarity on the pecking order. This is a big month for both divisions and the big games start this weekend.

Here’s what to watch for Week 10:

Game of the week:
No. 1 Alabama at No. 15 LSU, 8 p.m. ET

All eyes will be on LSU running back Leonard Fournette as he attempts to help the Tigers defeat Alabama for the first time since 2011.

Fournette, who is an aspiring Heisman contender, is as healthy as he’s been all year. After spending much of the season nursing an ankle injury he suffered during fall camp, Fournette rushed for 284 yards and three touchdowns against Ole Miss two weeks ago — and he didn’t even play the fourth quarter. He’s hoping for a similar effort against the Tide, but that won’t be easy, especially since Alabama is the nation’s best rushing defense allowing just 70 yards per game. In fact, only two teams have rushed for more than 100 yards on the Tide. Last year, Fournette rushed for just 31 yards against Alabama and averaged 1.6 yards per carry. Much of that was because LSU didn’t have a competent passing game, so it was easy to key in on the run. The situation is a little different this year with quarterback Danny Etling, who is completing 60.5 percent of his passes for 1,129 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions. Etling has thrown for at least 200 yards in each of the Tigers last three games.

Alabama, which has won 20 consecutive games, has been dominant in all facets this season and the offense has run smoothly thanks to freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts. Hurts has thrown for 1,578 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions, but is also second on the team in rushing with 95 carries for 521 yards and nine scores. Alabama averages 43.9 points per game and hasn’t scored fewer than 33 points in any contest this season.

If Alabama can shut down the LSU running game, it should be able to shut down LSU. However, games between these two teams are rarely ever that simple as seven of the past 10 meetings have been decided by nine or fewer points.

Game to watch:
No. 10 Nebraska at No. 6 Ohio State. 8 p.m. ET

Following last week’s overtime loss to Wisconsin, Nebraska coach Mike Riley said his team wasn’t saddened by the result, it was mad. It was mad because it was a game the Cornhuskers needed to win to stay at the front of the Big Ten West Division and mad because they did play well. Nebraska will have the opportunity to take out those frustrations on an Ohio State team that has struggled in recent weeks.

After losing to Penn State a couple weeks ago, the Buckeyes nearly fell to Northwestern last week. This is a very different Ohio State team than the one that was blowing out opponents early in the season. The Buckeyes’ two wins in the past three weeks have come by seven and four points respectively and both contests were up in the air until the fourth quarter.

The Ohio State defense has allowed 400 or more yards twice in the past three games, including against a Northwestern team that ranked No. 93 nationally in total offense. The defensive struggles wouldn’t be a big deal if Ohio State was finding the end zone as consistently as it had earlier in the year. In the past three weeks, Ohio State is averaging 25 points per game; it was averaging 53.2 points per game in the five games prior to that.

But Nebraska has had its own offensive woes. Quarterback Tommy Armstrong is a rushing threat, but his passing effort has left something to be desired this season. In last week’s loss, Armstrong completed just 38.7 percent of his passes for 153 yards and two interceptions. It was the second time this season he’s had a 38 percent completion rate. In the past four weeks, he’s thrown just three touchdowns to six interceptions.

Much of the reason Nebraska has lost just one game this season is because of its defense, especially its secondary. Nebraska has allowed teams just 342.1 yards per game this season and has forced six interceptions in the past four contests. It should be able to limit Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett, who has thrown for 468 yards in the past two games, but just one touchdown. The biggest concern for the Nebraska defense will be the Ohio State rushing attack of Mike Weber, Curtis Samuel and Barrett, which is ranked No. 8 nationally in rushing with 272.4 yards per game.

Also check out…
Iowa at No. 12 Penn State, 7:30 p.m. ET

Penn State could be on the verge of a renaissance if things fall the right way this November. The Nittany Lions are in the midst of a four-game winning streak, which includes a win against Ohio State, and have put themselves squarely in the race for the Big Ten’s East Division. Of course, Penn State will need some help with Michigan facing some tough teams down the stretch, but the Nittany Lions also need to get through Saturday’s contest against Iowa to feel a measure of confidence heading into the homestretch.

Iowa, the reigning Big Ten West champ, hasn’t had the season it envisioned, but has still won nine consecutive road games and a win against Penn State would go a long way in a quest to repeat as West champions. That’s already a bit of a daunting task with a loss to Wisconsin and a game against Nebraska looming. Iowa, which has five wins, also needs to be thinking about bowl eligibility. The Hawkeyes have games against Michigan, Illinois and the Huskers remaining and need to get at least one win to secure a postseason trip. It’s a long way from the 12-0 record the Hawkeyes had last year, but their three losses are all by single digits, which makes an upset of Penn State a possibility.

But to beat the Nittany Lions, the Hawkeyes will have to deal with running back Saquon Barkley, who is emerging as one of the top rushers in the conference. Barkely had 207 yards against Purdue last weekend, his second 200-yard rushing game of the season, and he should find success against an Iowa rushing defense that allows 153.8 yards per game. Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley had three touchdowns last week and hasn’t thrown an interception in his last 106 passes.

Scoring has been in short supply for Iowa, especially against the better teams the Hawkeyes have faced in the past few weeks. Against Minnesota and Wisconsin, the Hawkeyes managed just 16 total points. Since its loss to Michigan, Penn State has not allowed an opponent more than 26 points in any game.

Channel surf through…

Air Force at Army, noon — With a win, Air Force could secure the Commander-In-Chief Trophy since it already has a win over Navy. However, Army, which is looking to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2010, could steal the trophy with a win over the Falcons and a Dec. 10 game against Navy looming.

No. 8 Wisconsin at Northwestern, noon — Wisconsin hasn’t won at Ryan field since 1999 and Northwestern holds a 6-4 advantage in the series in the last 10 meetings. The Badgers have played five ranked teams this year, but this game against Northwestern might be one of the toughest of the season since they need it to stay atop the Big Ten West.

Texas at Texas Tech, noon ET — Texas is coming off a big win against Baylor, but can it keep the momentum going? So far this season the Longhorns have followed up big wins with disappointing results and they have just four games to notch at least two wins for bowl eligibility. The contest against the Red Raiders is one of the most winnable games remaining.

Syracuse at No. 2 Clemson, 3:30 p.m. ET — There’s no doubt Clemson has been living on the edge this season with five wins by seven or fewer points, and this game against Syracuse could be a challenge. The Orange can score and are coming in with back-to-back wins against Boston College and Virginia Tech.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday