Big Ten Football Schedule, Week 9: Michigan, Michigan State Try To Keep Pace In Legends Division

The races in the Big Ten's Leaders and Legends divisions heat up Saturday afternoon with a slate of games involving several heavy favorites. In fact, only the Michigan vs. Iowa game has less than a double-digit spread, so the top teams in each division will need to avoid an upset today that could send them tumbling down the standings in their respective division. Let's take a look:

No. 13 Michigan vs. Iowa (12 PM ET, ESPN)

The Michigan Wolverines look to build on their strong 36-14 win over the Purdue Boilermakers last week when they hit the road to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. At 3-1 in conference, Michigan finds itself in a 3-way tie for first place in the Big Ten's Legends division.

Iowa will be ready and waiting for Michigan after getting ambushed on the road last week, losing 22-21 at Minnesota. At 2-2 in the Legends division the Hawkeyes can jump right back in the division race by beating the Wolverines on Saturday.

Minnesota vs. 15 Michigan State (12:00 PM ET, Big Ten Network)

The Michigan State Spartans looks to bounce back after a rough 24-3 loss at Nebraska last week. The Spartans were riding high heading into Lincoln last week after big wins over Michigan and Wisconsin, but the loss brought them back to the ground and locked into a tie atop the Big Ten's Legends division with Nebraska and Michigan at 3-1 in conference play.

The Spartans should be able to keep pace today as 28-point favorites when they host the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Gophers are coming off an upset win last week over Iowa and will be looking to play the role of spoiler again today in East Lansing.

Other Big Ten Matchups

Indiana vs. Ohio State (12 PM ET, Big Ten Network)

Purdue vs. 19 Wisconsin (3:30 PM ET, ABC)

Northwestern vs. 9 Nebraska (3:30 PM ET, Big Ten Network)