1OA - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 25, 1997 AROUND THE lIsTN dig Ten out to prove itself as conference seaso By Dan Lehv For the Daily With five teams in the Associated Press top 25 and an overall record of 24-10, the Big Ten has asserted itself as a conference to be reckoned with. But maybe it's too early to say that, considering teams like Iowa and Penn State have played opponents that would have trouble beating high school practice squads. It's time for the real season to open. The Big Ten schedule kicks off this weekend with three conference games on the slate. Meanwhile, Ohio State and Minnesota aim to improve on overall records before starting Big Ten play. ILLINOIS (0-3) AT No. 11 IowA (3- 0): Illinois has won three of the past four meetings between these schools. This year, Iowa has a clear advantage in the matchup. Iowa is undefeated and shows no signs of slowing down, especially at home. Illinois, on the other hand, has been struggling. The Fighting Illini have lost nine in a row dating back to last season, their longest losing streak in 26 years. Illinois is still looking for its first win under rookie coach Ron Turner. The offense has looked better in recent weeks, but Turner has still opted to bench starting quarterback Mark Hoekstra due to lack of production. Iowa is red hot. The Hawkeyes have outscored their opponents 183-36 in their first three games - a 66-0 drub- bing of Northern Iowa, a 54-16 win over Tulsa and a 63-10 victory over Iowa State. Iowa is first in the nation in total offense and ninth in total defense. Running back Tavian Banks leads the country in rushing and scoring, aver- aging more than nine yards per carry. The passing attack is also on target. Quarterback Matt Sherman is second in the country in passing efficiency. Even worse for Illinois, wide receiver and Heisman Trophy hopeful Tim Dwight woke up last week, catching eight passes for 187 yards and scoring three touchdowns. Illinois's top receiver, Lenny Willis, has 13 recep- tions for 142 yards - in just three games. Illinois will need to find some way to stop Iowa's many offensive weapons. This game could get ugly. Iowa 56, Illinois 13 INDIANA (1-2) AT WISCONSIN (3-1): The Hoosiers make the trip north to Camp Randall Stadium to face a reju- venated Wisconsin team. The Badgers have quietly won three in a row after losing in the Kickoff Classic to Syracuse, 34-0. Indiana comes in with a bad taste in its mouth following a 49-7 loss at the hands of Kentucky. The Hoosiers have plenty of offen- sive weapons, but they were all stopped by the Wildcats. Sophomore quarterback Jay Rodgers threw three interceptions, and freshman receiver O.J. Conner came up with only one catch for nine yards in the game. Sophomore running back Jason Spear also struggled, carrying 12 times for only 31 yards. These players must be heard from for Indiana to have any chance this week. Wisconsin has been led by running back Ron Dayne, who is averaging more than 7.5 yards per carry. Quarterback Mike Samuel has been on target, completing 18 of 22 passes over the past two games. The Badgers' defense has given up only 10 points in each of the past two games and is led by linebacker Donnel Thompson. Indiana will bounce back this week, but the Hoosiers will not play well enough to knock off the Badgers at home. Wisconsin 34, Indiana 21 HOUSTON (0-3) AT MINNESOTA (2- 1): Houston, a Conference USA team, meets Minnesota for the first time. Houston is 2-3 all-time versus the Big Ten, while Minnesota is 2-0 against Conference USA members. The running game has been the only bright spot for the Cougars, highlight- ed by running backs Ketric Sanford and Vaughn Innis. The problem this year has been a missing defense, giv- ing up a total of 112 points in three games. Minnesota's problem has been a fal- tering offense that is ranked 106th out of 112 Division I-A teams. Senior quarterback Cory Sauter has only passed for 315 yards in three games, and the Gophers barely held on to beat Memphis, 20-17, last week. The play- er to watch on the Gophers is wide receiver and kick returner Tutu Atwell, who has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns this season. This game may be worth watching if Houston gets to have the ball all game. That way fans don't have to see a lowly Houston defense face an even worse Minnesota offense. Big Ten still beats Conference USA. Minnesota 26, Houston 20 NORTHWESTERN (2-2) AT PURDUE (2-1): This week's most appetizing game takes place in West Lafayette and features the struggling Wildcats. against the upstart Boilermakers. Two weeks ago Purdue beat Notre Dame, 28-17. Could the Boilermakers be smelling roses? Get real. But it should turn out to be this week's most competitive confer- ence game. Northwestern scored 34 points last week and lost. No one knows what to begins expect when Northwestern takes the field. Running back Adrian Autryvrill need to assert himself on the gro nd to make receiver Brian Musso mo f a threat. The Wildcats hope to t another big game from lineb