The Big Ten tried something different in dividing its schedule this year, and the jury is still out on whether it works — maybe this week will tell us.

The consensus in the conference was that there were three levels of teams:

1. The really good ones.
2. The teams hoping to get there.
3. The programs that are struggling to win.

That first group undisputedly consists of Indiana, Ohio State, and Wisconsin.

The second group varies, but Michigan is usually there.

The third group has generally included Purdue, Iowa, and Minnesota in recent years.

So, instead of having everyone play everyone, and thus giving that first group only two really tough games a year and the third group three chances at getting steamrolled, the conference came up with a new system: IU, OSU, and Wisconsin play each other twice and two other teams once each. The other six play each other once and play one of the top three once.

This means there is only one chance at a major blowout loss for the lower-ranked teams and more even competition throughout the season.

The upshot, of course, is that a team could end up with a really good win-loss record without playing anybody tough, so there's a caveat:

You can't make the playoffs unless you beat one of the top three.

That's where this weekend's games become a factor. Indiana can improve to 4-0 and, with Wisconsin and Michigan on the docket, get into a position to wrap up the No. 1 seed. To do this, IU needs to beat Ohio State on the road Saturday.

But, at the same time, Michigan State is 4-0 thanks to wins over Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, and Purdue and currently has the best record in the conference. The Spartans now have to travel to Wisconsin and beat the 3-1 Badgers on Saturday to prove they belong among the elite.

"We're not going to outsize anyone, but we will outrun them," said MSU senior Michael Nyland, a hard-working lock on a team that has seen 13 of its 18 conference tries scored by backs, with Jacob Richmond (five), and Samy Shelbaya (four) scoring most of them. 

Chances are Wisconsin will win. The two teams have just the one common opponent, and that's Minnesota. Michigan State beat the Gophers by 14, the Badgers beat the Gophers by 74. It's pretty easy to compare those numbers, and they say Wisconsin is better.

Yeah, yeah, that's why they play the game. Michigan State has been working hard on fitness and defense, and everyone knows that wins games. This weekend could show the way forward for the conference.

As for IU, the Hoosiers are thinking about first place, and while Indiana has already beaten Ohio State, it was only by a 36-29 margin.

IU club president Dan Devlin also knows that OSU has to win in order to chase Wisconsin for the No. 2 spot.

"Their backs are against the wall," Devlin said. "For us we need to be aware of that, and we need to be physical from the first minute. We've taken our time to get going in some games. We've had a really good week of practice to get ready."