Three, 16, 31, two, three, seven. No, those aren't winning Mega Millions numbers. Nor are they the GPS coordinates of Walter White's buried fortune.

Those numbers represent the point differential in the previous six meetings between Michigan State and Iowa dating to 2007, Mark Dantonio's first year as coach of the Spartans.

"We've had some fantastic games," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "My guess is we're probably looking at one of those again."

While a lot of eyes in the Big Ten will be focused on Evanston this weekend, Saturday's winner in Iowa City will become an early contender in the Legends Division, which appears up for grabs given the inconsistency plaguing Michigan and Nebraska.

Iowa and Michigan State boast the top two defenses in the conference, and that, combined with their recent history — which includes double-overtime games in 2007 and 2012 — indicates it could be another close one.

"What separates these two programs game to game has been the inches," said Dantonio, channeling his inner Tony D'Amato. "The attention to detail, the little things that go your way sometimes or don't. We have to find those inches this year."

The game is always a benchmark for Dantonio, who set out to shape the Spartans in the mold of the Hawkeyes upon his arrival in East Lansing.

"In a lot of ways we emulated them," Dantonio said. "We wanted to take some of the things they did and implement those aspects into our program. Not necessarily conceptually but the mentality.

Meyer dejected: Amid the excitement of his team's showdown with Northwestern, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer isn't too excited about missing the heart of his defense.

The Buckeyes will try to keep their 17-game winning streak alive without safety Christian Bryant, who suffered a broken left ankle in the final minute Saturday against Wisconsin and will be out about three months.

"It's a sucker punch," Meyer said.

Meyer did not know if Bryant could be available for a bowl game. Senior Corey "Pitt" Brown likely will start in his place, Meyer said, but the void in leadership Bryant left will be harder to replace.

"It's rather obvious that leadership and toughness are how you go win in road games," Meyer said. This is a shot now, this is a real one, and that's why everybody was so emotional after (Saturday's win)."

Turmoil at Purdue: Purdue coach Darrell Hazell said the school still was gathering information after the arrests of receivers B.J. Knauf and Jordan Woods on theft charges Monday and would decide their status in the coming days.

"We always talk to our guys about doing the right things, and they made a bad decision, both of them," Hazell said.

As for on-the-field issues, Hazell said he would choose either senior Rob Henry or freshman Danny Etling to be the starting quarterback going forward. Henry started the first five games, four of them losses. Etling relieved an ineffective Henry in Saturday's loss to Northern Illinois and threw for 241 yards on 19-of-39 passing.

Extra points: Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen said the Badgers shifted to a more pass-heavy attack at Ohio State because of the Buckeyes' emphasis on stopping the run. Receiver Jared Abbrederis took advantage with 10 catches for 207 yards. "We like getting Jared matched up in one-on-one situations without a safety over the top," Andersen said. … Nebraska coach Bo Pelini has faith in backups Tommy Armstrong Jr. and Ron Kellogg III if starter Taylor Martinez (turf toe) misses a second game. "They don't have to do it by themselves, and they have a lot of experience," Pelini said. … Coach Jerry Kill said Minnesota still is searching for a defining win to jump-start the program. "Everywhere I've been where you turn programs, there's been a defining moment, and usually that moment is winning a game you're not supposed to," Kill said. … Good health has been one reason for Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase's strong start, according to coach Tim Beckman. "He was never fully 100 percent last season. And now you're seeing him 100 percent," Beckman said. … Penn State coach Bill O'Brien said receiver Allen Robinson (447 yards in four games) has been able to stay one step ahead of defenses thanks to an enhanced knowledge of the offense. "We're able to move him around a lot … where last year we didn't do that a lot with him," O'Brien said. … Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said his team has been immune to the hype surrounding Saturday's game against visiting Ohio State. "We're in a bunker," Fitzgerald said. "We're so focused on what we need to do." ... Don't expect Indiana to slow down its offense to help the defense rest. Coach Kevin Wilson said the Hoosiers will keep pushing the pace to stay competitive. "We're not trying to think offensively. At the same time, I don't know if we can score the points we need to score," Wilson said. … Consecutive sloppy victories over Akron and Connecticut have caused Michigan coach Brady Hoke to do some soul searching with his staff. "Hopefully we're doing a good job as coaches because it starts with us messaging how we need to play," Hoke said.