Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, July 23, 2015

Yesterday, I started my three-part series of ranking all 56 Big Ten league games, with games 56-31.

Now, it's time for the second installment, taking a look at games 30-11.

Here we go:

30. Iowa at Indiana, Nov. 7. Iowa lost three in a row to Indiana from 1998-2000. Since then, the Hawkeyes have gone 8-3 in the series. But Iowa lost the last time it visited Bloomington in 2012.

29. Illinois at Iowa, Oct. 10. Illinois will be making its first trip to Iowa City since 2007 because of scheduling quirks. No matter the venue, the Hawkeyes have dominated of late by winning six of the last seven in the series. The Fighting Illini?s last win in Kinnick Stadium came in 1999 under Ron Turner.

28. Penn State at Northwestern, Nov. 7. Penn State had a six-game winning streak vs. Northwestern before the Wildcats took a 29-6 decision last year in State College. The last time NU beat the Nittany Lions in Evanston was 2003.

27. Rutgers at Penn State, Sept. 19. Just like last season, Rutgers and Penn State meet up in the first Big Ten game of the season. Playing before an electric crowd in High Point Solutions Stadium last September, RU let Penn State off the hook, dropping a close game in the program?s Big Ten debut.

26. Wisconsin at Maryland, Nov. 7. This will be the Badgers? first trip to College Park. Wisconsin beat the Terps, 52-7, last year in Madison.

25. Maryland at Iowa, Oct. 31. The Hawkeyes blew an early 14-point lead and fell in College Park, 38-31, last season.

24. Iowa at Northwestern, Oct. 17. NU has lost the last two meetings-both in Iowa City. The Wildcats won the last time Iowa came to Evanston in 2012, taking a 28-17 triumph.

23. Minnesota at Northwestern, Oct. 3. The Golden Gophers have won the last two meetings vs. the Wildcats. Before that, NU had won three in a row and five of six vs. Minnesota.

22. Northwestern at Wisconsin, Nov. 21. This stat might surprise some: Northwestern, which beat Wisconsin last season, 20-14, in Evanston, is 5-4 in the last nine games vs. the Badgers. However, NU hasn?t won in Madison since 2000, when it took a wild 47-44 triumph under the late Randy Walker.

21. Michigan at Maryland, Oct. 3. It may not be much of an upset, but the Terps could knock off visiting Michigan. Maryland won in Ann Arbor last season, 23-16.

20. Northwestern at Michigan, Oct. 10. NU is 1-9 in its last 10 meetings with Michigan, although the series has featured exciting games in recent years. That one NU win was in Ann Arbor, a 21-14 victory in 2008. This will be the Wildcats? first trip to Michigan since 2012.

19. Maryland at Rutgers, Nov. 28. The Scarlet Knights pulled off an historic comeback last season vs. the Terps, rallying from a 35-10 second-quarter deficit to take a 41-38 win in College Park, Maryland.

18. Northwestern vs. Illinois (Soldier Field in Chicago), Nov. 28. Last year, the Fighting Illini needed to win at Northwestern to get bowl eligible-and did. Illinois may find itself in the same predicament this season in the finale vs. Northwestern. The good news: Illinois has won three of the last five meetings.

17. Northwestern at Nebraska, Oct. 24. The Wildcats go to Lincoln in what has been one of the most fun matchups in the Big Ten in recent years. NU is just 1-3 vs. the Cornhuskers since the latter joined the Big Ten, losing the last three.

16. Michigan at Minnesota, Oct. 31. Minnesota beat Michigan for the Little Brown Jug last season for the first time since 2005 and just the fourth time since 1967. The last time the Gophers won two in a row vs. the Wolverines? It was when Minnesota won four meetings in succession from 1960-63.

15. Penn State vs. Maryland (M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore), Oct. 24. Maryland took a hard-fought 20-19 win in State College, Pennsylvania., last season on a last-minute field goal in a clash between burgeoning rivals. The Terrapins' captains refused to shake hands with Penn State's captains during the pregame coin toss, drawing a penalty and negative publicity. Regardless, Maryland notched a first-ever victory at Penn State and its second win of the 38-game series. The teams hadn't played since 1993.

14. Minnesota at Iowa, Nov. 14. This will be the Golden Gophers? first trip to Iowa City since 2012. Minnesota thumped Iowa last year in the Twin Cities, taking a 51-14 decision to claim Floyd of Rosedale. The Gophers haven?t won in Kinnick Stadium since 1999, Kirk Ferentz?s first season in Iowa City. In fact, Iowa is 10-4 vs. Minnesota in the last 14 meetings.

13. Penn State at Michigan State, Nov. 28. The Nittany Lions have lost the last two vs. Michigan State-both in State College. This will be Penn State?s first trip to East Lansing since 2009, when it won 42-14.

12. Michigan at Penn State, Nov. 21. The last time Michigan was in State College, Pennsylvania, it lost an epic 43-40 four-overtime game in 2013. The Wolverines may be humming by this time of the year-and they also may be playing for a good bowl bid. The Nittany Lions are a developing program that is dominated by youth as it emerges from probation. That said, PSU could be vulnerable on its home turf.

11. Iowa at Nebraska, Nov. 27. Forget the malls on Black Friday. Have your significant other bring you an Orange Julius and stay home to watch this. The Hawkeyes won the last time they visited Lincoln in 2013, taking a 38-17 verdict. Iowa blew a 24-7 third-quarter lead to the Huskers last year en route to losing in overtime, 37-34.

I'll post my top 10 games Friday.

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About Tom Dienhart BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, read all of his work at btn.com/tomdienhart, and subscribe to his posts via RSS. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below and read all of his previous answers in his reader mailbag section.

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