The Big Ten has made an active push to improve its non-league schedule and will participate in some of the most exciting nonconference matchups of the 2016 season.

Most of those exciting showdowns, however, are not slated for Week 1.

The Big Ten's opening week features one titanic showdown involving Wisconsin and an SEC heavyweight, but for the most part, the league has tune-up games in preparation for bigger tests in the coming weeks.

That doesn't mean there aren't good matchups around the league. These five games carry intrigue because they involve the conference's top teams or have the potential to feature an upset. 

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