After 8 long weeks of predicting Big Ten games I can finally say I went perfect with every one of last week’s games. That includes a victory by North Dakota State over Minnesota, but I do know this week will be a rough one. There are a lot of tough, close games to choose.

Ball State at Illinois - Earlier in the season Ball State came within one point of beating Nebraska in Lincoln. Many of us were surprised and believed that Ball State was actually a good team, but we know now that Nebraska just stinks. Illinois is coming off a tough loss at home against Michigan and we’ll find out if this young team is resilient. The Illini will have to find a way to contain the Cardnails’ QB Nate Davis. Davis is a good quarterback that does not turn the ball over much. But he has not seen a defense like Illinois’ yet. The Illini will bounce back and become bowl eligible this weekend, but the Williams’- McGee quarterback race will continue on another week for Ron Zook. Illinois 29-14

Northwestern at Purdue - After two embarrassing losses, the Boilermakers were able to take advantage of a weak Hawkeye team and get back on the winning track while the Wildcats looked less than stellar against Eastern Michigan in their win. Purdue can score, but only weaker teams. Curtis Painter should have a big day against a weak Northwestern secondary. On offense, the Wildcats got Tyrell Sutton back last week and that will only help their rushing attack. Last week Sutton had 122 yards. This will be a high scoring game, but in the end I think Purdue has too much power for Northwestern to handle. Purdue 38-35

Michigan State at Iowa - Iowa is just a mess right now. Kirk Ferentz, once thought as one of the top coaches in the country, has to start wondering if he will even have a job come next season. Their offense cannot do anything and this week they face one of their toughest tests going against the Spartans defensive line led by Jonal Saint-Dic. Power against power as Michigan State’s rushing attack goes against Iowa’s tough run stopping defense. The Spartans should be able to run the ball if Brian Hoyer is able to start off throwing the ball well. If he can keep the Hawkeye’s defense guessing, the Spartans will be able to mix it up and win. Michigan State 24-10

Minnesota at Michigan - This game is a match-up between two teams who have each lost to a FCS school. As we all know Michigan lost to Appalachian State in the first week and the Gophers lost to North Dakota State last week. Both FCS schools were ranked #1 in the FCS Coaches’s poll at the time of their victories. It is still questionable whether or not Mike Hart and Chad Henne will play, but realistically they don’t need them to win. The Wolverines roll with their backups. Michigan 31-9

Indiana at Wisconsin - If the Hoosiers did not turn the ball over so many times in key situations they would have been able to beat the Nittany Lions last week. James Hardy had a big day catching over 140 yards and despite the fumbles, Lewis had a nice day throwing the ball. The Badgers got back on track with a huge thrashing of Northern Illinois. Indiana has the talent on both sides of the ball to beat the Badgers, but I am not sure they are ready to go into a place like Camp Randall and leave with a victory. If you like WR/DB match ups, watch James Hardy vs Jack Ikegwuonu. Hardy will catch another TD pass to extend his streak to 10 games in a row with a touchdown catch, but PJ Hill and the Badgers will be too much for the Hoosiers’ defense to handle. Wisconsin wins in an extremely close one. Wisconsin 28-27

Ohio State at Penn State - The last time Ohio State lost a regular season game; two years ago in Happy Valley. Two of the top defenses in the country will go up against each other in this prime time ABC game, but it will be the offenses that will be under scrutiny. Offensively, both teams average around the same number of yards per game and points per game. This week, Penn State DB Justin King took a lot of criticism from the media and fans for allowing James Hardy to have such a big game. This week he can quiet the critics up as he will be covering Ohio State’s top WR Brian Robiskie. With the game conditions looking to be wet and cold I think that will help the team with the best passing game since the WR know where they are going. The crowd will be electric and the game will be close, the winner of the turnover battle wins the game. Like two years ago, a key interception will turn the tide in the game. Anthony Morelli will continue his week to week improvement, control the ball, and not turn the ball over. A Justin King interception will trigger the Lions’ victory. Penn State 14-13

Last Week: 7-0 (1.000) Overall: 51-13 (.797)