In case you didn’t listen to the podcast or check last week’s picks, I was a perfect 5-0 for the week. This week provides a few more challenges as there is one more game on the schedule, plus a few games that could go either way.

Iowa at Indiana - Big Ten Network 12pm - Two teams that have the identical 0-2 mark in the Big Ten play in Bloomington. This has to be a must win game for both teams if they want to go bowling this December. When you look at this game you notice that each team’s strength will be going up against each other as Iowa’s defense faces off with Indiana’s offense. The Hawkeyes are only giving up 11.6 ppg, and last week held Javon Ringer to under 100 yards. The Hoosiers on offense are scoring over 26 points per game, but defensively they are giving up 23.2 ppg which is right around what Iowa scores. What it comes down to is that Iowa’s defense is better than Indiana’s offense, and I don’t think the Hoosiers will be able to muster the 21 points they will need to win this game. Iowa 20-13

Toledo at Michigan - Big Ten Network 12pm - The Rockets come to the Big House just at the right time, the Wolverines are coming off a big loss to Illinois where Juice Williams had the game of his life. If you like offense, this is NOT the game to watch. Overall offensive team statistics have both of these teams at least below 88th in the country in all major statical categories. Toledo did give Fresno State all it can handle, losing in overtime, while the Wolverines look to find that magic that brought them back from 19 down in the second half at home against Wisconsin. This will be an ugly…ugly game. Wolverines win because they do have more talent, even though it is very raw. Michigan 17-13

Minnesota at Illinois - ESPN 12pm - The Gophers bounced back after losing to Ohio State, and beat Indiana last week while Illinois also bounced back with an impressive showing against Michigan to win at the Big House. When the dust has settled at the end of the season, Illinois will either be the second or third best team in the Big Ten. Minnesota, has 5 wins this year, but is not ready to be considered in the upper tier of Big Ten teams. This game features two great QB/WR tandems. The Gophers have Adam Weber and Eric Decker while the Illini have Juice Williams and Arrelious Benn. I don’t expect Minnesota to roll over in the game, but Illinois is just so talented, and the Gophers will have an extremely hard time containing the Juice. Illinois 34-17

Michigan State at Northwestern - ESPN2 3:30pm - It might be a little unbelievable, but the combined record of these two teams are 10-1. Northwestern is undefeated, while the Spartans only loss came in the first game of the year against California. The Spartans are led by Javon Ringer on offense who is 12 yards away from 1000 yards, and has 12 touchdowns already this season. Their defense is also stingy, giving up only 16 points per game. The Wildcats have a balanced attack led by their quarterback CJ Bacher and senior running back Tyrell Sutton. This game will come down to who has the better defense. If the Wildcats can keep Ringer under wraps and force Brian Hoyer to make mistakes, they will win. But I think that the Spartans defense is very underrated, just ask Notre Dame. Spartans in a close one. Michigan State 24-14

Purdue at Ohio State - ABC 3:30pm - The Joe Tiller farewell tour continues at the Horseshoe, but it isn’t going as well as expected. After 5 games, the Boilermakers only have 2 wins, and what they thought was the strong point, quarterback Curtis Painter, has now become a huge questionmark. Joey Elliott came in for Painter and provided a bit of a spark, but Tiller said that Painter will start again. Ohio State is improving with Pryor at quarterback who adds a totally different dimension to this offense. Purdue is not as good as I thought they’d be in the beginning of the year. Their defense is soft against the run and offensively they have taken a huge step back from last year. Ohio State wins this game with ease. Ohio State 35-10

Penn State at Wisconsin - ABC 8pm - The Badgers have lost two games in a row, and it has been awhile since they have lost two straight at home, which they could do with a loss this week. Penn State on the other hand, has not beaten a Top 25 team on the road since 2002, and that team was Wisconsin. Offensively if the Badgers had a balanced attack, I see no reason not to pick them, but since Allen Evridge is struggling, it is hard to pick a team that is one-dimensional against the Nittany Lions. Penn State stuggled a bit on offense last week, but I still think they are going to be very difficult for the Badgers to defend, especially against the run where Wisconsin has shown a bit of a weakness. Darryl Clark and company head to Madison and pull out a close, much needed away win. This will go down to the wire like last week’s night game in Madison, but Penn State’s balance is too much for the Badgers. Penn State 27-24

Last Week: 5-0 (1.000)
Overall: 41-9 (.820)