I took it on the chin last week when Wisconsin blew their 19-0 lead over Michigan and Purdue lost to Notre Dame. But I am going to bounce back, I am not going to have two weeks in a row with a 50% or less winning percentage. With only 5 games this week in the Big Ten, I’ll come out either on the upper or lower half of the 50% line.

Iowa at Michigan State - ESPN2 12pm - At 4-1, the Spartans are quietly becoming a Big Ten title contender. The Hawkeyes have been struggling a bit on offense and they won’t find it much easier this week. I am not going to repeat myself too much, but Iowa needs to have some production from their quarterbacks. Shonn Greene has done well running the ball, but it hasn’t been enough. For the Spartans, they rely mainly on Javon Ringer. Ringer has 900 yards and 12 touchdowns in just 5 games. Brian Hoyer hasn’t been great, but good enough to take some of the pressure off of Ringer. If you look at the team statistics, they are very close in all the categories, but that was mainly because of the lower level of competition that Iowa played in their first two games. The Spartans are better on both sides of the ball and should extend their winning streak to 6, while Iowa’s losing streak climbs to 3. Michigan State 37-13

Indiana at Minnesota - Big Ten Network 12pm - This game has the worst team in the Big Ten last year facing off with the worst team in the Big Ten this year. And no, they aren’t the same teams each year. The Gophers lost last week to Ohio State, but they proved they have come a long way since last year’s 1 win season. Adam Weber has really matured as a quarterback in his sophomore year and he has found a #1 target in Eric Decker. The Hooisers are struggling defensively stopping anyone, and on offense they really miss James Hardy. Kellen Lewis is a great athlete but he cannot win games with Indiana on his own. I hope Hoosier fans enjoyed the bowl game last year, because they are not going to go back again this year. Minnesota wins. Minnesota 29-14

Penn State at Purdue - ESPN 12pm - This will be the Nittany Lions first “road” test of the season when they travel to West Lafayette to play Purdue. Offensively the Lions are one of the top in the nation, and we saw Derrick Williams have a breakout game against Illinois that was 3 years in the making. Penn State is averaging 50 points per game, 250 yards in the air, and 260 on the ground. Purdue’s defense has a tough task ahead of them, and when you look at the fact that they gave up 38 points to Notre Dame last week, the task might be insurmountable. For Purdue to win they must control the clock and the ball, keeping Penn State’s offense off the field. Curtis Painter has to use short passes and hopefully Kory Sheets is ready to go for the Boilermakers. Purdue can score against the Lions defense, which is not as good as in years past. But they will not score enough to win this game. Penn State 41-21

Illinois at Michigan - ABC 3:30pm - The Wolverines came back from 19 down and beat Wisconsin last week in the biggest comeback in the history of the Big House. Illinois showed a lot of offense, but couldn’t outscore Penn State. Two teams headed in different directions right? Wrong! The Illini have a spread offense that has given the Wolverines fits in the past. Juice Williams has become a better passer, and is still a dangerous runner. The balance on offense for Illinois is better than Wisconsin, which will cause the Michigan defense fits. Quarterback Steven Threet has been improving, but not enough to really turn the corner. And a stat that hasn’t been advertised that much about Michigan’s win is that the Badgers turned the ball over 4 times in that game. The Illini will not do that this week, and will be use to playing in a hostile environment. Sorry Wolverine fans, your streak ends at 1. Illinois 28-10

Ohio State at Wisconsin - ABC 8pm - It has been five years since Ohio State last visited Madison, but like the last time, it is a big game. These are two teams that were and still are expected to challenge for the Big Ten title. The Badgers already have 1 loss in the Big Ten, while Ohio State’s loss was out of conference, so the Badgers need this game a lot more. The problem I see with Wisconsin is that they rely too much on their running game. Before you yell at me, yes I know that Ohio State averages less passing yards, but Pryor, their QB, does it with his feet too. On the defensive side of the ball, Ohio State is starting to become the team we thought they’d be on defense. They are going to cause turnovers at big times which will lead to points. I know Wisconsin fans are hoping for a win because they saw how USC manhandled the Buckeyes, but don’t forget, against Big Ten teams, Ohio State has only lost 1 game in the last 2 years. Tressel’s team comes to play and wins. Ohio State 30-17

Last Week: 3-3 (.500)
Overall: 36-9 (.800)