Since the site, mainly Wordpress, decided to not let me login, so I spent the majority of the time trying to fix the problem and I didn’t have time to prepare for this week’s Big Ten games. I will make predictions but the write ups will be shorter.
Michigan State at Indiana - ESPN 12pm - The Hooisers had a problem stopping Ball State last week and it will carry over to this week. I don’t expect Javon Ringer to get to 200 yards again; but he’ll get 150 yards against this porous Indiana defense. Michigan State’s defense is very underrated and should have another good showing against Kellen Lewis and the Hoosiers. Spartans in a blowout. Michigan State 38-10
Minnesota at Ohio State - Big Ten Network 12pm - Adam Weber has grown up a lot since last year and now he has a quality receiver in Eric Decker to throw to, the Gophers have become more dangerous on offense. Weber has also cut down on his interceptions, throwing only one this year so far. Ohio State will once again start Pryor at quarterback. Last week Pryor had 4 touchdown PASSES, and if Beanie Wells plays, this could be a very nice duo for the rest of this year. This game will be closer than expect, but the Buckeyes defense is solid and will be the deciding factor in the win. Ohio State 29-10
Northwestern at Iowa - ESPN Classic 12pm - If you would’ve told me at the beginning of the season that the combined record of these two teams would be 7-1 coming into this game, I would’ve said you are crazy. Iowa lost a heart breaker 21-20 to Pitt last week and cost me my perfect record for the week. The Hawkeyes still have yet to find quarterback consistency from Ricky Stanzi and Jake Christensen, While the Wildcats keep plugging along with CJ Bacher and Tyrell Sutton has found his groove back. The game is in Iowa City…advantage Iowa, Northwestern has the advantage on offense, but I believe it will be Iowa’s defense who is more tested and use to playing in tougher games that will give them the close win. Iowa 17-10
Purdue at Notre Dame - NBC 3:30pm - Notre Dame finally played a team with an offense and gave up over 200 yards on the ground. They finally played a team with a defense and only scored 7 points. I am not ready to say that Purdue’s defense is better than Michigan State’s but their offense are comparable. Purdue had a scare last week against Central Michigan but pulled it out in the end. I don’t think they will have as much to worry about this week, and beat the Irish by double digits. Purdue 30-20
Wisconsin at Michigan - ABC 3:30pm - Both teams are coming off a bye week, so no advantage there, but it was Michigan who needed it much more than the Badgers. This game will show the huge gap that Michigan will have to overcome to get back to the top of the Big Ten. Their defense will have a hard time stopping PJ Hill, while their offense will struggle to move the ball against the Badgers defense. Wisconsin wins a sleeper of a game. Wisconsin 35-9
Illinois at Penn State - ABC 8pm - This will be the first test for the Nittany Lions this season, and they look to avenge their loss at Illinois last year. Illinois has a strong kick returner in Arrelious Benn who torched the Lions last year and they are still having trouble with their kickoff coverage. Containing Juice Williams and making him pass instead of run should be a #1 priority for the Lion’s defense. Illinois has not looked their best at all this year and if they want to win they must keep the ball out of Penn State’s hands. They have so many weapons on offense with Daryll Clark, Evan Royster, Deon Butler, Derrick Williams, and Jordan Norwood. That’s not to mention maybe the best offensive line in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions are 1-7 in their last 8 Big Ten openers, but I think they are going to be too much for the Illini to handle. Penn State 31-21
We discussed this ad nauseam during last year’s rash of upsets, but simply put, the number of BCS-caliber athletes coming out of high school has never been greater, and there’s only so many scholarships those schools can offer. While that doesn’t stop a USC or Florida from hording five-star recruits, as you go further down the line, there’s not that big a disparity between the type pf players Oregon and Boise State are recruiting. And as we know well by now, talent alone does not win football games.
The point, as I’ve been saying, is simple. The increase in participation has moved us to a point where the supply of I-A caliber talent outweighs the demand for it at the I-A level for it. Obviously when something like this happens you end up seeing very capable players take the next best option- aka playing I-AA football. So while we’ve built these classifications of I-A and I-AA (as well as BCS conference and non-BCS conference) as meaning something in terms of talent differentiation, the reality of the situation is that the increased supply of capable football players has dramatically shrunk the supposed “talent gap” between divisions. Obviously this change began before the 2007 season, but as so often is the case, our perception of such a change remained nonexistent until 2007, when it finally took several groundbreaking upsets to alert the majority of us to it. Yet what of these “excess” Division I-A prospects that inevitably get funneled through the ranks of Division I-AA because of the laws of supply and demand? Are they in fact underrated, or are they undervalued?
I think I finally figured out what a Hokie is. It’s a two faced, starting job promising liar. We believe in you Sean, your our guy Sean. Tyrod is being redshirted Sean. You’re the starting QB this year Sean.” Gee Wiz Sloth, I mean Frank, that’s what you said last year. Frankly I should have known better, but I figured, this is my senior year. I was supposed to be the big man on campus. Driving around in my newly supped up pimpmobile.
It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. My first ever pass was for a touchdown. I’ve been carried off the field in the arms of Cheerleaders dammit, one of which I even touched her boob. And not just grazed, but an open hand cup for at least 3 battleships, documented by photographic proof. The world was my oyster.
Ever since that LSU game its been downhill. Well EXCUSE ME for losing on the road to the eventual National Champions. What was I thinking getting burned for 48 points, oh wait I DON’T PLAY DEFENSE. One bad game and you bring in the Freshman.
Him and his fancy feet. Don’t they realize if he wants to run with the ball 90% of the time, we have a position for that. Heck, I will even hand it off to him. But noo.. a running quarter back reminds everyone of the good ole days. They called him the second coming of Vick. Not the trouble maker one, the other one. You know, the one that has only been arrested once, granted the jail sentence was longer but still he waited until after college to disgrace his team.
Regardless, I sucked it up, though it was confusing at times, I was a team player and not only did I take our team to the ACC championship game, but we won the damn thing. I guess I had a decent game, I mean some would probably consider winning THE ACC CHAMPIONSHIP MVP OF THE GAME to be outstanding and a testament to my abilities as a QB. Oh, but not Frankie boy. One little stumble this year against ECU, and I was almost kicked off the team. After sputtering to a 3-0 lead over 1AA Furman; Frank basically hid my jersey from me at halftime. I said screw that, I’ll make my own. That’s what you call ingenuity, it’s a trait leaders possess. Look it up Frank, and while you are doing that look up in the stands and see all of the #7 jerseys looking back at you.
Sure some of them are left over Vick jerseys that people are either too cheap or too lazy to replace. Not that they have to replace the whole jersey, but for $11.99 you could have the Vick nameplate removed, and a Glennon one sewn in its place. Heck for $6 you could just sew the Glennon plate on top of the vick plate. I priced it out in town at MISH MISH and they said they could give us a better deal if we did it in bulk. So let’s get off our butts people, the season hangs in the balance. And I hate to break it to ya, but the Hokie Pokie aint helping no one.
I just hope when Frank and his buddy Tyrod, are Thelma and Louising Hokie Nation off a cliff that if called upon, I can summon some of my ACC MVP football prowess to muster them out of whatever jam Sloth got them into.
I’m done, I’m tired of it, I won’t do it again for the rest of the season…I’ve given up trying to look at conferences as a whole and trying to figure out strengths. Which conference is the best, which one sucks. It is a lost cause anymore. But I have come to one conclusion about this college football season, there are a handful (maybe 5) really good teams, while the rest of teams are so close, they are only separated by a player here or there.
The teams that I think are head and shoulders above the rest are: USC, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Florida. I am not ready to throw Georgia or LSU in that mix just yet. If Georgia does beat Alabama this weekend, I promise to add them to my 5. Another team right on that bubble is the Texas Longhorns. Mack Brown’s team is flying way under the radar, taking care of business in convincing fashion. Their first real test will come in two weeks again Colorado.
What has happened to Tennessee? First they lose an overtime game at UCLA, who to be honest, has looked like the bottom tier Pac-10 team that I thought they would be. Then the Vols did not any kind of fight against Florida in their 30-6 loss on Saturday. With the emergence of Vanderbilt, Tennessee could be the 4th or 5th best team in the SEC East.
The Big Ten boasts 4 teams who are undefeated right now: Wisconsin, Penn State, Minnesota, and Northwestern. With Big Ten play starting this week I think we will see the Gophers and Wildcats fall back to the pack a bit. I still say Northwestern makes a bowl game this year. The team I still like is the Michigan State Spartans. Javon Ringer had another 200 yard game against the Irish, and with a ball control offense like they have and a tough defense, the Spartans are going to finish in the Top 4 of the Big Ten this season.
We all forget that the Connecticut Huskies had a chance to win the Big East last year, but West Virginia put an end to it. But look out, they are 4-0 again! The Huskies play Louisville on Friday, and with only South Florida emerging in the Big East, the Huskies can once again have a shot at the Big East Championship.
Conference play starts next week for most of the teams so this is the last week for many of the bottom feeders to pad their wins. It will be interesting to see how Ohio State bounces back from their loss last week. The two key games on this week’s schedule are Iowa at Pittsburgh and Notre Dame at Michigan State. Those are two games you should watch.
Ohio at Northwestern - Big Ten Network 12pm - With a win, the Northwestern Wildcats will only be 2 wins away from bowl eligibility. They have used a balanced offensive attack and a solid defense that only given up a little more than 12 points per game. Their opponents, the Ohio Bobcats, gave Ohio State a scare a few weeks ago, but have yet to win a game. This will not be a cakewalk for the Wildcats. The issue going on with the Bobcats is the ability to get consistant play from their quarterbacks Boo Jackson and Theo Scott. The two have combined to throw 4 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in the first 3 games. On the flip side, CJ Bacher and Tyrell Sutton are a good one two punch. Ohio’s defense will keep this game close, but in the end Northwestern gets the win. Northwestern 24-18
Florida Atlantic at Minnesota - Big Ten Network 12pm - If you are a Golden Gopher fan, you have to be elated so far this season. Minnesota has tripled their win total of 2007, Adam Weber has 6 touchdowns while competing passes close to 70% of the time, and Eric Decker is becoming a real threat at wide receiver. For the Owls of Florida Atlantic, spirts are not as high. In week one they lost to Texas 52-10, and remember before the game Coach Schnellenberger ran his mouth about how they were going to challenge Texas, and last week they got shut out 17-0 by Michigan State. Quarterback Rusty Smith has been struggling and isn’t even completing 50% of his passes. The Owls gave up a ton of yards on the ground to the Spartans, but lucky for them, Minnesota’s ground game is not where near the quality of Michigan State. FAU is going to have trouble containing Weber, and Minnesota has just enough of a rushing game to keep the Owls off balance. Gophers get to 4-0 with a win. Minnesota 27-20
Troy at Ohio State - Big Ten Network 12pm - There really isn’t much more to say about Ohio State than has already been said. They were exposed against USC, and without Beanie Wells, they really need to find a threat on the ground. Insert freshman Quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Pryor has taken more than half the snaps in practice this week and will split time with Boeckman at quarterback. It wasn’t just the offense that was exposed against the Trojans, but the Buckeyes’ defense needs work too. They will get it this week when Troy brings in the 10th rated offense in the country. All of those yards came against the likes of Middle Tennessee State and Alcorn State. The Troy Trojans know how to beat tough opponents, but this week I think the Buckeyes are just too talent to let these Trojans beat them. Ohio State 31-16
Temple at Penn State - Big Ten Network 12pm - I should get a few laughs when I make this next statement: the Temple Owls will be Penn State’s toughest test to date. Temple is much improved even though their record does not show it. They lost two close games to Connecticut in overtime, and on a last second hailmary pass against Buffalo last week. Penn State has just rolled over their opponents both offensively and defensively. They are 8th in the country, averaging close to 540 yards per game and quarterbacks Darryl Clark and Pat Devlin have combined for 7 touchdowns, 737 yards passing, and no interceptions. On the ground Evan Royster is averaging 8 yards every time he touches the ball. At wideout, both Jordan Norwood and Deon Butler are coming off a 100 yard game against Syracuse. Even though this will be their toughest test, the score will not be close. The Nittany Lions win easy and gear up for their Big Ten opener against Illinois. Penn State 45-14
Iowa at Pittsburgh - ESPN2 12pm - This should be the best game of the week as far as the Big Ten games are concerned. The Hawkeyes take their defense, which has only given up 8 total points this year, to Pittsburgh. The Panthers have strugged a bit on offense only scoring 44 total points against the likes of Buffalo and Bowling Green. LeSean McCoy is the cornerstone of their offense, but is going through a bit of a sophomore slump because he can’t find any running room behind Pitt’s offensive line. Iowa on the other hand is looking for consistent play from their quarterbacks. Both Ricky Stanzi and Jake Christensen have played this year, but neither have been consistent enough to become the full time starter. The key match up in this game will be Iowa’s defensive line against Pitt’s offensive line. Bill Stull has had issues throwing the ball down field and some question his arm strength, so for Pitt to be successful they are going to have to control the clock with McCoy. I think Iowa, although a little unproven, is better in the trenches and will use that decided advantage to win a close one. Iowa 19-16
Central Michigan at Purdue - Big Ten Network 12pm - For the third time in a calender year, the Boilermakers will face the Chippewas. Central Michigan’s quarterback Dan LeFevour was Mr. All-Everything for them last year, but it seems teams have found a way to slow him down. He is not nearly effective on the ground, but he is still efficient passing the ball. Purdue lost a heart breaker last week to Oregon at home. In that game the Boilermakers were leading 20-3 in the second half, but couldn’t hold on to win, losing in overtime. Even with the loss, Purdue showed that they can play with the upper tier of teams in the country. Unlike in years past, they have developed a running game with Kory Sheets, and now all they need is Curtis Painter to get back to form and the Boilermakers will start rolling. I think that begins this week. The previous two games between these schools were close, but I think Purdue is much better on both sides of the ball than the Chippewas. Purdue 38-20
Notre Dame at Michigan State - ABC 3:30pm - I have been a bit hard on the Irish, but in reality, they have not looked all that spectacular in their first two wins. Last week against Michigan, they capitalized on 5 turnovers to win that game, and while the defense looked strong, they did it against a Michigan offense who has yet to find an identity. The Spartans are an old fashioned running Big Ten team. They hand the ball of to Javon Ringer, since he is small he hides behind their big offensive line, and then at the last second cuts behind the for his yards. Michigan State right now is 2-1, with an opening week 7 point loss to Cal. For the Spartans to have success, Brian Hoyer must start producing. Notre Dame does have talent and speed on defense, and if Michigan State is one dimensional, the Irish will stop them. Notre Dame must get the same production from their quarterback Jimmy Clausen. In 2 games Clausen has 4 interceptions, and those could be key in a close game like this. This is the make or break game in my mind for Notre Dame. If they win, they quiet all the doubters (myself included), and if they lose people will point to the weak first two opponents that they had. I am still not a believer, therefore I am going with the Spartans. A steady diet of Javon Ringer gets the job done. Michigan State 28-20
Ball State at Indiana - Big Ten Network 7pm - The Indiana Hoosiers are one of 6 undefeated Big Ten teams coming into week 4. Both teams have high powered offenses, but they contrast in styles. Ball State uses a passing game led by Nate Davis. In 3 games, Davis has thrown for over 900 yards, with 9 touchdowns, and completing 75% of his passes. Indiana does most of their damage on the ground, led again by their quarterback Kellen Lewis. Lewis not only leads the team in passing with 314 yards, but he is also the leading rusher with 183 yards. If you like offense you will want to tune into this game. Indiana has only given up 16 points in two games, but don’t let that fool you. It came against lesser competition, and honestly, I think Ball State holds the edge on defense too. Looking ahead at the rest of the Hoosiers’ schedule, they need this win if they want to get to bowl eligibility. At the end of the year, Ball State will probably be playing for the MAC Championship, while Indiana will be sitting at home watching the bowl games. Ball State 49-20
It wasn’t suppose to happen this way Diary! This year was MY year, the year of The Boeckman. I was going to lead the Buckeyes to the Championship…it was going to be Todd that brought Jimmy T back to glory. They were going to love me for it…even bring me back 20 years from now to dot the I. I paid my dues…I’ve done so much for this university.
Back in 2004 I let Troy Smith use MY cell phone when Coach T took his away from him. Troy told me he’d teach me the finer points of being a quarterback. Nothing I did was ever good enough for Troy. I thought he was being a pal, he told me to tag along in New York City when he was there for the Heisman Ceremony. Great friend right??? Hell no!!! Troy made me drive him around all night as he went from strip club to strip club.
You think he’d hook his boy Todd up with a classy girl or even a lap dance?? NEVER…all I got was a half eaten quarter pounder that one of his skanks threw on the floor and a damn frosty. The stupid S.O.B even made me wear white gloves to touch the trophy. I know for sure my hands are cleaner than some of the places he put that trophy that night!
I WAS FIRST TEAM BIG TEN IN 2007!!! Does anyone care!?!?! F**K No! All they care is about Terrelle Pryor this and Terrelle Pryor that. Watch Terrelle run…he walks on water…look at his fancy earrings. I’ve been QB for two seasons; you think Coach T would hook me up with a ride? Seriously, I WAS FIRST TEAM BIG TEN IN 2007 and I am still riding around in a 1999 Dodge Shadow. While Toilet Paper (my name for Terrelle Pryor…Tee hee), has a damn Corvette. Where is the justice in that…I WAS FIRST TEAM BIG TEN IN 2007!!!!!!
I can’t sleep Diary. I close my eyes and I hear the screams…I hear the boos…they are laughing at me, pointing at me, jeering me. I thought Buckeye fans were passionate and loyal. I walk around campus and am thankful classes haven’t started yet. Need I remind everyone that I’ve thrown for 837 yards against teams from Ohio while throwing for 8 touchdowns and only two interceptions?
Is that good enough for people around here???? Noooo! All they want to talk about is the 3 interceptions against Illinois or how I lost the BCS title game against LSU, and now I’ll have to hear about this latest game.
My mom calls me after the game, I was so happy to hear her voice…but then she started on my case. “Don’t you know the difference between Scarlet red and Cardinal red you moron! You threw the ball right to Rey-Rey. Are you color-blind?!?! Maybe you should go back to kindergarten to learn the colors of the rainbow. ROY-G-BIV Todd!! ROY-G-BIV!!” I tried to tell her that I do have a degree in Family Resource Management but she didn’t want to listen, the pain was too much so I hung up.
Oh Rey-Rey…the other reason I can’t sleep. I close my eyes and there you are…I can’t shake your face…the way you hit… I swear when I saw you running the ball my first instinct was to just fall down. But I knew I had to make an effort even if I did make a number two in my pants as you ran towards me. The play keeps playing over and over in my head like a nightmare.
But Diary, I have to shake it off. This week we have Troy…Smith? That stupid mother…wait no not Troy Smith, the Troy Trojans. Yeah! The real Trojans of the College Football world. I am going to take it all out on them. Better watch out Trojans…Todd is gonna let you have it…Todd is going to take out all his rage on you.
How can thomeone be happy for a perthon, yet totally torn inthide for a school that they love? I thought that Notre Dame would win 11 games this year, and I still thand by that prediction, but now with rumors that my own flesh and blood could potentially be the next coach of the Fighting Iriths. I don’t know what to root for, my Thon, or the Irish?
Thkip has done a great job with Easth Carolina, he has come a long way from jumping on the trampoline, from being an assthant with me, to now beating two Bee Thee Esss schools Virginia Tech and West Virginia. He doesn’t quite give the same great motivational thpeeches that I can, but that is thomething that can be taught. Looking ahead at the Pirate sthedule, I thee no reason why they can’t go 13-0 and be Bee Thee Esss Championthip Game. Wow thay that three thimes fast.
Oh no! What if the are 13-0 and Notre Dame is 12-0 (which is entirely possible)…oh please lord…don’t do that to me…wait you are a Notre Dame fan…oh boy…who do I turn to now…the devil? I can’t, he is buthy coaching Michigan. This can’t be happening, pleaths, lord strike me down first. I swear not to fight with Mark May anymore if you pleathes take care of this horrible dilliema that seems unfortheeeable in my eyes. Can’t there be two champions this year?
Last week’s games, were to put it bluntly, really boring. There weren’t any great match-ups which made our friend Orson go crazy and pick the Oregon State Beavers to upset Penn State Nitaly Lions. He fully repented to me on last night EDSBS Live, and gives us a whole slue of other picks that we should not follow if we are a betting man.
One of the biggest upsets of this past weekend was East Carolina beating up West Virginia and possibly de-Heismaning Pat White. My first thoughts were not of sorrow for Mountaineer fans, but I immediately wondered if our pal John Radcliff had the stones to write a song mocking his team. John never fails and here is his songbook from this week on how Bill Stewart Ruined His Dreams.
Kate is the only thing
more beautiful than Neuheisel
Speaking of Skip Holtz, Sean Keeley over at TNIAAM is already looking forward to the end of the Greg Robinson era and possibly the start of the Skip Holtz era? He points us to an article which discusses the possibility but calls the Syracuse job…a coach killer! Since when has Syracuse drop to the depth of coaching hell that was the Temple Owls? Don’t worry Sean, things can only get better, Midnight Madness for College Basketball is only a short time away.
Rebounding from their Week 1 loss to Bowling Green, who by the way lost to Minnesota this week, Pitt Panther fans are still left scratching their head about their offense. There was a lot of concerned among the faithful when it was found that the offense playbook was leaked on the internet and Buffalo had full access to it. But later it was noted that Offensive Coordinator Matt Cavanaugh believes the fact that between the hashes was a no-fly zone for passing.
BYU beat Washington at the end of the game by blocking an extra point. This week they play pretty boy Rick Neuheisel and his upstart UCLA Bruins. For some discussion and analysis on the game where the teams will play 3 times in a matter of 10 months, check out Bruins Nation.
Now for the big game, THE Ohio State BUCKEYES against the USC Trojans. I’ll talk more abotu this game on the podcast tomorrow night with Adam Nettina, but there is already so much good stuff around the blogosphere about the game:
It was another great day of college football, but one game had a little bit of controversy at the end of it. Washington’s quarterback Jake Locker scored a touchdown late in their game with BYU to get the Huskies within a point. Locker then proceeded to throw the ball high in the air and draw an excessive celebration penalty. With the ball located on the 18 yard line, Washington could not convert on the extra point as BYU blocked it and won the game.
I have heard it all from people, the ref wanted to be the center of attention, Locker was just excited…etc. The official did not lose the game for Washington. He did not miss the block that got the kick blocked. He was not the kicker who got the ball off too slow or too low. He made a call based on a rule in the book.
All the talking heads and those calling for his head are wrong, the Official in that case was just following the rules. This year the NCAA made it a point of emphasis to all Officials to enforce this excessive celebration rule. In the rule it states:
After a score or any other play; the player in possession immediately must return the ball to the official or leave it near the dead ball spot.
Then the part that no one seems to understand:
This prohibits:
(c) Throwing the ball high into the air.
Clearly Locker threw the ball high in the air, so high that it goes out of the picture. If you do not agree with this, do not get mad at the official. Get mad at the NCAA for having the rule. The official is just doing his job and enforcing this rule. If he didn’t, there could be an observer there grading him and he could never work a game.
To all the talking heads that complained about this rule, Kirk Herbstreit, Mark May, Lou Holtz, Mel Kiper; you all need to learn the rules before you go spouting off. And if you still don’t agree, next time your boss on ESPN tells you to do something on the air, be brave and don’t do it. We’ll see how happy he is after.
I have always heard that you make your biggest strides during the year between your first and second game. We will see how much teams improve and find out their true identities this week. All eleven Big Ten teams play this week, but conference play still does not start for a few weeks.
Eastern Michigan at Michigan State - Big Ten Network 12pm - The Spartans had a good effort, but it wasn’t enough last week as they fell to the Cal Bears by 7 points. It is a shame that they didn’t get this game against the Eagles of Eastern Michigan before Cal. Both teams are going to try and shove it down each others throat with the run. The Eagles have Terrence Blevins who had 176 yards last week against Indiana State, and the Spartans have Javon Ringer who had 21 carries last week for only 3 ypc. The difference in this game will be Michigan State’s passing game. Hoyer had a nice game against Cal last week, and I expect more of the same this week against EMU. The Spartans are a bit too talented and better on the defensive end to lose this one. Michigan State 35-14
Marshall at Wisconsin - Big Ten Network 12pm - PJ Hill made easy work of Akron last week as he ran for over 210 yards and 2 touchdowns. His counterpart on the Thundering Herd, Darius Marshall, did not do to shabby himself totaling 115 yards, 1 touchdown, and averaging 7.2 ypc as Marshall beat Illinois State. Both of these teams will make a living running the ball, and if you Wisconsin who returns 5 starters on the offensive line, why not? What I would like to see from the Badgers, is a little more out of the passing game. Last week Allan Evridge only threw for 75 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception; they cannot totally rely on Hill to carry this team. Marshall has a shot at pulling an upset here if they can match the physical play of the Badgers. Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema is an astounding 15-0 at Camp Randall Stadium, and I think he takes his mark to 16-0, but that’s not before have a bit of a stomach ache as Marshall will keep this game close. Wisconsin 31-21
Florida International at Iowa - Big Ten Network 12pm - Behind Shonn Greene’s 109 yards on the ground and a blanketing defense, the Iowa Hawkeyes made easy work of Maine 46-3. It might not seem like a huge victory, but for a Hawkeyes’ team trying to find an identity, it’s a good victory. Their opponent this week, FIU, got thrashed by #14 Kansas 41-10 in a game where there only amounted 150 yards of total offense. Eight-five came through the air and another sixty-six came on the ground. They are not facing a defense as tough as last week, but Iowa will still give FIU fits. This would be a great game for the Hawkeyes’ to throw the ball a little more to get the confidence of Jake Christensen up. Iowa should win this one with ease. Iowa 41-17
Eastern Illinois at Illinois - Big Ten Network 12pm - Even though the Illini lost 52-42 to Missouri, I believe Ron Zook and his team have to take a lot of positives out of that game. One being Juice Williams; the Juice threw for over 450 yards with 5 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. Will Judson led the recievers with 177 yards on 7 catches, while Daniel Dufrene averaged almost 6 yards on the ground. The defense can always improve, but I am willing to bet that they will not be the last team to give up over 50 points to Missouri this season. Eastern Illinois last week lost to Central Michigan, giving up 31 points to them. Unfortunately for EIU, they are playing a team with more offensive talent than CMU which in their last meeting between these two schools dropped a 42-17 game to the Illini in 2006. Expect more of the same. Illinois 49-7
Ohio at Ohio State - ESPN 12pm - No Beanie Wells this week…no problem for the Buckeyes. This is their last “warm-up” game before the big one next week at Southern California which will define both team’s seasons. Ohio State has won 27 straight games against teams from their own state, going the whole way back to 1921. The Bobcats travel to the Horseshoe sporting a 0-1 record after losing to Wyoming last week by one point. In that game, Ohio only managed 39 yards on the ground. Surprisingly enough, that number might be lower this week. I expect Jim Tressel to play freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor about 25% of the time against Ohio to give USC a few more plays and formations to think about. This game won’t be close, and I am predicting that all the starters will be out by half time because Coach Tressell does not want to chance losing a starter the week before the biggest game of the year. Ohio State 51-3
Miami (OH) at Michigan - ESPN2 12pm - I wasn’t so much surprised how poorly the Michigan offense looked as I was how the Michigan defense still hasn’t figured out how to defend the spread offense. The Red Hawks and the Wolverine come into this week 2 game sporting a 0-1 record. The Wolverines lost last week at home to Utah while Miami (OH) lost 34-13 to a Vanderbilt team which just knocked off South Carolina. I really believe Michigan is in for another tough game. In years past they could take teams like this for granted, but not the way they have been playing. Michigan will again be shuffling between Nick Sheridan and Steven Threet as neither looked really good last week, and same goes at running back where Brandon Minor was the leading rusher last week with 21 yards. Look for the Redhawks to throw the ball with Daniel Raudabaugh, and if he can cut back with his turnovers, 3 last week, Miami (OH) could pull the upset. After watching Vandy’s offense and not being really impressed with it, I think Michigan can score enough to hold on to win. Michigan 24-16
Northern Colorado at Purdue - Big Ten Network 12pm - The Curtis Painter for Heisman tour begins as does the Joe Tiller farewell tour, against the Bears of Northern Colorado. Both teams were off last week so nothing of importance to note on the injury or stat front. The Bears last year were horrid defensively as they allowed 490 yards per game, 281 of those through the air. I really think that is all you need to know about this game. It won’t be pretty, Painter will pass for a ton of yards, Purdue will once again beat up on a weaker opponent, and the Joe Tiller farewell tour will start out with a victory. Unless you are a Purdue fan, there is no reason to even watch this game. Purdue 63-9
Oregon State at Penn State - ABC 3:30pm - With the suspensions of Maurice Evans, Andrew Quarless and Abe Koroma, this game just got really interesting. Last week Penn State had it’s way with Coastal Carolina, scoring 66 points. Daryll Clark looked good as did Pat Devlin at quarterback. What impressed me most was the running of Evan Royster and Stephfon Green. I think those two will strike fear in opponent’s eyes for years to come. The Nittany Lions’ defense concerns me, and now even more without Evans and Koroma. The defensive line is thin and linebacker Josh Hull in the middle looks out of place. The Beavers lost a heart breaker to Stanford. Oregon State is in the middle of a rebuilding year, but that did not stop Lyle Moevao from throwing for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns. What concerns me for the Beavers is their inability to tackle, and how they gave up huge numbers to Stanford, who won’t be known for their offensive prowless this year. This will be a high scoring close game, I give the edge to the ones who play in Beaver Stadium because of their balance on offense. Penn State 38-28
Murray State at Indiana - Big Ten Network 7pm -The Hooisers started off the year on a good note, looking to go to bowl games in consecutive years beating Western Kentucky 31-13. Kellen Lewis once again led the Hooisers in passing (144 yards & 2 touchdowns) as well as in rushing (185 yards & 2 touchdowns). I look for him to have a similar game this week against Murray State. The Racers come to Bloomington sporting a 1-0 record after beating Lambuth 41-17. Murray State had two quarterbacks who threw for over 100 yards each and 3 touchdowns, but failed to really put together a solid ground game. I expect the Hoosiers to have an easy time with the Racers which should put them 2-0 going into next week’s test with Ball State. Indiana 41-14
Northwestern at Duke - No Television - I can’t remember the last time I can say this, but Duke and Northwestern come into this game a combined 2-0. Honestly, I think this will be a pretty good game. Northwestern had a nice win last week against Syracuse where CJ Bacher threw for 215 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tyrell Sutton regained a bit of his old form running for 144 yards and a 7 ypc average. Duke’s win over James Madison was not as impressive as beating a team like Syracuse, but for Duke it is a building block. Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis had a nice game throwing for 141 yards and 2 touchdowns while their ground game gained 218 yards led by Clifford Harris’ 95 yards. I think Duke has the tools to keep this game close, but the Wildcats just have too much talent and balance with Sutton and Bacher. Throw in the fact that I believe that Northwestern sports the better defense and you can figure out my pick here. Northwestern 30-20
Minnesota at Bowling Green - ESPNU 7:30pm - It wasn’t pretty, but the Golden Gophers pulled out a 31-27 victory over Northern Illinois last week. Even with the influx of talent Tim Brewster has recruited, this team is still a long way away from being good. Adam Weber was a bright spot throwing for 298 yards and 2 touchdowns. Their opponents for week 2, the Bowling Green Falcons are coming off an upset of a Pitt Panther team who many thought would contend for the Big East crown. If you watched the game, you saw that neither team’s offense looked exactly stellar, but for Bowling Green to hold Pitt to zero points in the second half is an impressive act. Adam Weber is better at quarterback than what they saw last week, but I don’t think Minnesota has the overall talent to pull this one out. Once again, this game will be close for about two quarters, but I think the Falcons pull away in the end. Bowling Green 29-17
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Brian Sakowski is a college football nut. He is a Penn State fan, but loves to talk about college football with anyone and everyone! This blog is the home of the longest running general college football podcast on the internet.
