The Big Ten went a perfect 11-0 last week, the first time that has happened in….well, it was the first time ever. The Big Ten is actually 18-3 right now, but don’t get too excited…we were 18-4 last year, and they didn’t give us any credit for it. I’m not sure why, it’s not like any of us lost to a Div. 1-AA school….ummm, never mind.
However, the 11-0 record for week 2 was not entirely unexpected. We were favored to win in 10 of those games, so we must all pay tribute to Minnesota for pulling off a HUGE upset on the road. Congrats, Gophers!
This week’s games….not so easy. It’ll be tough for us to go 11-0, but we’ll give it a crack. Here is what The BBC is hoping to see in each Big Ten game this week.
Michigan State vs. Florida Atlantic – The Spartans should have little difficulty winning on Saturday, but if their secondary is going to have to work hard all day long. FAU’s lone strength is their passing game (over 300 yards per game). If the Sparty D holds up, it’ll be a blowout by halftime. FAU also allows 43 points per game, so Hoyer and Ringer should see that end zone plenty.
The BBC Pick – Michigan State
Northwestern vs. Southern Illinois – S. Illinois is coming off a 12-2 season and was flying high all season long. Then the nasty little bug called “graduating seniors” hit them. They’ve lost their top two QBs, two of their top three RBs, and nearly all of their top WRs. All signs point to this being a down season. Northwestern hasn’t looked pretty at all in either of their furst two games, but they managed to win both and have confidence. This is a game Northwestern should win, especially at home. I’m taking the Wildcats, but I’m squeamish about it.
The BBC Pick – Northwestern.
Minnesota vs. Montana State – Last year, this game might have been a close one. However, Minnesota shocked a lot of people by pummeling BGSU, and they appear to have a resurgence in pride. As a result, they will win a few games in 2008. This will be one of them. Montana State allowed 62 consecutive points last week. While Minnesota will not put 62 in a row up, expect them to start strong and win this game.
The BBC Pick – Minnesota
Illinois vs. Louisiana-Lafayette – Illinois does one thing extremely well….put points on the board. They’ll have lots of opportunities to do that on Saturday. The one thing they do poorly is defend, and ULL will run the ball often. It’s not going to be a close game at all, but both teams will get a fair amount of points (I’d say something like 51-21).
The BBC Pick – Illinois
Iowa vs. Iowa State – Both the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones have shown the ability to score a lot of points this year. But the 4 wins between them have been against four pretty awful teams. I’m waiting to see what they’ll do against equal competition. This week, they’ll both have that chance. I think they both are on even footing (translation – neither one will do much damage in their conferences). Every other year, these teams trade who gets to win. Last year it was Iowa State, so I’m playing the percentages here.
The BBC Pick – Iowa
Michigan at Notre Dame – Turn the TV sound off and put on the theme from the Benny Hill Show. College football’s two most overrated coaches take to the field to give us all something extra to snicker about when we see a Michigan or Notre Dame shirt on a guy at Cedar Point.
Of course, if the monster from Cloverfield needs a place to begin his assault, South Bend is the place to be this Saturday!
The BBC Pick – Notre Dame
Penn State at Syracuse – Are you kidding me? Akron beat Syracuse. Shut up.
The BBC Pick – Penn State
Purdue vs. Oregon – Wasn’t it just last year that we all watched Oregon flail around when Dennis Dixon got hurt? Weren’t the words “a Dennis-Dixon-less Oregon team” the equivalent to saying “an easy win for the opponent”? Apparantly not. Oregon has the nation’s top offense so far, but Purdue’s got themselves a Heisman candidate in Curtis Painter. Should be quite a shootout. On paper, you can’t call this game so easily. I’m going with my conference pride.
The BBC Pick – Purdue
Wisconsin at Fresno State – Wisconsin is facing a tough west-coast team on the road in a night game on Saturday. And nobody is noticing, because of some other Big Ten team doing the same thing. But Wisky’s got a battle on their hands. Fresno State, ranked #21, has a balanced offensive attack, but will go to the running game of sophomore Ryan Mathews when they need it. Wisconsin will counter with their own hard-nosed running attack. Expect about 500 yards on the ground combined in this game, and if it’s a ground war, Wisky will pull it out.
The BBC Pick – Wisconsin
Ohio State at USC – And now for the big game. Is tehre really anythin I can write here that you haven’t seen everywhere else?
Beanie Wells is back and told his coaches he’s ready to take the handoff “45 times”. He’ll participate in full practice today and Tressel will see just how many of those 45 he’s actually ready to take. The Buckeyes are not going to play harder because most people doubt them after the Ohio U game….they’re hungrier because everybody doubts them after Florida and LSU. This game has been circled since January 7th, and the Buckeyes have MUCH more to prove than anybody else in college football.
Is it the Game Of The Century? No, but it’s still a big game. And if Ohio State wins, they’ll be able to silence a LOT of critics. beating USC on the road will be a big feather in the proverbial cap. And anybody left who will doubt the Bucks after that were never willing to give them a kind word to begin with.
The BBC Pick – The Ohio State University
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