You know you go B1G on Saturday. There isn’t any denying that when it comes to good football, you can go to the West Coast and down in the South Eastern part of our country.
But when it comes to competitive, back and forth football, I love me some B1G. This week pits rivals against each other, as Sparty look to chomp up some scUM. The Indiana Hoosiers are praying that they don’t get royally embarrassed in Madison as they get ready for the proverbial spanking at Camp Randall.
If the Hoosiers can pull out a miracle, I’m pretty sure at least two tBBC staff members will ride the Indiana bandwagon until the wheels fall off. Heck, Eric might even travel down to the cheese state from hell frozen over just to rip anything that represents Badger nation. (Watch out Ladies!)
Hey, at least they have some chance of upsetting Wisconsin on the hardwood.
Okay, enough about those fun lovin’ Hoosiers — Let’s get to the games at noon and 7 tomorrow night.
Michigan State vs. Michigan 12 PM ESPN —
It’s time to settle this little brother/big brother bull crap. Michigan State is coming off that Ohio State win, and with a bye has a very tough schedule in front of them with Wisconsin and Nebraska in the upcoming weeks. Like it always does in this rivalry, Saturday’s game will come down to who can run the football more. Michigan is ranked 7th in the nation in rushing yards, but in the last three games against each other, the Spartans have out-gained the Wolverines by nearly 400 yards.
The thing that seperates these two teams heading into play though is defense. Despite the improvements on the defensive side of the football, Michigan doesn’t compare to this D. The Spartans have only allowed four drives all season to get in the red zone. They have given up only 9 plays from scrimmage bigger than 20 yards. Most importantly, they haven’t allowed a rushing touchdown in 9 quarters. Any time you have a play-maker like Denard Robinson on the ground though, you have a chance to win.
I like the chances of the Spartans though, as Kirk Cousins looks to tie Jeff Smoker for the most wins for a QB in Spartan history (21). It should be a two score game when all said and done, and Michigan State should walk away with their fourth straight win over Michigan.
Joe D — MSU — Eric — MSU — Mali — UM
Purdue vs. Penn State 12 PM ET BTN —
After a big win over Iowa, the Nittany Lions are 2-0 in the Big Ten and something has to be said for their defensive effort against the Hawkeyes. Up 6-3 in the fourth, Penn State forced three turnovers to secure the ballgame. Silas Redd ran the clock down after a forced fumble on a sack on tens straight run plays and after Joe Paterno’s squad got the ten point lead, they intercepted two passes on the last two Iowa possessions.
Purdue is coming off a big win against Minnesota in their conference opener. We’ve seen how things have fallen apart for the Gophers, but the Boilermakers are looking to ride the momentum into Happy Valley. The name of the game for Purdue is rushing the football. So far on the year, if they rush for a total of 200 yards or more, they have won. The black and gold will throw the kitchen sink at you with Akeem Shavers, Ralph Bolden, Raheem Mostert, and Akeem Hunt all getting carries. Purdue doesn’t have enough firepower on offense though to stick with the Lions.
This could be a close game, but after a solid win last week, Penn State should come out with authority early in this one.
Joe — PSU — Eric — PSU — Mali — PSU
Indiana vs. Wisconsin 12 PM ET ESPN 2 —
Isn’t it crazy to think that Kevin Wilson’s only head coaching win at all levels of football is against South Carolina State? I’ll admit that I was a believer in the off-season, but maybe that’s because I reel for IU and their continuous struggle to field a competitive football team. You know it’s bad when your best returner, Shane Wynn, leads the team in all-purpose yards. Stephen Houston has added some big play ability out of the backfield in the passing game. He has given the Hoosiers someone with some consistency.
For the Badgers, the offensive domination continues. They are averaging 240 yards on the ground and in the air. They lead the conference in scoring offense and defense. They are the only team in the country to rank in the top 10 in total offense and total defense. The Tandem of Montee Ball and James White in the backfield is just unfair. Russell Wilson has become one of, if not the best quarterback in the nation.
Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that their defense has picked up right where it left off last year. In opening drives so far this year, Wisconsin has only allowed opponents to move the football a total of 22 yards. They’ve held opponents under 300 yards four times this season.
This one isn’t going to be close. But here’s to hoping the Hoosiers can knock the confidence right out of the Badgers.
Joe — UW — Eric — UW — Mali — UW
Northwestern vs. Iowa 7 PM ET BTN —
This game should be the most competitive game in the conference, as both teams are coming off of nail-biting losses in Big Ten play. For Northwestern, they were in control of the game early against Michigan, but things started to fall apart. For the Hawkeyes, their offense will look to respond after an embarrassment last week against Iowa. Kirk Ferentz has struggled against this squad the last ten years, going 4-6 in his span as head coach of Iowa. In the last five wins against the Hawkeyes, Northwestern has had a +6 turnover margin.
The Wildcats have Dan Persa back healthy, and despite the loss have some steam rolling into this ballgame. Persa broke his all time career mark for yards in a game last week, after breaking his touchdown record with four tosses for scores against Illinois. He has a 72% completion percentage so far in 2011 and his arm could be the difference.
Meanwhile, James Vandenberg has made the transition out of the Ricky Stanzi era rather easy for Hawkeye fans. Iowa has thrown the football a ton this season. Though the Wildcats will key in on the zone running attack, it wouldn’t be surprising if Iowa comes out throwing the football.
This could be a second straight week filled with defensive efforts for both teams. This game is just too close to call, but it could easily come down to turnovers and field position late in the ballgame.
Joe — Iowa — Eric — NW — Mali — Iowa
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