Big Ten: Week Three Overview

This is the 3rd week of non conference games for the Big Ten, for most teams it is their last before conference play starts next week. Akron at Indiana - The Hoosiers can get half way to bowl eligibilty by beating the Zips this weekend at home. Their QB Kellen Lewis is leading the team in passing (500 yds 6 tds) and rushing (118 yds 1 td). On the flip side the Zips are struggling offensively as they are ranked 118th in total yards and 81st in points. Indiana will start the season 3-0 and soon the nation will start to see what a special athlete Lewis is. Indiana 33-10 Illinois at Syracuse - In the Orange's first two games they have been outscored 77-12 and this could be Greg Robinson's last stand if his team does not at least put out a respectable showing this week. I am not as optimist as Swaggs is with the Orange's chances. Ron Zook has recruited a lot of speed and athletes for the Illini and I expect them to roll the Cuse like Washington did in week one. Illinois 28-3 Pittsburgh at Michigan State - This will be the first real test for the both teams. The Panthers had an easy time with their first two opponents but they were both at home. Kevan Smith is entering his second game as Panthers' QB and hopes that his offensive line can hold the strong Michigan State front seven. Javon Ringer is the Spartans' leading rusher and I expect him to have a good day against the undersized Panther defensive line who lost their best player for the year. Like last year this game will be close in the first half with the Spartans pulling away in the second. Michigan State 29-12 Buffalo at Penn State - The Nittany Lions are fortunate to have the Bulls sandwiched between both Notre Dame and Michigan. Last week was another strong showing for Penn State's defense. In reality they have only given up 3 points. Offensively the coaches can use the Bulls as a confidence builder for Morelli to get him ready for the Big Ten opener at Ann Arbor next week. I expect them to open up the field and stretch it. This will not be much of a game. Penn State 41-0 Citadel at Wisconsin - Like the game before this, I don't see this being much of a contest. The Badgers want to improve on last week's performace. They struggled against UNLV, but no amount of struggling will having them losing this game. Wisconsin 49-7 Minnesota at Florida Atlantic - Much like I predicted, the Gophers used a strong 4th quarter from their game against Bowling Green to build into their second game against Miami (OH). Amir Pinnix has regained his form and has almost 300 yards on the ground after two games. If I had one worry for the Gophers, it would be on the defensive side of the ball. They have given up over 30 points in each of their first two games against MAC opponents. The Gophers win this week on the legs of Pinnix. Minnesota 31-20 Central Michigan at Purdue - The Boilermakers have been impressive on the offensive side of the ball racking up 104 points in their first two games. QB Curtis Painter has thrown for 10 touchdowns already and almost 600 yards while Dorien Bryant and Greg Orton have 230 yards receiving combined. Central Michigan should give them a stiffer test but it still won't matter because the Chips will not be able to keep up with the fire power that Purdue has. Purdue 50-20 Iowa at Iowa State - I heard strange rumors that tickets for this game were going at around $95 a ticket. I have to say this is a little bit of a head scratcher. This is a big rivary game, but with the way the Cyclones are playing, they could be out of this game by the half. The Hawkeyes will use the one-two backfield punch of Sims and Young to control the clock and put away the Cyclones. Iowa 35-3 Duke at Northwestern - This is a 8pm kickoff at Ryan Field for this contest between two teams going in different directions. Pat Fitzgerald has the Wildcats playing good football, while Duke...well everyone knows Duke football and losses. Surprisingly to me at least, Tyrell Sutton does not lead the Wildcats in rushing, but in receiving. The Blue Devils are ranked no higher than 99th in any statistical category. What does that tell you, Wildcats win. Northwestern 39-13 Notre Dame at Michigan - I do not think anyone would have believe you if you told them at the beginning of the year that these two teams would have a combined zero victories when they met in week 3. This game matches up the the resistable force (ND Offense) vs the movable object (Michigan Defense). I'll make a bold prediction, the Irish will have positive yards running the ball this week and Clausen will continue to improve. But not enough for an Irish victory. Mike Hart will run wild and the Wolverines will pull out a close one in Ann Arbor behind their freshman QB Ryan Mallett. Michigan 17-9 Ohio State at Washington - Everyone believes that this game could be the upset special of the week. The Huskies have looked strong beating Boise State and Syracuse, but this is the first time that their young freshman QB Jake Locker will see a defense with this much talent and speed. On the flip side the Buckeyes have won both of their opening games, not impressively but with comfort. Todd Boeckman had a litte trouble last week with Akron and I think he will be the pivotal factor in this game. If he controls his mistakes the Buckeyes will win. I expect Tressel to use a steady diet of Chris Wells to control the clock, but they Huskies have a guy of their own in Rankin who can run the ball. This could be the best game of the week and I think it'll come down to the final gun. Ohio State 24-22 Last Week - (10-1) Overall - (19-3)