The Big Ten Conference's image is on the line this week as there are some quality OOC games. If the Big Ten loses those games, they will once again be the butt of jokes at the conference's lack of talent. A sweep, although unlikely, would rocket them up the ranks in the eyes of the media.
Southern Illinois at Northwestern -
Big Ten Network 12pm - The Wildcats went to 2-0 after last week's win in the Smart Bowl, 24-20 against Duke. Tyrell Sutton had two touchdown runs and CJ Bacher passed for over 225 yards in the victory. The only down fall is the fact that Northwestern gave up almost 300 yards through the air. The Salukis used a balanced attack to squeak by Hampton 37-31, to improve to 1-0. Larry Warner ran for over 150 yards, and 7.9 yards per carry in the win. Northwestern didn't go bowling last year, but after this week they will be half way to being eligible. They have good balance on offense, and an adequate defense which should carry them to an easy win this week.
Northwestern 35-10
Florida Atlantic at Michigan State -
Big Ten Network 12pm - The Spartans rebounded after the Cal loss to pound Eastern Michigan 42-10. Javon Ringer had a career day as he ran for 5 touchdowns and 135 yards in the win. Quarterback Brian Hoyer has not been spectacular this year as he has completed less than 50% of his passes and only has 1 touchdown in his first two games. After Florida Atlantic got trounced by Texas, they rebounded and won a 15 point game against UAB. Rusty Smith leads a pass happy offense who averages over 300 yards per game in the air. Their rushing attack isn't too shabby either as two RBs have combined for over 220 yards on the ground in 2 games. I think Florida Atlantic has the talent on offense to keep up, but the Spartans will be able to take advantage of a weak Owl defense. The score will be a bit higher, but the Spartans will get their second win in a row.
Michigan State 40-25
Montana State at Minnesota -
Big Ten Network 12pm - Minnesota impressed me last week as they beat Bowling Green 42-17 and they now have one more win than they did all of last year. Adam Weber has 5 touchdown passes and over 500 yards passing in two games, while Duane Bennett has amassed 140 yards on the ground. I would love to give you some great stats which would make you believe that the Bobcats have a chance in this game, but that would just waste yours and my time. Montana State lost to Kansas State last week 69-10, and Kansas State is not that good. Minnesota wins big.
Minnesota 55-7
Louisiana-Lafayette at Illinois -
Big Ten Network 12pm - Juice Williams did it all for the Illini last week as he threw for 124 yards with one touchdown and ran for 174 yards on 16 carries and had two touchdowns. The only area of concern is he has 4 interceptions in only 67 attempts. Their defense is also an area of concern as they gave up 216 yards on the ground to Eastern Illinois, a FCS team. Their rush defense will be given another test with the Rangin' Cajuns. Michael Desormeaux is a quarterback much like Juice Williams who can do it with his feet and arm, but in reality if the Illini stop him, there is no one behind him for support. Illinois has a chance to work out the kinks before they play Penn State in a few weeks.
Illinois 49-10
Iowa State at Iowa -
Big Ten Network 12pm - No matter what the teams' records, this game always finds a way to surprise people. The Hawkeyes have surprised me so far with their play, only giving up 3 points in two games this year. Head Coach Kirk Ferentz has been playing a little quarterback roulette, as Ricky Stanzi has taken the job from Jake Christensen and played well. Shonn Green and Jewel Hampton have combined to rush for over 350 yards on the ground. The Cyclones have two wins themselves and like their opponent this week, they were against much lesser opponents. Quarterback Austen Arnaud has had two solid games but what worries me about Iowa State is their defense. They have given up 45 points to two teams who had no business being on the field with them. That will be their downfall this week as Iowa wins a close one in this intrastate rivalry.
Iowa 30-24
Michigan at Notre Dame -
NBC 3:30pm - I heard a humor statement about this game that it will set back offenses 30 years. I don't think it is going to be that bad, but both teams are struggling on offense, and each team has a pretty strong defense. The Irish did not look impressive against a San Diego State team who lost to an FCS school the weak earlier. Michigan won their first game of the year against Miami (OH) after dropping one the first week against Utah. I still don't think the Irish have solved their offensive line problems which will spell trouble for their rushing game and Jimmy Clausen's time in the pocket. Likewise for the Michigan quarterback play as they will have a problem there until they get the right guy in there in 2009. In my opinion, the combined score will be under 35, and I give Michigan the edge only because they have played two quality opponents which have prepared them a bit better for this game.
Michigan 14-13
Penn State at Syracuse -
ABC 3:30pm - This game looked a whole lot better on paper years ago when this series was announced. Now Syracuse is clearly a team in a downward spiral, losing their first two games of the year to Northwestern and Akron. The Nittany Lions on the other hand made quick work of Coastal Carolina, and surprisingly the same with Oregon State. Penn State jumped on the Beavers early and put the game away. Daryll Clark is quieting the cries for Pat Devlin and Evan Royster has 6 touchdowns on only 25 carries so far this season. The unsung hero for the offense has to be Jordan Norwood who always seems to make a critical catch on a 3rd down and long. Again, I'd like to say Syracuse has a shot, but they down. The fairwell tour has begun for Greg Robinson as this game will be over by halftime.
Penn State 51-14
Oregon at Purdue -
ABC 3:30pm - Do you love offense? If yes, you'll love this game. The Ducks have averaged almost 600 yards per game in their first two games this year while Purdue is widely known as one of the best passing offenses in the country each year. Curtis Painter is once again back and leading the Boilermakers, but without a strong rushing attack it is hard for Purdue to be effective. Justin Roper takes over for Nate Costa who is out for the year, but the Ducks have not missed a beat. Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount are making Oregon fans quickly forget about Jonathan Stewart as they have over 320 yards combined in the first two games on the ground. What is going to hurt Purdue is no rushing game, and I don't think they have the talent defensively to stop Oregon a few times. As I said on the podcast, Purdue always beats the teams they should, but never pulls off that upset. If they beat Oregon it would definitely be an upset, but this Oregon team is one of the best in the Pac-10. I think that if they keep it up, they could really push USC for the Pac-10 title.
Oregon 42-28
Ohio State at Southern California -
ABC 8pm - You can't turn on ESPN without hearing "expert" analysis of this game, so I promise not to
bore you any further. Beanie Wells is doutful for the game, and I think he is injured a lot more than the Buckeyes are leading on. I think Tressel is smart holding him out, because if he plays and gets hurt worse, their chances of winning the Big Ten take a huge hit. Give him another week to rest because in all reality, Ohio State was not going to win this game anyway. USC is so strong on the defensive side of the ball, and the only way the Buckeyes could win is to run Beanie 40 times to control the clock. No Beanie, no Buckeye win.
USC 37-17
Wisconsin at Fresno State -
ESPN2 10:30pm - This is going to be an excellent game in my opinion. The Rutgers loss last night takes a bit of the luster out of Fresno State's victory over them, but I still think the Bulldogs are one of the top Non-BCS Schools. This week they will have to find a way to slow down PJ Hill and the massive offensive line that the Badgers have. If I were Fresno State, I would stack the box and make Allan Evridge beat me with his arm. He had a good game last week, but this will be his first road test of the season in the heat of California. The Bulldogs will use a steady balanced attack led on the ground by Ryan Matthews and in the air Tom Brandstater is the man behind the center. Travis Beckum is going to be the wildcard in this game. If Wisconsin can get him involved, unlike the first two weeks, he is a huge match up problem. I am going against the grain in this one. I think that the Badgers are going to have problems stopping the Bulldogs' balanced attack and the heat will get to them. Fresno State in a close one.
Fresno State 28-27
Last Week: 10-1 (.909)
Overall: 18-3 (.857)
