I never thought I would say this, but I love Wannie!! He is 2-0 for Durty Butter, it's about time that he payed off for us. The Illini looked really good in demolishing Indiana, however it was Indiana. Michigan State looked awful, and Wisconsin looked even worse. After watching LSU beat South Carolina, I bet a lot of Michigan fans wish that Les Miles had taken the open coaching job instead of Dick Rod. On a happy note for everyone that hates Michigan, recruits are bailing from the wolverines like investors are bailing from the stock market. So we finished last weekend at 3-2 which puts us at 13-12 for the season. Here are this weeks picks:
Friday Game:
Boise State (-7) @ San Jose State - Boise State is sitting pretty for another BCS game, and they are playing a 5-2 San Jose State. That record seems good except they lost to Nebraska by 23, and Stanford by 13. Boise State's only real good win so far is beating Oregon, but that happened @ Oregon which is a tough place to play. I don't see this as a hiccup for BSU since they have been here before. Going Undefeated means a probable BCS game, losing one game means the Humanitarian Bowl, which is coincidentally played in Boise. Do we want to go to the Orange or Sugar bowl, or do we wanna party at home in Boise? I used to live by Boise, trust me, they would take the Motor City Bowl over the Humanitarian Bowl. Also the payout for a BCS game is 17 million per school, the Blue Turf Bowl pays 750,000.
Illinois (-2.5) @ Wisconsin - There are a number of reasons not to pick this game for Illinois. They haven't stopped anyone rushing this year, and that used to be what Wisconsin did good. Illinois is such a streaky team, that you have no idea what you are gonna get from game to game. Can Wisconsin really go 0-5 in the Big Ten and lose 5 games in a row? Camp Randall is still one of the top 3 hardest places to play at in the Big Ten. A lose will pretty much break Wisconsin's back, but a win could propel them to an 8-4 record and actually a decent Bowl game, since they have a much easier end to the season than beginning. That being said, screw Wisconsin, Illinios will win and cover. Wisconsin has been outrushed in 3 of its 4 loses, shockingly Penn State only rushed for 106 yards. That is probably because they were too busy throwing deep and scoring.
Moving the ball hasn't been the problem for Illinois, it has been turnovers and penalties. Wisconsin still doesn't have a QB, and PJ Hill is not 100%, if Michigan can hold them to 4 FG's i'm not too worried about the Illini. Our D-Line is playing really well, and the safties are getting by. This would be a nice game to get a couple picks for Vontae and Donsay. Wisconsin wants to line up and smash the ball down your throat, Illinois' defensive problems have come from playing spread offenses, and not doing their assignments and missing one on one tackles. That doesn't happen against teams that use 2 reciever sets. Look for the Illini to play more man coverage in the secondary, allowing the linebackers to focus on the run game. Also Josh Brent and Corey Luiget are beasts inside at DT, this is a offense that plays to their strenghts.
Penn State (-2.5) @ OSU - I'm still not impressed by Ohio State's offense, everyone seems ready to annoint Terrell Pryor as the next great QB, but the best game he had was against Wisconsin when he was 13-19 for 144 yards. He has only thrown for over 100 yards 3 times and never over 150. He is also only averaging 50 yards a game rushing. THIS TEAM BROUGHT BACK 19 STARTERS FROM A TEAM THAT WENT TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!! They have looked average in 7 of their 8 games, while Penn State has looked great for all but a half of football. The defense shut down Javon Ringer last week, but everyone does that until he wears you down and breaks a couple of runs. Mighigan State couldn't pass so they stacked the box and actually played solid defense. The last time they played an offense that actually had weapons all over the field, USC handed them their ass. Penn State has only put up less than 45 points twice! That includes Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and Oregon State. Penn State's defense has more than enough to handle Terrell Pryor and Beanie Wells, and their offense is amazing.
Texas Tech (+1.5) @ Kansas - Kansas plays much better at home than they do on the road, but Texas Tech plays good everywhere. They had scare 2 weeks ago against Nebraska, but other than that, they have played great. When your QB has 2750 yards through 7 games you know you have a pretty good offense. Plus they have to go through the hell that is the top of the Big 12 in the next 3 weeks. Texas and Oklahoma State at home and then @ Oklahoma, I think that they have prepared all season long for this stretch and know they can't afford a let down against Kansas. So they are actually trying out a kicker who won a contest at halftime, who cares, be worried when they stop kicking all together and start going for it on 4th and going for 2. Kansas is putting up good numbers, but I don't think they have the talent to keep up with Pat Knight U.
Minnesota (+1) @ Purdue - Purdue used to have a good offense, but that has gone to crap, Minnesota had a huge win at Illinois and then a week off. I was impressed by how Minnesota made plays on defense when they had to, and Purdue is stopping Eric Decker and Adam Weber. Purdue made Jimmy Clausen look like (insert good white Notre Dame ex-QB Here). The wheels have fallen off the Purdue bus and they are all patiently waiting for the Joe Tiller era to be over. I also think that Minnesota is basically doing what Illinois did last year and that is fighting for respect. Being the talented Underdog that nobody knows about is the story of college football every year. Maybe it actually is Minnesota's year.
Real funny clip to pass along with Chase Daniels, this is why he loves Colt McCoy so much. This instantly put a smile on my face!!
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