1. Draper (18-7, 1-5 upset)
2. Schweinfurth (17-8, 0-6 upset)
3. Hoying (16-9, 0-6 upset)
4. Seeberg (15-10, 2-4 upset)
Temperatures in the 80s, thunderstorms, and a crappy, crappy slate of games? Is it early September or mid-October? There are zero, count 'em, ZERO ranked matchups this week. As such, we're going to keep it close to home and take a tour around the Big Ten while we wait for the rest of college football to get its act together.
Michigan Wolverines @ Indiana Hoosiers
Draper: Indiana was the nice upstart with a half long challenge vs. OSU but they've waned as of late. Don't let the score fool you, they slowed Saquon Barkley waaay down. Now, the Wolverines enter full-time John "Freak on a Leash" O'Korn time...not good for the sun and blue. After a horrendous game last week, I still think the Wolverines have enough to keep their long streak vs. the Hoosiers intact, but it will be close. Close enough that people may actually start questioning Harbaugh. Would I be shocked with an upset? No. Do I see it happening? Sadly no. UM: 20 -- IU: 13
Hoying: It appears that the enthusiasm that was building over the young Wolverines' early season may have been a bit overblown. Yes, last weekend was kind of a fluke loss in fluke conditions, but Michigan has found itself trailing or struggling in every game this season, whether the opponent is Michigan State or Air Force. The defense still seems to be working but the running game is nonexistent, and the situation at quarterback isn't exactly O'K either. The margin for error will be razor thin from now on, but even though the Hoosiers are much improved and looking somewhat competent, it may be overstating the situation a bit much to predict an Indiana win. Probably. UM: 17--IU: 13
Schweinfurth: We finally got to see what a full game of John O'Korn looked like and it was bad. That freak rain storm didn't help the Harboogers out either...but still, bad. Indiana has a legit defense this year and has given some good teams headaches (see Ohio State and Penn State). If you listen to Kirk Herbstreit, he will tell you that Lagow is one of the best QBs in the nation. Not sure I believe that. The Harboogers still have a very good defense and should be able to stop a very one dimensional Indiana team. The Harbooger D scores or sets up the game winner in this one. UM: 21--IU: 17
Seeberg: Unbelievably lousy slate of games this week. Bleh. In any event, how good/okay/medicore/awful is the 2017 TTUN? We still don't really know. Losing a rivalry game in a deluge by only 4 points with FIVE freakin' turnovers is less indicative of something greater and more a blip on the radar. Offensively, however, there are issues, and Indiana can score it...and likely should've won this matchup two years ago. I honestly would not be all that shocked to see them win it this year, but I have to think that the Khaki Eclipse can rally the troops enough to get back on track. UM: 23--IU: 16
Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ Illinois Fighting Illini
Draper: Rutgers vs. Illinois or carving your eyes out with a spoon? Tough call. This is just a game of fail. Buttgers has lived up to their name since 2006 (stupid Judge Ito) and the Illini have tried very hard to join them in the basement. I honestly have no idea how someone can watch this entire game. I definitely expect this to be shown to prisoners in Gitmo. That being said, slight lean towards the team with the Super Bowl coach (yeah, that's actually true...). RU: 17--Ill: 27
Hoying: Noon on BTN. Now that I've answered the burning question on everyone's mind, on to the preview of this must-see matchup. I could just say "you've seen Rutgers already (RIP)", but, quite frankly, the Buckeyes have been giving everyone the Rutgers treatment lately. More to the point, even though Rutgers played Washington and Nebraska kind of tough, they lost to a MAC team, and Illinois didn't. Illinois has looked...really bad lately, but you weren't expecting me to actually pick Rutgers, were you? RU: 17--Ill: 20
Schweinfurth: As I like to say, this game is a derp fest. I'm not even going to break this down. Rutgers is Butt and Illinois is barely better. Welcome to the "Wind Tunnel" Buttgers. RU: 10--Ill: 20
Seeberg: Woof. Easily the worst game we've ever picked here at Let's Go Bucks. Rutgers has oddly looked as though they're regressing after putting up a darn good fight against Washington and nearly beating Nebraska earlier this year. Illinois is, well, the new Indiana, B1G doormat extraordinaire (excluding the newcomers Rutgers and Maryland, of course). Tickets for this clash of the titans are less than a ticket to your local medicore high school game (seriously, $5 on Stub Hub). I really am tempted to pick Rutgers, but I assume their first B1G win won't come on the road. Please watch anything else at noon this Saturday, even me teaching tennis to kids early in the afternoon in Clintonville will be more entertaining. RU: 16--Ill: 23
Purdue Boilermakers @ Wisconsin Badgers
Draper: While Purdue isn't a darkhorse B1G contender as they used to be, they are the most fun team in the conference. You never know what is going to happen. The Badgers, on the other hand, constitute the most predictable team in the Midwest. I want the Boilermakers to win so bad in this matchup, but they just don't have the horses yet. I think they make this one surprisingly close as Northwestern almost stole one in Camp Randall two weeks back, but the Badgers keep bludgeoning teams to death. PU: 28 -- UW: 34
Hoying: The Boilermakers haven't won more than 3 games in a season since they got pasted by Oklahoma State in the Heart of Dallas Bowl back in 2012. 5 games into the Jeff Brohm era, and they're up to 3 wins already. The offense has been OK, but the real story is that there's an actual working defense operating in West Lafayette. The jury's out on whether it operates in Madison. RB Jonathan Taylor is chugging along nicely and he isn't about to be derailed by the likes of the Purdue defense. Illinois and Rutgers are still up ahead for the Boilers, meaning a bowl game may be within reach, but giant upsets aren't quite on the table yet. PU: 16--UW: 31
Schweinfurth: This game is actually a little intriguing to me. Purdue has looked better under Jeff Brohm. Unfortunately, the Badgers are just grinding teams to death with Jonathan Taylor. I see no reason why this doesn't continue. The Badgers could seriously be undefeated heading to Indy in December...I want to puke now. PU: 17--UW: 31
Seeberg: Well, Purdue looked...competent? against Louisville and UM, but competence doesn't necessarily translate to wins (but with Rutgers AND Illinois on the schedule, the Boilers are one win away from bowl eligibility almost by default now). Wisconsin, meanwhile, just keeps doing Wisconsin things, grinding out 10-20 point wins in spectacularly unspectacular fashion. Hard to expect much else than that here. PU: 13--UW: 35
Northwestern Wildcats @ Maryland Terrapins
Draper: I inadvertently skipped this game the first time through, posted and it didn't save the next time, so 3rd times a charm. Accidentally forgetting this game pretty much hits the nail on the head for this "middle child" game. All other games have an identity of potential upset or circle of suck (RU/Ill) but this game is the "oh yeah, these schools still have teams don't they" type game. Maryland has Bobby Boucher suiting up at QB and we are officially in the 2nd half of the season which is when Maryland hits that wall and crashes. Cats take a decent road win against the ICU to get Pat Fitzgerald nearer to that benchmark 6-7 win season. Yawn...NW: 27 -- MD: 17
Hoying: How bad is Northwestern, really? Getting pasted by Penn State is forgivable, and flagging late against Wisconsin is no problem, but getting blown out by Duke? Struggling against Nevada? The Wildcats are moving the ball behind the arm of Clayton Thorson, but they aren't finishing drives, and they aren't stopping anybody either. Maryland, on the other hand, is a total wild card. Bortenschale is questionable to start on Saturday, which means the Terps may have to pin their hopes on 4th-string QB Caleb Henderson in his first start. Can he play poorly enough to actually give the edge to the 'Cats on the road? Well, we aren't exactly talking about Alabama here. At some point, injuries have to have an impact on a middle-tier program. NW: 23--Mary: 17
Schweinfurth: Northwestern's defense actually looked very good against Penn St. last week. Saquan Barkley was held to negative yards into the third quarter last week. Maryland is now on QB number 4?!? Ouch. I know teams can win with a 3rd stringer, but #4? Good night sweet prince. NW: 20--Mary: 6
Seeberg: Maryland this season is a fantastic case study of what happens to typical college football programs when QB #1 and QB #2 go down (2014 Ohio State? NOT typical). The Terrapins dropped 51 at Texas week one, and only 55 points in their other 3 games combined versus D I-A competition. Until their TD drive late in the 4th quarter at the 'Shoe, Maryland had roughly 35 yards of offense for the entire game. Obviously the Wildcat D is not nearly as formidable, but they should be able to score enough to outlast the Terrapins at home. NW: 31--Mary: 20
Michigan State Spartans @ Minnesota Golden Gophers
Draper: Sparty, N..YES! The Spartans finally broke through to expose a horribly overrated Michigan (offense) and did just enough in the monsoon to keep little brother down. This week presents a return to normalcy....bad news for the Spartans. Dantonio gets his squad up for those big matchups, but tends to fall flat in a dumb game or two during the year. Honestly, I don't think MSU is very good, but we've seen those rowing the boat in Minneapolis need some more work. Minnesota jumps out to an early lead but the Spartans just keep chipping away until they sneak away with another win keeping PJ Fleck's inaugural season on the disappointing side. MSU: 27--Minn: 24
Hoying: Lost in the shuffle of last week's big win over big brother was MSU's complete inability to move the ball in the second half. The Spartans didn't so much as pick up a first down until their final drive. Sure, the defense looked great, but a good deal of that can be attributed to the Wolverines' ineptitude (see above), and the rain. Now, I checked the weather report, and it is supposed to rain on Saturday in Minneapolis. But the Gophers' new
Schweinfurth: I loved every minute of the MSU game last week (you can never get enough Harbooger tears)...and it came down to a very close spot on a 4th down (let's pause so I can stop laughing maniacally). That being said, MSU's offense was very, very bad in the second half last week with their first second half first down comming on the game clinching drive. However, a win like that can springboard a team to bigger things. This game should be close as I think both teams are rebuilding. That Sparty momentum from last week brings home the W. MSU: 21--Minn: 17
Seeberg: Interesting how we've heard markedly less from hyperactive toddler/head football coach P.J. Fleck after his 0-2 conference start. Unfortunately, an actually respected program is now coming to town. Quite honestly, this has the feel of a trap game, with Sparty feeling good after swimming their way to a win over "big brother" last week, but I don't think Dantonio will let that happen. Gophers hang close, but Sparty closes the door late. MSU: 27--Minn: 17
THE Ohio State Buckeyes @ Nebraska Cornhuskers
Draper: After the debacle vs. the Sooners, Buckeye Nation knew that they had 3 weeks of crap to get things right followed by a step up in Maryland and Nebraska. So far, so good, but progress is always needed. Taking your game on the road to Lincoln is always interesting, but the Bucks have had extreme success vs. the Huskers. I think the Bucks keep in the upswing with JT and co. and the defense harasses Tanner "Pick 6" Lee all day. 2 turnovers forced with 4 sacks pair nicely with 250+ passing and rushing. The balanced attack sends the Bucks to the bye week on another uptick. In a surprise twist, the Buckeye special teams will also not look like hot garbage this week (maybe just garbage...but baby steps). OSU: 51--Neb: 17
Hoying: Everyone complaining about JT Barrett (who has been fantastic for the last month) might remember a young man named Joe Bauserman. After getting chased out of the starting QB spot by a hotshot freshman named Braxton Miller, Bauserman found himself back in the game to protect a 21 point lead in Lincoln. Yes, Braxton went down with an injury and the Buckeyes went down with him, suffering their only loss to the Huskers in 5 tries. Since then, the once vaunted Blackshirt defense hasn't been able to put a dent in the Buckeye attack, giving up 63 points in 2012 and another 62 last year. Any reason to believe this year will be different? Well, the Huskers are at home this time, and...well, they suck more than usual. The front seven will feast, the offense will move the ball at will, Tanner Lee might show a flash of brilliance or two, and the Urban death machine will crank right on toward Penn State. OSU: 45--Neb: 24
Schweinfurth: Good lord special teams. Are we just looking to have one unit totally suck every week? This is the last chance to get it together before the blue and white kitties come to town. I still don't know what to think of the secondary and this game will finally shed a bit more light on them. I have really liked the game plan the last few weeks. You can finally see Wilson and Day's fingerprints on the passing game. I just have one request this week...pull the starters if you get up by 35 this week. No need to risk injury in a game that shouldn't really be close. I do like a little more ground and pound this week. I think the best news for this game is that Joe "Bauserbomb" Bauserman isn't available and that the Walrus isn't calling the plays. This shouldn't be much of a game after the 1st quarter. OSU: 56--Neb: 10
Seeberg: Nebraska is a 24-point home 'dog this week, the worst it's been in over half a century. This number might have something to do with the 62-3 beatdown suffered at the hands of the Bucks last season. Nebraska looked decent for a half against Wiscy before being ground down into submission. This pundit hopes a similar tactic is employed in Lincoln this Saturday evening. A healthy dose of J.K. and Mike should open up some intermediate passing routes and wear down the Husker D. A 59-point margin of victory might be asking for a bit too much, but anything over that 24-point spread still looks darn good to me. Oh, AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY CAN WE NOT LOOK LIKE CONFUSED 6TH GRADERS ON SPECIAL TEAMS THIS WEEK??? Thanks. OSU: 41--Neb: 13
Upset Special
Draper: Texas over Oklahoma
Hoying: Georgia Tech over Miami
Schweinfurth: K-State over TCU
Seeberg: Cal over Washington State
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