Standings:
1.) Schweinfurth 20-10 (0-7 upset)
2.) Draper 19-11 (2-5 upset)
3.) Seeberg 18-12 (2-5 upset)
4.) Hoying 16-14 (1-6 upset)
It's never fun to go a football weekend without seeing the Buckeyes take the field, but Buckeye Nation can and should heave a sigh of relief that the season second half gauntlet gives one last chance to rest up, kick the tires, and put in the plan for the stretch run.
Indiana Hoosiers @ Michigan Wolverines
Draper: The Wolverine faithful finally have a changing of the guard as their $12 million dollar man has been shown the door. Is Carr the savior they are hoping for? I lean....no...but it might be better than
Underwood. Regardless, IU may be beat up after last week's loss, but they are far better than the Maize and Blue.; Hoover was atrocious vs. OSU but a lot of this can be attributed to Matt Patricia and Co. scUM has a very
good defense, but I don't think they're going to be able to move the ball against the grown men on the Hoosier defense. Expect a low scoring affair, but there is no reason for IU to slip up. IU: 20--UM: 10
Hoying: How sure are we that (i) Indiana is good, and (ii) Michigan is bad? I feel more confident about (ii) than (i). Racking up all of 21 points at home against Penn State isn't really moving the needle. Yeah, the offense looked better after the QB switch, but this is the same Lion defense that got absolutely run over by Northwestern. I don't expect the Wolverines to find much room on the ground against the Hoosier front. So, much like last week, the outcome hinges on whether Indiana can move the ball. Josh Hoover missed a good amount of throws last week even when not being pressured, and he seemed to be racking up damage as the game progressed, even though the Indiana injury report for this week is magically completely blank. We've seen that late game end zone magic favors Michigan and not Indiana this season, but I'm thinking the Hoosiers can put the game out of reach before that becomes an issue. Late score keeps it close. IU: 24--Mich: 20
Schweinfurth: Indiana is like a cockroach. You seriously can’t kill them if there is time on the clock. Every game seems close and somehow the Hoosiers come out with a win (except last week. Ball don’t lie). The Bucks did a good job keeping the IU running backs in check. Hoover won’t have another game like last week. The UM defense is good, but I don’t know if they are as good as Ohio States. UM will have to move the ball and that could be a problem. IU wins late, again. IU: 21—Mich: 17
Seeberg: If you are unfortunate enough to have a Twitter feed replete with college football talk this time of year you will see a lot of false hope from fan bases, often bordering on the delusional. Such is the case with our neighbors to the north, new hope injected in the form of benching their $12 million quarterback. However, an angry IU team is rolling in and that team made Sayin look pedestrian. Good luck in your first start against that front Tommy. Hoosiers roll. IU: 24—UM: 13
Iowa Hawkeyes @ Minnesota Golden Gophers
Draper: Iowa
was the flavor of the month before they returned to Earth after OSU took care of business. Regardless, you might need to have a talk with your children about 'playoff Iowa' given their schedule. This is a tricky game for the
Hawkeyes to navigate under the blood god, PJ Fleck. I still lean to the Hawkeye defense and tight ends..but don't be surprised if the Gophers make this interesting. Iowa: 20--Minn: 17
Hoying: UCLA continues to occupy the top spot in the Big Ten standings, but Iowa is hanging around, ready to snap up a Big Ten championship berth and even a potential Playoff spot if they can navigate the rest of their schedule. You might think that the days of Iowa going to Indianapolis died with the Big Ten West. I would respond with the Hawkeyes' remaining schedule: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Purdue, Illinois, and Nebraska. Look familiar? Iowa already navigated Ohio State and Michigan and trip to the west coast with only one blemish; now they're right back where they belong. Minnesota, like Iowa, showed some flashes of brilliance against Michigan and Iowa, but getting blasted by Purdue last week didn't really inspire confidence. Keep an eye on this year's bizarre Big Ten race; the unbalanced schedules are really making their presence known this year. Iowa: 31--Minn: 20
Schweinfurth: Iowa looks like a legit playoff contender this year. That defense is good. Minnesota has had some nice moments, but PJ Fleck has a ceiling. In typical Iowa fashion, low scoring and a rock fight, the Hawks win. Iowa: 21—Minn: 10
Seeberg: Is Minnesota good? Sometimes. Is Iowa good? Nearly always. The Hawkeyes consistency over four quarters is the difference here. A few too many gopher mistakes are all the black and yellow will need. Iowa: 27—Minn: 13
Mississippi Rebels @ Texas Longhorns
Draper: Sneaky game in Austin as the Rebels invade with Chambliss looking like he might will his team to the playoff. While Ole Miss is on the upswing, Texas is down BAD. Losses to OU in the Red River Shootout and blowing a lead vs. the Jekyll and Hyde Gators have placed the Horns on the brink of....dare I say it...playoff elimination? While Texas MAY be able to navigate a 3rd loss, it would be extremely precarious. The rest of the SEC has shown that a 2nd loss 'ain't no thang' so long as you're in the right conference. I think I'm going to regret this, but Texas has plenty of talent on both sides of the ball. I can't see them dropping another with their backs against the wall. Arch plays average, but the Longhorn defense makes Trinidad turn the ball over.Hook them.Miss: 20--UT: 27
Hoying: I've almost given up trying to figure out the SEC. Texas has gone from a strong #1 ranking with two ranked wins that only keep getting better, to back-to-back faceplants against middling competition. Arch appears to have crested, to the point that Sark was discussing splitting reps with backup KJ Lacey this week. Meanwhile Ole Miss slammed the door on the Missouri running game on their way to a total rout. I don't know if I can trust the Texas passing game to outscore Ole Miss in this one. I would say Texas is a tough place to play but apparently that's only true if it's 150 degrees on the field. The long Longhorn skid continues, with no end in sight. Miss: 27--UT: 20
Schweinfurth: Look, all the noise around Arch Manning is a nothing burger. However, there are a lot of Longhorns out of this game. That could be rough for the Longhorns here. A loss here and Sark’s seat turns into an inferno. Regardless, Texas is desperate and should play that way. Texas should win, unless their Longhorn AI gets involved (so dumb). Miss: 24—UT: 31
Seeberg: This one has all the feel of a Longhorn bounce back game, save for the laundry list of injuries they are dealing with, Colin Simmons chief among them. Sark can’t fix the offense, and the defensive injuries mean they won’t get enough stops. Run Rebs run. Miss: 31—UT: 20
Houston Cougars @ Utah Utes
Draper:The Utes are the undefeated team no one knows or cares..but one look at their schedule would make Notre Dame blush.The sheer number of cupcakes thus far are astounding. Dampier is a very good QB, but I don't have a lot of faith that they can keep this streak going all year. The Cougs only loss is a close one vs the Big12 preseason top dog Texas Tech. Rice Eccles is a tough place to play, but I feel like the Cougars are battle tested. Houston pulls the upset and clears the path for the other Cougars and Red Raiders. UH: 27--Utah: 20
Hoying: For the second week in a row, the college football world revolves around the state of Utah. And just like BYU last week, Utah has played a half-dozen wet sacks of garbage coming into this one. Of course, that didn't stop the Cougars last week and it doesn't have to stop the Utes here. The Houston defense has been suspect all season, which is a real problem when you're playing a Ute team that can hurt you through the air or on the ground. I'm not going to pick against the home team with the home crowd having all day to get whipped into a frenzy. The gravy train continues for Utah. UH: 24--Utah: 31
Schweinfurth: Look, I don’t know if either team can really hang with the elites. But it doesn’t matter. Utah lost a lot when Whittingham retired. I do think he kept that train rolling. I just don’t see it with what’s left now. Houston wins. UH: 35—Utah: 21
Seeberg: This is an intriguing one. Feels like these teams are pretty evenly matched. I do think Houston has a decent shot to make Utah one-dimensional as their run game isn’t great. Utah is always good at home though. I’m torn. When torn, go with the home team. UH: 24—Utah: 27
Upset Special
Draper: UCF over BYU
Hoying: Rutgers over Northwestern
Schweinfurth: Wisconsin over USC
Seeberg: West Virginia over TCU
