Pickin’ On the Big Ten
My sincere apologies for being a day late (again) and also if this whole thing seems a bit dashed-off. I spent most of this week being sicker than I’ve been since I was in grade school. To make it up I promise greatness next week; you old-school POtBT fans will in particular be delighted.
Anyway, the games.
IOWA @ INDIANA
Normally you’d expect an ailing Hawkeye team fresh off yet another bedcrapping against Northwestern to turn around and uncork on a typically hapless Indiana squad. This Hawkeye team doesn’t have that in them, and this Indiana team is at least marginally less hapless than usual. IU is favored against a Big Ten opponent for the first time since the days we thought Lee Corso was merely mildly eccentric; there’s a reason for that. Indiana 31, Iowa 17.
NEBRASKA @ MICHIGAN STATE
You can get in to this game for $6, which means even Nebraska fans aren’t going. Always, always trust Sparty fans to know when the wheels are about to come off. They have experience with these things. Nebraska 24, Michigan State 13.
MICHIGAN @ MINNESOTA
Ha ha ha, hee hee hee, little brown jug, how nobody in Minnesota has ever seen thee. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Michigan will actually score a touchdown this week. But where did that offense go? The Gophers are just a little too banged-up to pull the upset here, but I think they can keep it close. If that proves wrong, remember, I spent a lot of this week trying not to puke up Gatorade and popsicles. Michigan 28, Minnesota 23.
ILLINOIS @ OHIO STATE
Ohio State 54, Illinois 3.
PENN STATE @ PURDUE
You can tell Bill O’Brien is starting to feel more comfortable in the Big Ten. He’s complaining about the officiating and dreaming of games in warm climates. You haven’t gone full B1G until you beat Purdue, though. So … welcome to the Big Ten, Bill. Penn State 38, Purdue 10.
Next week’s games:
- Minnesota @ Illinois: You just know Becks had this one labeled ‘likely win’
- Wisconsin @ Indiana: Crucial to my dreams of 5-7 IU in the title game
- Purdue @ Iowa: One coach expendable, one not
- Northwestern @ Michigan: Winner probably goes to Indy, I think
- Penn State @ Nebraska: Sadly, it’s not 1983
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