RE: Big Ten Pick Em' Week 4
1) Kansas @ Rutgers
Rutgers wins this one at home -- they needed this kinda 'break'.
2) BYU @ Michigan
Unless BYU got some new injuries I don't know about, BYU wins this one out. Ann Arbor won't phase them. They're used to playing a lot of big teams on the road. UM could win this of course -- a very close call. Could go either way. It depends on how much week-to-week improvement UM has on this one.
3) Central Michigan @ Michigan State
[i]Expect this to be closer than you think. Most rankings have CMU ranked in the 90s and 100s. They are NOT that bad, even though I thought (and wished) they'd be. They have a strong-enough D to make MSU have to earn their points on the board, and good enough O to challenge MSU. CMU Beats The 27pt odds on this one. I'd bet my virginity on this one.
4) Southern Mississippi @ Nebraska
Nebraska rolls. Southern Miss isn't as bad as their total toilet years, but they have a long way to go. Look for Nebraska to punch them in the face a lot to make up for their near-misses this year.
5) Bowling Green @ Purdue
Expect a close game -- a very HIGH SCORING GAME. If Purdue doesn't turn the ball over, they may win. BGSU will score a lot, but has a poor D + they play sloppy on penalties and such. That's what makes it a tough pick. But expect BGSU to win, when ya gotta choose one. Matt Johnson is that good.
6) Indiana @ Wake Forest
Tough call. Could go either way. I got Indiana on this. They beat WKY, and Wake is Wake. Boom.
7) Maryland @ West Virginia
Maryland will get spanked. Not in the erotic way, either. Well, unless you're into some really freaky sh!t.
8) North Texas @ Iowa
Iowa holds their own just fine. They don't quite beat the spread of 25.5, but they win comfortably.
9) (GOTW)Ohio @ Minnesota
TOUGH CALL, even though it's Minn -10. Ohio has a good D, but QB situation is iffy. Minnesota has a GREAT D, but their O hasn't gained any traction. Minnesota has more room for improvement, and a good coaching staff, and it's at home -- so I gotta go with them. Don't be shocked if Ohio pulls the upset.
10) Western Michigan @ Ohio State
Cardale Jones is starting! Yay! Unfortunately, Barrett will step in after he throws a pick, and OSU will be much more comfortable. Look for WMU to have a BETTER offensive game against OSU than NIU did. Partially because OSU will score a lot more against WMU's inferior running D, and get a little comfortable. OSU may not beat the spread of 31.5, but this is going to be a comfy win at least. Could be a total blow out. I hope I'm wrong.
11) San Diego State @ Penn State
PSU has this in the bag. San Diego's O isn't powerful. They lost to a so-so Sun Belt team. Look for PSU to keep a manageable lead throughout the game.
12) Mid Tennessee @ Illinois
I have to go with Illinois here, even though Mid-Tenn could win this. But Illinois is not as bad as the team that got crushed by UNC. And Mid-Tenn isn't as bad as you think. It's in Illinois, and Cubit the coach should have his team able to win this one. This is a true test for Cubit w/ Illinois.
13) Ball State @ Northwestern
NW will win this, but Ball State may be a little dangerous. As far as bettors go with spreads (~21pts). BSU may challenge them, but NW will pull it out for the money shot... and may be a nice one, too!
14) Hawaii @ Wisconsin
Look for Hawaii's D to keep Wisconsin from running away with it... but Hawaii's O to be anemic enough against Wisc's D to make it just delaying the inevitable.
Wild Card;
1) Utah @ Oregon
Tough one. Gotta go with Oregon since it's at home. Utah's D will hold them under 60 -- in fact, under 40. But Oregon's lack of D will keep Utah on the field. Oregon in a squeaker, but could go either way.
2) UCLA @ Arizona
Arizona does not impress me. UCLA may be a bit overranked, but... Arizona does not impress me. UCLA wins this.
3) Northern Illinois @ Boston College
HARDEST TO PREDICT. Will the NIU defense of their 1st two game show up, or the one against Ohio State? If the latter, they'll win. Boston College's D is about as tough as Ohio State's, but BC's offense is BAD. NIU's can be bad against a great D... however, NIU learned from last week against one of the best D's around. This could EASILY go either way. Toughest call out there, due to unpredictability. If BC wasn't figuring out a QB and just had a solid stand-by so-so QB, I'd go with BC. They don't, and I gotta say that NIU is NIU. They won 11 games 5 years straight, pulling games like this out of their a$$. They don't have Jordan Lynch anymore though. We'll see.
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