Big Ten Football Week 10 Preview
My Record…..52-22 70.2%
Michigan (5-3, 3-1) @ Minnesota (5-3, 1-3) Noon Big Ten Network: Michigan leads the all-time series 71-24-3…Michigan’s 71 wins vs the Golden Gophers is the most W’s the Wolverines have racked up against any opponent….Michigan has won 20 of the last 21 meetings and hasn’t lost in the state of Minnesota since 1977 (14-0)…this will be Michigan’s first game in TCF Bank Field (Indiana is the only team that has yet to play at TCF)….the Gophers are 4-1 at home this season and the only loss was 8 point setback to Northwestern…Minnesota held the Wildcats to just 21 points on that day…Denard Robinson will be back in the QB saddle for Brady Hoke…but a cold, rainy, windy day is in the forecast…I think Michigan will get a Brendan Gibbons 31 yard FG with less than a minute to go to keep the Little Brown Jug in Ann Arbor…Michigan wins 20-18.
Iowa (4-4, 2-2) @ Indiana (3-5, 1-3) 3:30pm Big Ten Network: Iowa leads the all-time series vs Indiana 42-27-4…Iowa has won the last 4 meetings and 7 of the last 9 including 3 of the last 4 at The Rock in Bloomington….I really think running this kind of an offense can really hurt you in this conference and it has already cost the Hoosiers at least one Big Ten W this year…but the premise of a hurry-up type of team is that you blow out teams and clock management therefore isn’t an issue…but in the Big Ten where mediocrity abounds…you need to eat clock and keep the ball away from teams…Iowa is just too broken and I think beyond fixing for the 2012 season…plus I think Captain Kirk may not be able to muster his annual “win that he has no business winning” …I like the Hoosiers to snap the streak…Indiana wins 28-24
Nebraska (6-2, 3-1) @ Michigan State (5-4, 2-3) 3:30pm ABC: Nebraska leads the all-time series 6-0…but they have only played once at the Smoke Stack in East Lansing (1995)…it will be interesting to see how the Corn handles being in the drivers seat of the Legends division AND hitting the road where they have gone just 1-2…their victory was a come-from-behind W over Northwestern 2 weeks ago…The Spartans on the other hand haven’t exactly mopped up at home…they are 2-3 with W’s over Boise State and Eastern Michigan…all that being said..it seems as if the Spartans have turned the corner in the last couple of weeks…the surprising passing game has picked up and snapping Wisconsin’s 21 game home winning streak is something to hang your hat on..Nebraska may be coming into East Lansing at the wrong time…I like Michigan State to get a victory here…I think MSU exposes the weak Corn defense and the Spartans defense will get to Taylor Martinez…Michigan State 27-17
Illinois (2-6, 0-4) @ Ohio State (9-0, 5-0) 3:30pm ESPN: Ohio State leads the all-time series 64-30-4…The Buckeyes have won the last 4 meetings, 7 of the last 8 meetings however Illinois is 2-2 in the last 4 trips to the Horseshoe…go figure….there is really no other way to look at this game than this….this game features the worst team in the conference that has lost 5 straight conference road games playing on said road vs record-wise at least, the best team in the conference that is unbeaten and actually showing signs of improving the last two or three weeks…you can try to look at this match-up in different ways…but should you choose to..you are just cheating yourself…the Buckeyes will win…and they will win easy…OSU 45-10.
Penn State (5-3, 3-1) @ Purdue (3-5, 0-4) 3:30pm ESPNU: The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series 11-3-1…PSU has won the last 5 meetings…the Nittany Lions seem to have the Boilermakers number..Penn State hasn’t given up more than 19 points in the last 5 meetings…also historically, these matchups are pretty close..the average score between the two (despite a very heavy series lead by PSU) is less than a TD…interesting…Purdue’s defense currently is 9th vs the pass and 11th vs the run…and PSU is suddenly, despite last week’s anomaly, a top offensive team in the conference….that being said..Danny Hope needs to do something to keep his job…he is 19-26 since 2009 and until this season he had the boilers going in the right direction…but starting off the conference schedule with 4 straight losses isn’t helping his case…I like Penn State to join Michigan as the only road teams to win this week…Lions win 27-17.
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Game Preview: Michigan at Minnesota
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I hope you’re right on Indiana. I’d like to see that win. I agree with the MSU pick too.
You think it’s going to be that close in Minnesota eh?
I did…when the forecast was rainy and cold with a high of 40…the forecast here has changed slightly to a possible light mix of rain and snow with a high of 44….perfect Minnesota football weather….