Wednesday, November 30, 2011

B1G championship game prediction

Wisconsin 31, MIchigan State 17: Russell Wilson and Montee Ball will lead the Badgers to their second consecutive Rose Bowl appearance.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Final B1G power rankings

1. Wisconsin: I think the Badgers will route the Spartans next weekend in Indy.  Bielema just looks pissed off about losing two games on hail Mary's, which ultimately cost his team a chance to play for the national championship.  I expect the Badgers to take out their anger and frustration on Michigan State and try to run up the score.

2. Michigan State: The Spartans were much better than I thought they would be this year, especially defensively.  However, the Spartans will fail to claim their first outright conference championship in a long time.

3. Michigan: I thought the Wolverines D would improve, but not to the extent it did.  Wow!  The Wolverines now just need a little help next weekend to claim their first BCS bid in 5 years.  The Wolverines are 16th in the BCS and need to climb to 14th to be eligible.

4. Nebraska: The Cornhuskers ran hot and cold this year.  They looked like a national championship contender one week and like a lower echelon B1G team the next.  I'm still not sure what to think about Nebraska long term, but they have a long way to go to get back to what they were in the 80's and 90's.

5. Penn State: The Nittany Lions had an up and down year, both on and off the field.  I still think Penn State will hire an elite head coach, but I could be wrong.

6. Iowa: The Hawkeyes had a jekyll and hyde season.  They beat Michigan and lost to Minnesota.  Go figure.  James Vandenberg was also wildly inconsistent this year and ended with a dud against Nebraska.

7. Northwestern: The Cats showed a pulse at the end of the year despite their limited roster.  Don't count out Pat Fitzgerald at some of these openings this year in Westwood, Tempe, and State College.

8. Ohio State: And now we begin the Urban Meyer era.  Braxton Miller is a perfect fit for his offense and they will be a factor if not a favorite in the Leaders Division in 2012.

9. Purdue: The Boilermakers won in Bloomington and saved Danny Hope's job.  The rest of the B1G is thankful that such a mediocre coach will be in the B1G for at least another year.

10. Minnesota: MarQueis Grey will be a major factor for Minnesota next year.  Grey broke the single season rushing record for a quarterback and will break his own record next year.  A soft schedule should get the Gophers to bowl eligibility next year.

11. Illinois: The Illini are just not a very good team and whoever takes over next year will have a significant rebuilding job on his hands.

12. Indiana: I didn't understand the Kevin Wilson hire a year ago, and I still don't.  This program needs a tough, physical, defensive minded head coach.  Wilson will have to be a mad scientist to turn this program around and keep his job.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

B1G predictions: Week 13

Iowa 28, Nebraska 24: The Hawkeyes finish ahead of their border rivals in the Legends Division with a win in Lincoln.  Hawkeye fans will have 12 months to gloat.  Iowa will prove to be an underrated team after all, and Nebraska overrated.

Northwestern 24, Michigan State 21: Another upset!  Northwestern will end the season with a bang, beating Legends division champ Michigan State.  Pat Fitzgerald proves once again why he is one of the rising stars in college football.

Michigan 24, Ohio State 16: No upset here.  The Wolverines are licking their chops thinking about beating the vulnerable Buckeyes and they will do just that.

Purdue 31, Indiana 28: Purdue will get it's revenge in the Old Oaken Bucket game, avenging last year's overtime loss to the Hoosiers with a thrilling win.  The Boilermakers will get a last second field goal from Carson Wiggs to leave Bloomington with the hardware and their first bowl bid in 4 years.

Illinois 20, Minnesota 10: The Gophers have had trouble generating much offense this year and that trend will continue against a stout Illinois defense.  Nathan Scheelhaase will make enough plays with his arm and his legs to keep the Gophers out of it.

Wisconsin 28, Penn State 13: The Badgers win what will be a blah game, but they will leave with the Leaders division crown and an all expense paid trip to Indianapolis to get their revenge against Michigan State.

Last week: 5-1, Overall: 71-20

Monday, November 21, 2011

B1G power rankings: Week 13

1. Wisconsin: I am looking forward to the exchange between Bret Bielema and Fox sideline reporter and former Minnesota coach Tim Brewster at the inaugural B1G championship game. 

2. Michigan State: Sparty put together an impressive season.  The D was much better than I thought it would be.  Dantonio is building something special in East Lansing.

3. Penn State: Penn State is about as dull as tepid dishwater, but they are a solid football team.

4. Michigan: Brady Hoke has the maize and blue back on track.  They will be competing for national championships soon.

5. Nebraska: I tried to tell people at the beginning of the year that the Cornhuskers were overrated.  I knew that Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Florida State were vastly overrated and how did that turn out?

6. Iowa: If it weren't for that gaffe at Minnesota a month ago the Hawkeyes would be in good shape for a New Year's Day bowl game.

7. Northwestern: Here come the Cats on one of their late season runs.  I'm sure that all 814 Northwestern season ticket holders are absolutely ecstatic about the way the Cats are playing right now.  Pat Fitzgerald reminds me of the hot girl who stays faithful to her high school sweetheart.  Everyone knows that she can do better, but she remains committed.

8. Ohio State: The Buckeyes will hire an elite head coach this off season and their ills will be cured.

9. Purdue: If Danny Hope loses to Indiana he may as well dial the moving company on his way back to the locker room.

10. Illinois: See above only swap out Ron Zook for Danny Hope and Minnesota for Indiana.

11. Minnesota: A win over a reeling Illinois team is a real possibility for the Gophers.  If Jerry Kill beats the Illini he will have more wins (2) in his first season in the Big Ten than his predecessors Tim Brewster and Glen Mason did.

12. Indiana: Has Gunner arrived yet?

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

B1G predictions: Week 12

Northwestern 42, Minnesota 28: Northwestern will move the ball effortlessly against an inconsistent Minnesota defense.  MarQueis Grey and the Minnesota offense will get into some rhythm but not enough to offset the liability of the Gopher defense against a Northwestern offense that is starting to heat up.

Michigan State 38, Indiana 13: The Spartans will jump out to a big halftime lead and hit cruise control in the 2nd half.

Michigan 28, Nebraska 24: The Cornhuskers aren't good enough to win 10 games.  I said that before the season began and Michigan will bust their bubble this weekend.

Wisconsin 35, Illinois 20: The Badgers will be held in check by the Illini defense, at least by their standards and will pull away late for a reasonably easy victory over an Illinois team that has quit on its head coach Ron Zook. 

Iowa 24, Purdue 21: I have been driving the Iowa bandwagon all year,  I'm not going to jump off now.  James Vandenberg and Marvin McNutt will hook up for 2 touchdowns as the Hawkeyes win a rare road game.  The Hawkeyes are due and I don't think Purdue is very good. 

Ohio State 14, Penn State 10: Both programs are a mess.  They should think about renaming this game the Train wreck Bowl.

Last Week: 3-3, Overall: 66-19

Monday, November 14, 2011

B1G power rankings: Week 12

1. Wisconsin: I tried to tell people after Wisconsin lost for a second consecutive week on a hail Mary pass that they were the best team in the conference, and look now the Badgers control their own destiny to become B1G champs, which they will.  The fact that some people actually put Ohio State, Penn State, and Nebraska ahead of Wisconsin is offensive, and I'm a Gopher fan!!!

2. Michigan State: That was an impressive performance by the Spartans in Iowa City last weekend and I have to be honest that I didn't see that coming.  Sparty just needs to find a way to not get humiliated in their losses so people take them a little more seriously.  They got spanked by Nebraska and Notre Dame this year and by Alabama and Iowa the year prior. 

3. Nebraska: The Huskers played well enough offensively to fend off a late Penn State rally and win in not so Happy Valley.

4. Michigan: Don't look now but the Wolverines are 8-2 and have played better defense than any one in their wildest dreams ever imagined before the season began.  Hats off to defensive coordinator Greg Mattison and Head Coach Brady Hoke for instilling a toughness in their players.

5. Penn State: The Nitanny Lions played well in the 2nd half and their slow start wasn't unexpected all things considered.  I think they have a real shot to knock off the Buckeyes in Columbus next week.

6. Iowa: The Hawkeyes ran into an ornery Michigan State team last weekend that wasn't going to allow last year's lop sided loss repeat itself.  Look for the Hawkeyes to get knock off inconsistent Purdue next weekend in West Lafayette.

7.  Northwestern: Here come the Cats with their annual late season heroics.  That trend should continue this weekend against Minnesota at home.

8. Ohio State: That was a bad loss for the Fighting Fickel's.  They need a win desperately this weekend at home against a vulnerable Penn State team.  Can someone please tell me how on god's green earth the Buckeyes knocked off Wisconsin and lost to Purdue?

9. Purdue: That was a nice win for the Boilermakers and it may have saved Danny Hope's job.

10. Illinois: I tried to tell everyone that the Illini were overrated.  They will lose their 5th straight this weekend to Wisconsin and need to knock off Minnesota in Minneapolis to save Ron Zook's job.  Losing 6 games to close the season and topping it all off with a loss to Minny is grounds for dismissal.

11. Minnesota: The Gophers actually didn't play that bad against Wisconsin.  They just got beat by a vastly superior team.

12. Indiana: My guess is IU fans are counting the days before Gunner Kiel's arrival in Bloomington

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

BIG predictions: Week 11

Northwestern 45, Rice 17: The Wildcats will ride the momentum from their unexpected win over Nebraska and trounce the Owls at home.

Penn State 17, Nebraska 13: We are all disgusted by what has taken place in Happy Valley.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.  If what happened at Penn State happened on another college campus under another coaches watch their would be zero chance of them coaching another game.  As it is, because he is Joe Paterno he gets to decide when to call it quits.  Dictatorship is alive and well in the US of A folks.  As far as the game is concerned, look for Silas Redd to rush for over 100 yards and a pair of scores and the Penn State D to shut down Taylor Martinez and the Big Red.  I am glad they are playing the game because the Penn State players did nothing wrong and should not have to suffer because of the incompetence of their college administrators and head coach.

Iowa 21, Michigan State 17: What was your favorite Michigan State 2011 Legends Division Champions moment?  The Spartans road struggles continue.  Iowa's offensive balance and rowdy crowd is a bit too much for Michigan State to handle.  Kirk Cousins will throw three INT's and look frazzled the entire game.  Suddenly the Hawkeyes will be in the drivers seat to win the Legends Division, as predicted here by the way...

Ohio State 28, Purdue 17: Ohio State has gotten it going enough offensively to get past the Boilermakers in West Lafeyette.  If this game were being played a month ago I would have been tempted to pick Purdue.

Wisconsin 52, Minnesota 27: The Gophers will move the ball, but so will the Badgers - with ease.  MarQueis Grey will continue to impress for Minnesota but the Gophers will have absolutely no answer for Russell Wilson, Montee Ball and company.  The Badgers keep the axe once again.

Michigan 28, Illinois 24: Illinois is just struggling too badly for me to have any confidence in picking them.  Ron Zook is living on borrowed time right now.  The Illini have a real chance to lose their final six games.

Last Week: 5-1, Overall: 63-16

Monday, November 7, 2011

B1G power rankings: Week 11

1. Wisconsin: As predicted here, the Badgers took out their frustration on a poorly coached, untalented Purdue team.  Expect more of the same this coming week against border rival Minnesota.  The Gophers will provide a much bigger fight than Purdue, but Bucky should be able to score 40+ without too much trouble.

2. Michigan State: The Spartans played a confident Minnesota team and despite what their fans think MSU didn't play that bad.  Minnesota played it's best game of the year and the Spartans were still able to take care of business.  I think LaVeon Bell is a better back than Edwin Baker but that's just my opinion.

3. Penn State: The Nittany Lions are 8-1 with their only loss being to third ranked Alabama.  Their defense is legit and if they can just get consistent production from their offense they may end up B1G champs.

4. Ohio State: I don't understand how on earth Wisconsin lost to Ohio State.  Clearly the Badgers were still reeling from their emotional loss to MSU because if Wisconsin played TOSU 10 times this year I think Bucky wins 8-9 of them.  This is the worst Ohio State team I have seen in nearly 10 years.

5. Nebraska: I tried to warn people that Nebraska was overrated and look what happened?  They lost to Northwestern at home.  I didn't call for the upset in my predictions but I wrote that it wouldn't surprise me if the Wildcats pulled off the upset and that is exactly what they did.

6. Iowa: I personally can't wait for the Hawkeyes to invade Lincoln Thanksgiving weekend.  I think Iowa/Nebraska will develop into one of the best rivalries in college football.  To top it all off these teams are evenly matched.

7. Michigan: The Wolverines have beefed up their record picking on the poor.  The Wolverines don't have a quality win, and no Notre Dame is not a quality win despite what Lou Holtz says.  I think Michigan is going to come back to earth a little bit in November with a significantly tougher schedule.

8. Northwestern: The Cats got a trademark win in Lincoln last weekend and it didn't surprise me at all.  Come to think of it I wish I had the guts to pick the upset, but I didn't.  Pat Fitzgerald always seems to win a game he shouldn't and the win over Nebraska was just that.  Kain Colter is a good looking athlete and will be the next Northwestern quarterback to become a pain in every one's neck, joining: Dan Persa, Mike Kafka, C.J. Bacher, and Steve Schnur.

9. Illinois: I thought Illinois may have been a fraud, but they kept winning so I eventually had to pick them and that is when they start losing.  So do I pick them to win or lose down the stretch?  I will pick them to lose because their is nothing quite like a Ron Zook job watch.

10. Purdue: Dear heavens how does Purdue have 4 wins?  This is a bad football team.

11. Minnesota: I have a feeling I am going to put Minnesota ahead of Purdue by seasons end.  The Gophers have looked really good the last two weeks.  Are they legit, or has their opposition played poorly?  I am going with the former.  MarQueis Grey is finally starting to look like the quarterback I had envisioned.

12. Indiana: The Hoosiers showed a lot of scrap last weekend against the Buckeyes.  It's going to take 2-3 years before we have a clue where Kevin Wilson is taking the program, however.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

B1G predictions: Week 10

Michigan State 38, Minnesota 10: Sparty will get back on track offensively in this one.  The Spartans offense has been a big disappointment so far, and the defense has been a pleasant surprise in my opinion.  I can't see Minnesota making this interesting, but then again I didn't think they had a prayer against Iowa and how did that turn out?

Ohio State 44, Indiana 3: The Buckeyes finally catch a breather in conference play after taking on Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Nebraska.  IU is really reeling after losing top receiver DeMarlo Belcher for the season and the Hoosiers haven't been able to stop anyone defensively this year.

Iowa 31, Michigan 28: I don't really have a logical explanation for this pick because Iowa has struggled with mobile quarterbacks recently and Michigan has one of the best in Denard Robinson.  I just think that Iowa is too good of a football team to let a disappointing loss to Minnesota ruin their season.  Iowa absolutely smashed Michigan last year in the Big House and I think Iowa's offensive balance will be a little too much for the Wolverines to handle.  I also like the desperation factor here so I'm going with Iowa.

Nebraska 38, Northwestern 31: This one is going to be a lot closer than Cornhusker fans would like and I wouldn't be shocked if Northwestern pulls the upset, but I think Nebraska will score too often and the Huskers D will come up with a late stop to preserve the victory in Lincoln.

Wisconsin 56, Purdue 10: An angry Badgers team will take Purdue out to the proverbial woodshed.  This is going to be an old fashioned beat down.

****BONUS PICK*****
Denver Broncos 20, Oakland Raiders 17: If you follow me on twitter you know that I have a man crush on Tim Tebow.  I absolutely love everything about the guy from his work ethic, to what he stands for, his leadership, knack for the dramatic, and the way he carries himself.  After a horrible game last Sunday against the Lions and after a week of being barbecued by the national know it all's Tebow will redeem himself, sort of...  He will only complete around 50% of his passes, but will lead a late touchdown drive to propel the Broncos to their third victory of the season and the Tebow debate will once again be alive and well.  If he plays like he did last week and the Broncos get blown out I think his career as a quarterback in the NFL is over.