Last week...
I didn't see much but have been catching up as much as possible...
Northwestern took control of the West, for now by beating Wisconsin h2h and having the other 2 in the race both lose on the road. It wasn't a pretty game but NW took care of business without any Cardiac Cats late 4th quarter moments. Wisconsin is what they are...way overrated entering the season but more than anything they have a lot of injuries and nothing at the QB position, which most people knew coming in. They still are a solid team and have a few big ones left to finish things out strong.
Purdue was a bit flat and it was a typical spot where Sparty looked dead in the water and stole one at home with some solid play. Purdue hung around and had their chance to steal the game as well but the unfortunate INT, blocked FG and before that ultra-conservative play by Brohm which led to the FG. They know it was a blown opportunity. All I would gauge from this game is that MSU responded after a beat down and perhaps Purdue was a bit full of themselves and took Michigan State for granted. What it does...is put a halt to a potential West run by the Boilers and leaves the door open for Michigan State in the East to still win the division.
Nebraska took care of Bethune. B.C had 355 yards offense but 80 of that was on the last drive of the game.
Iowa and Penn State was just an off game. Enough has been written around the forum about that game and I have nothing to add to those comments really.
Indiana and Minnesota had plenty of yards and plenty of turnovers. I did not see the end of this after the Hoosier comeback fwiw...
Well, Illinois and Maryland had 1200 yards offense. I did predict plenty of running and there was 700 yards combined so at least I got that right. Look like this was a shit show.
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This week....
Michigan State and Maryland should be interesting. The line opened 3 and got bet all the way to 1...it slowly is climbing back out of that just slightly. With today's news, who the heck knows what the Maryland mindset will be this week. This is a virtual coaching change out of the blue 5 days before a game as well. My main match up issue here is Michigan State run defense vs the Maryland run game. Now, if it is close and they pound and pound I do think Maryland can break some at some point. Now, the Michigan State offense still sucks. I think some of that backup QB magic was a bit of fools gold last week to be honest. Anyways, they cannot run so a young kid prolly making the start on the road will have to complete some passes.
Tough game...disclaimer...I have taken a position at -1.5 just to have the number due to intangibles with the Maryland situation. There are no guarantees I keep this. I definitely do not see this line crossing zero, fwiw.
As I said earlier, if you liked Nebraska you already missed the boat so just pass on the game. You cannot lose that many points to the good number and play it. It is simply irresponsible. Now, if you like Ohio State it is pretty much time to fire if not now, soon. This game should feature lots of points unless, as I stated earlier, C.U.M. n company decide to get back to run, run and run to establish something for the November schedule.
Rutgers and Wisconsin isn't even fair. Well, Rutgers playing anyone isn't fair. Much like the Illinois game, nothing to see here.
Iowa and Purdue would have been a huge game if they both could have won on the road last week. It is still a pretty big game and will be very interesting to me. I am not quite sure what to think of yet in this game. Anyone have Stanley injury update on the thumb? I'll get more into this game as I look some more.
Minnesota and Illinois is another 'who the eff cares game'. The Gophers should be able to name their score, obviously, if they are interested.
Northwestern goes back to the OOC schedule with a very big game against Notre Dame. Obviously this is huge for Notre Dame on the national scene but this also impacts things in conference and with the Cats as well. A win would be huge for the NW profile and make their appearance in Indy a more attractive game on the ole SOS meter should they meet OSU or Michigan. This is big for both those schools too as it would give the Irish a loss and help bolster the conference in the playoff rankings. Lastly, Northwestern would be working their way into a major bowl game perhaps.
Michigan plays Penn State at 3:45. Lets see how McSorlety is doing. Hopefully Michigan is starting to get back near full health. They had some nice wins the last two times out with two of the best starters out of action. A few other guys have gotten nicked up as well...
Iron Jock is a big personal concern for a potentially close game. Obviously I'll dive into this game more in the next few days.
Okay, big couple weeks in conference then we should have a much clearer picture after the 10th.
