Sorry that I've dropped the ball the past couple of weeks. It's been a pretty tough two weeks, but now that things have settled down a little bit I'm back to put the Big 10 into perspective. Especially after last night's surprise loss by USC to the other OSU.
The BIG 10 Opening weekend! The nitty gritty of conference play is upon us, and with that comes the great possibility of surprises. Let's start with the Game of the Week:
Illinois vs Penn State - Darryl Clark has shown spark and fire on their way to a 3-0 record. But who have they played? Nobody, really. Illinois, on the other hand, sits on a 2-1 record with a loss to Missouri (quality loss) and crappy wins against nobody. But Illinois has that game against Missouri to remember, and remember that they played really well against the best offense in college football. Illinois will pull this one off.
Minnesota vs Ohio State - if last week was any preview, Pryor + Beanie is going to be awesome for the Buckeyes. Yes, the latter isn't 100%, but the Gophers have no chance to upset at the Horseshoe. Blowout in Columbus!
Michigan State vs Indiana - Kellen Lewis has improved over the past few years, showing his ability to break a game open with some huge runs against pitiful opponents. Michigan has faced tougher teams, and Javon Ringer is a beast down the middle. Should the Spartans hold Lewis, they come out with a squeaker. And besides, Indiana's secondary won't be able to hold off Dell anyways...
Northwestern vs Iowa - Iowa's running game with Shonn Greene is phenomenal. They just couldn't close the deal last week against a Pittsburgh team that lost to Bowling Green in the opening week. Northwestern is 4-0 for the first time in decades... but this time, Mitch King and the Iowa defense keep the ball in Greene's hands and come out with a good win to open up the Big 10 season.
Wisconsin vs Michigan - For any Wolverine fan that thought that this year they'd still be competitive, well that's pretty much down the drain. A loss to Notre Dame? And not just a loss - a throttling. Can't get worse than that... which means Everidge and the big Badger tight ends come out with a win at the Big House.
Purdue vs Notre Dame - Charlie must be feeling better, two weeks removed from a horrible accident and his first win over Michigan in this third campaign in the College Football ranks. However, Purdue, minus the loss to Oregon, is for real and they have a scary combination in Cory Sheets and Curtis Painter. Hopefully we'll see Clausen on his back... just because he spends most Saturdays lying in the grass looking at the sky with 300 lbs guys on top.
