Griffiths: Big Ten Picks – Week #8
By DOUG GRIFFITHS
ISL Assistant Editor
This week could be a snooze fest as far as Big Ten games are concerned.
Barring a major upset, the five conference games aren’t expected to keep you glued to your television.
Unfortunately, none of the games figures to impact the Big Ten race.
Undefeated Ohio State doesn’t figure to get much of a test from visiting Iowa, Indiana hasn’t won in Ann Arbor in forever, and thinking Illinois can hang with Wisconsin after the Fighting Illini didn’t have much fight in Lincoln is probably a reach.
The other two tilts have Minnesota and Purdue (both winless in conference action) on the road to face Northwestern and Michigan State, respectively. Can you say ugly?
As for me, last week I thought I wouldn’t miss a Big Ten game, but didn’t see Michigan’s four-overtime loss at Penn State. Who did?
I also didn’t see Missouri beating Georgia, Texas stunning Oklahoma or Boise State defeating Utah State.
As a result, my season record now stands at 86-19 (82 percent). Very respectable wouldn’t you say?
So here’s a look at Saturday’s Big Ten action as IndySportsLegends.com helps you decide which conference contests you’ll want to keep an eye on and which ones aren’t DVR worthy.
We also give you some games around the country you’ll want to closely follow.
Big Ten Game-Of-The-Week
• Indiana (3-3 overall, 1-1 in the Big Ten) @ Michigan (5-1, 1-1)
Saturday
3:30 p.m.
BTN
Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Stadium 109,901)
I know this is a big-time reach saying this is the Big Ten Game-of-the-Week, but I’ve got to select one game right? IU put up a decent fight in East Lansing last week for a half, but faded. Now it will continue its two-game state of Michigan road trip with a date with the Maize and Blue, who figure to be slightly upset after last week’s gut-wrenching loss in Happy Valley. The Hoosiers can make this a game if Michigan is careless with the football, which it has been often this season. However, history is really working against the Cream and Crimson in this one as the Wolverines have won 17 straight over IU and 32 of the last 33 meetings. It will be interesting to see how Michigan responds to last week’s loss, but expect a physically dominating performance against a much less talented team this week. M Go Blue, 41-17.
Must-See TV
NONE
May Be Worth A Look-see
NONE
Big-Time Blowouts
• Purdue (1-5, 0-2) @ Michigan State (5-1, 2-0)
Saturday
Noon
BTN
East Lansing, Mich. (Spartan Stadium 75,005)
What kind of a game do you get when you pit a pitiful offense against one of the nation’s best defenses? You guessed it, a Big-Time Blowout. There’s no way Purdue with a freshman quarterback goes into East Lansing and comes close to making a game of it. The blowouts keep mounting for first-year coach Darrell Hazell’s Boilermakers, while the wins keep mounting for Mark Dantonio’s club. Go Green, 49-3.
• No. 25 Wisconsin (4-2, 2-1) @ Illinois (3-2, 0-1)
Saturday
8 p.m.
BTN
Champaign, Ill. (Memorial Stadium 60,670)
Can the Illini win their first Big Ten game since Oct. 8, 2011? Doubtful. Illinois has lost 15 Big Ten games in a row and figuring how that streak doesn’t continue is difficult. Wisconsin had a bye week to get ready for this one and should have its way with the Illini, especially when you analyze its running game against U of I’s defense of the run. The Badgers lead the Big Ten in rushing (298.2 yards per game), while Illinois is 11th defending the run (195.4 yards allowed). Melvin Gordon and James White will run wild as a Big Ten win continues to elude the Orange and Blue. Bucky Badger pounds I-L-L-I-N-I, 33-13.
• Iowa (4-2, 1-1) @ No. 4 Ohio State (6-0, 2-0)
Saturday
3:30 p.m.
ABC/ESPN2
Columbus, Ohio (Ohio Stadium 102,329)
Will the Buckeyes ever lose a game under Urban Meyer? Probably not in the regular season this year. OSU has the nation’s longest active winning streak at 18 (fourth-longest in program history). Both teams had a bye week to prepare for this one. Iowa is somewhat reeling after coming off a home loss to Michigan State, while Ohio State beat Northwestern in Evanston in an emotionally charged game. This will easily be Iowa’s toughest test to date as it hasn’t faced another nationally ranked team. So although some of its statistics look decent on paper, those numbers are somewhat skewed. OSU will shut down Iowa’s running game, meaning the Hawks are in for a very long day in the ‘Shoe. O-H-I-O, 35-10.
• Minnesota (4-2, 0-2) @ Northwestern (4-2, 0-2)
Saturday
Noon
ESPN2
Evanston, Ill. (Ryan Field 47,130)
Who would’ve thought these two teams would be winless in Big Ten action heading into this game? Well, Minnesota has had little to no offense in its first two Big Ten games vs. Iowa and Michigan, scoring a combined 20 points. Northwestern, meanwhile, lost a heartbreaker to Ohio State and seemed to be suffering a big-time hangover in getting blown out at Wisconsin last week. Both teams need a win in the worst way. Look for Northwestern’s QBs to get back on track this week after a dismal showing in Madison, while the ‘Cats must have an answer for the Gophers’ ground-and-pound attack. Fitz’s ‘Cats roll against the Jerry Kill-less Gophers, 37-17.
Country Classics?
No. 5 Florida State (5-0, 3-0) @ No. 4 Clemson (5-0, 3-0) (8 p.m. ABC): This might be the biggest game in ACC history. There’s tons riding on this one. I like the Tigers with their high-octane offense, QB Tajh Boyd and Death Valley. This has all the makings of a classic. Clemson survives in a thriller, 38-35.
No. 10 UCLA (5-0, 2-0) @ No. 13 Stanford (5-1, 3-1) (3:30 p.m. ABC/ESPN2): The Cardinal was stunned last week at Utah as their 13-game winning streak was snapped. Avoiding a two-game slide won’t be easy against talented QB Brett Hundley, a potential top-10 pick in the NFL Draft, and the unbeaten Bruins. Stanford rebounds, 28-24.
No. 22 Florida (4-2, 3-1) @ No. 14 Missouri (6-0, 2-0) (12:21 p.m. ESPN3): Last week the Tigers went into Athens and knocked off an injury-riddled Georgia team. Now Missouri has to deal with its own injury issues as it will be without QB James Franklin. That’s a problem. I like the Gators’ defense against a Missouri team without its starting QB. Florida bounces back from last week’s loss at LSU with 30-20 win in Columbia.
Auburn (5-1, 2-1) @ No. 7 Texas A&M (5-1, 2-1) (3:30 p.m. CBS): The Aggies need this one to stay within striking distance of the nation’s elite. They survived a huge scare at Ole Miss a week ago. This one won’t be nearly as close. A&M, 33-14.
USC (4-2) @ Notre Dame (4-2) (7:30 p.m. NBC): My how the mighty have fallen. SC is coachless as Lane Kiffin was shown the door. Notre Dame’s BCS hopes were dashed with losses to Michigan and Oklahoma. Now both are playing for pride and secondary bowl games. Brian Kelly calls this Notre Dame’s rivalry game. The problem is, this rivalry has lost a lot of its luster in recent years. Irish win under the lights, 28-17.
Bonus Picks:
No. 25 Washington 40, Arizona State 38
Houston 31, BYU 24
Texas Tech 28, West Virginia 21
Utah 34, Arizona 21
LSU 23, Ole Miss 10
(All times ET)
