Doug Griffiths: Big Ten football preview, Week 11
By DOUG GRIFFITHS
ISL Assistant Editor
Oh, to be Michigan State this week.
The Spartans have the luxury of sitting back and enjoying one of their bye weeks while watching Nebraska and Michigan duke it out to see who stays within striking distance of the men from East Lansing.
Thanks to its 5-0 Big Ten start, Michigan State enjoys a one-game lead in the Legends Division with three regular-season games to go.
Yes, the Spartans have the inside track to represent the Legends in the Big Ten Championship Game next month in Indianapolis.
And if Michigan beats Nebraska Saturday in Ann Arbor, it will give the Spartans a two-game lead over the Huskers, Wolverines and Minnesota. MSU already owns the tiebreaker over Michigan and has dates with Nebraska, Northwestern and Minnesota remaining.
In the Leaders Division, Ohio State is in the driver’s seat. The Buckeyes own a one-game lead over Wisconsin and hold the tiebreaker over the Badgers with three to play. Plus, Ohio State’s final three are against Illinois, IU and Michigan. If the Buckeyes win Saturday at Illinois as expected, they can clinch in their first-ever Big Ten Championship game next Saturday at home against the Hoosiers.
Now that you’re straight on how things look in the Big Ten race, lets look at how I did last week with my picks.
I went 12-4 last week, including 5-1 in the Big Ten (I was wrong forecasting the IU-Minnesota game. As a result, my season record is 116-34 (77.3).
Following IndySportsLegends helps you decide which conference contests you’ll want to keep an eye on and which ones aren’t DVR worthy on Saturday.
We also give you some games around the country you’ll want to closely follow.
Big Ten Game-Of-The-Week
• Nebraska (6-2 overall, 3-1 in the Big Ten) @ Michigan (6-2, 2-2)
Saturday
3:30 p.m.
ABC
Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Stadium)
So Bo Pelini survived another week in Lincoln … barely. Thanks to a miraculous ‘Hail Mary’ play to beat Northwestern on the game’s final play, Pelini’s Huskers are still in the thick of the Legends Division race. Nebraska controls its own destiny to Indianapolis, but must get by the Wolverines. Michigan is reeling after getting manhandled at rival Michigan State. Can the Wolverines bounce back? Yes, because they’re in the Big House. Go Blue 31-28.
May Be Worth A Look-see
• Penn State (5-3, 2-2) @ Minnesota (7-2, 3-2)
Saturday
Noon
ESPN 2
Minneapolis, Minn. (TCF Bank Stadium 52,500)
Other than Ohio State, no Big Ten team is hotter than Minnesota. The Gophers are riding a three-game winning streak and still have a chance at Indy, but must take care of the Nittany Lions, who are a much different team on the road compared to Happy Valley. Minnesota hasn’t won four Big Ten games in a row since 1973. It will come Saturday thanks to its ground game, 24-17.
• BYU (6-2) @ #21 Wisconsin (6-2, 4-1)
Saturday
3:30 p.m.
ESPN
Madison, Wis. (Camp Randall Stadium 80,321)
Wisconsin plays a rare nonconference game in the month of November and it may not be a walk in the park either. BYU is red hot, having won five straight games, including a 17-point win over Boise State the last time out. This is a Cougar team that’s only lost to Virginia by three and Utah by seven. Both these teams run the ball very well as they rank among the top-15 in the country. As long as the Badgers don’t get turnover happy, they’ll win to extend their winning streak to four. Wisconsin, 30-13.
Who Cares?
• Iowa (5-4, 2-3) @ Purdue (1-7, 0-4)
Saturday
Noon
BTN
West Lafayette, Ind. (Ross-Ade Stadium 62,500)
Purdue gets somewhat of a reprieve from its murderous schedule with a visit from the Hawkeyes, the first FBS team on the Boilermakers’ schedule to have a losing conference record. Might Purdue notch a victory in Big Ten action? No. Not against a good defensive team. Iowa has lost three of its last four, but will get bowl eligible facing brutal Purdue. Iowa, 23-10.
• Illinois (3-5, 0-4) @ Indiana (3-5, 1-3)
Saturday
3:30 p.m.
BTN
Bloomington, Ind. (Memorial Stadium 52,929)
IU has lost three straight Big Ten games and as a result has its backs against the wall as far as becoming bowl eligible. A loss to hapless Illinois, a team that hasn’t won a league game in forever, would send the message that Kevin Wilson’s program hasn’t made any positive strides. His Hoosier program though has improved, just not enough to be a six-win team. IU should light up the scoreboard against a defense that allows 32.5 points per game. Hoosiers get the W, 38-28.
Country Classics?
#12 LSU (7-2, 3-2) @ #1 Alabama (8-0, 5-0) (8 p.m. CBS): Is there any stopping the Rolling Tide? Not unless the Tigers can trip them up. Keep in mind Bama has only played three teams currently with a winning record and just one that’s ranked. Nick Saban’s team looks unbeatable. After all, since the win at Texas A&M, it has allowed only two offensive TDs and four drives of more than 65 yards. LSU’s defense won’t make it easy, but Bama wins again … so what else is new? Tide, 21-13.
Virginia Tech (6-3, 3-2) @ #14 Miami (Fla., 7-1, 3-1) (7 p.m. ESPN): We’ll learn a lot about the Hurricanes this week. Will they have a hangover after getting blown out at Florida State? If they do, they might be in trouble and could find themselves out of the ACC Championship game since the Hokies would have the inside track with a W. Miami rebounds, 33-28.
#18 UCLA (6-2, 3-2) @ Arizona (6-2, 3-2) (10 p.m. ESPN): This should be a good one as two of the top teams in the running for the Pac-12 South Division title clash in the dessert. The Wildcats have won three in a row and the banged up Bruins got back on the winning track last season. Arizona pulls off the upset, 30-27.
Houston (7-1, 4-0) @ #21 Central Florida (6-1, 3-0) (7 p.m. ESPN): Trivia question? The winner of this game will be in the driver’s seat to win what conference? The American Athletic. You know, the one that replaced the Big East. The Golden Knights are tough and will get by the Cougars in a shootout, 42-35.
#23 Notre Dame (7-2) @ Pitt (4-4, 2-3) (8 p.m. ABC): The Irish have won four in a row and still believe they have a shot at a BCS bowl bid. Pitt has lost two games in a row, including a three-point decision to Navy a couple weeks ago, a team the Irish barely beat last week. Expect a close game, but Notre Dame will survive, 24-17.
Bonus Picks:
Florida 30, Vanderbilt 14
Auburn 28, Tennessee 10
Utah 31, Arizona State 30
Texas Tech 27, Kansas State 17
Maryland 20, Syracuse 13
(All times ET)
