Griffiths: Big Ten Picks – Week #5
By DOUG GRIFFITHS
ISL Assistant Editor
In all my years covering Big Ten football, I can’t remember this many teams having the last Saturday in September off.
You can thank the Big Ten Championship Game and the league not wanting to have a respite between the end of the regular season and the title tilt in Indy.
As a result, conference teams are getting not one, but two byes this season. So there is a very limited schedule for your viewing pleasure this week.
With that said though, this week will mark the first time this season Ohio State gets a true test, and there are three other games nationally that feature two top-25 teams squaring off.
Last week, I was on fire picking games, going 14-1, including 10-0 in the Big Ten, with my only miss being Utah’s seven-point win at BYU.
My overall record now stands at 53-9 this season (85 percent).
Following is a a look at Saturday’s Big Ten matchups as IndySportsLegends 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 a handful of games around the country you’ll want to closely follow.
Big Ten Game-Of-The-Week
• #23 Wisconsin (3-1 overall, 1-0 in the Big Ten) @ #4 Ohio State (4-0, 0-0)
Saturday
8 p.m.
ABC
Columbus, Ohio (Ohio Stadium 102,329)
Sure it’s only September, but this may be THE BEST GAME the Big Ten has to offer this season. Without question the winner of this one will win the Big Ten’s Leaders Division barring some unforeseen happenings in the last two months of the season. Wisconsin’s running game is great (nearly 350 yards per game), but can it simply line up time and again and expect to run it down the Buckeyes’ throat consistently? No, not even against an OSU front seven that features six new starters. The Buckeye offense is more well-rounded and will welcome back the return of QB Braxton Miller after backup Kenny Guiton looked like an All-American in his absence. This game should be really entertaining. Go with the home team, Bucks 27-23.
May Be Worth A Look-see
• Iowa (3-1, 0-0) vs. Minnesota (4-0, 0-0)
Saturday
3:30 p.m.
ABC/ESPN2
Minneapolis, Minn. (TCF Bank Stadium 50,805)
Don’t be fooled by these teams’ records … they’re not nearly as good as their inflated records may indicate. Neither has beaten a quality opponent. If you like running games, however, tune into this matchup because you don’t figure to see a whole lot of balls in the air. This will be old time Big Ten smash-mouth football with a huge influence on running the ball. I like David Cobb & Co. in this one, especially since the Gophers are playing at home. Minnesota 21-17.
• Northern Illinois (3-0) vs. Purdue (1-3, 0-0)
Saturday
Noon
ESPN2
West Lafayette, Ind. (Ross-Ade Stadium 62,500)
What’s it say about the Big Ten that I’m picking Northern Illinois to win its second road game against a Big Ten opponent in less than a month? A lot. Face it, there just aren’t many good Big Ten teams and the ones bringing up the rear, like Purdue, are downright bad. The Boilermakers have no offense and there’s just no way Boilermaker QB Rob Henry can come close to matching his counterpart Jordan Lynch in this one. We knew this would be a brutal schedule for Darrell Hazell in Year 1 and it’s turning out to be just that. NIU, 33-20.
Big-Time Blowouts
• Miami (Ohio) (0-3) @ Illinois (2-1, 0-0)
Saturday
Noon
BTN
Champaign, Ill. (Memorial Stadium 60,670)
Traditionally, Miami is more than a formidable nonconference foe, but not this year. This is a RedHawks’ team that got blown out by Marshall and Kentucky and lost by a couple touchdowns to Cincinnati, who was without its starting QB. Miami struggles throwing the ball and running it, which is just what Illinois needs to get back on track after enjoying its first bye week following its loss to Washington in Chicago. Illini win going away and head into Big Ten play with critics quiet for now about Tim Beckman, 38-10.
Country Classics?
#6 LSU (4-0, 1-0) @ #10 Georgia (2-1, 1-0) (3:30 p.m. CBS): So we have another SEC classic, what else is new? Georgia’s early schedule has been phenomenal as this will be the third top-10 team the Dawgs have faced this season. LSU should present Georgia with the toughest defense it has faced. Something tells me to go with Bulldog senior QB Aaron Murray, especially with his team playing in Athens. If Georgia wins, it’s back in the national title talk, while LSU can make a strong statement after being a forgotten team in the SEC. Go Dawgs, 31-30.
#12 Oklahoma (3-0) @ #22 Notre Dame (3-1) (3:30 p.m. NBC): The Fighting Irish haven’t lost a home game in a long time, but this has trouble written all over it. You know the Sooners will come to South Bend looking to avenge last year’s loss they suffered to Notre Dame in Norman. This is a different Irish team OU will face. They don’t have much of a running game, the defense isn’t nearly as good and it continues to search for its identity on offense. Translation: Bob Stoops & Co. will leave Golden Dome Country with a solid victory. OU, 28-24.
#21 Ole Miss (3-0, 1-0) @ #1 Alabama (3-0, 1-0) (6:30 p.m. ESPN): Does Alabama ever disappoint in big games? No. Ole Miss is ahead of schedule will all the superstar young talent it features, but look for the Tides’ veterans to be the difference. Everyone says Alabama has flaws after watching its defense struggle at Texas A&M, but you know what? The Tide left College Station with a W and the winning won’t stop for Nick Saban’s club this Saturday. Tide Rolls, 38-14.
Arizona (3-0, 0-0) @ #20 Washington (3-0, 0-0) (7 p.m. FOX): Everyone is talking about Ohio State-Wisconsin, Notre Dame-Oklahoma, LSU-Georgia and Ole Miss-Alabama, but maybe they should be talking about the showdown in Seattle. Two good football teams will square off. Both these teams’ offenses rank in the top 20 and their defenses are in the top 10. Keith Price, Bishop Sankey and the Huskies avenge last year’s blowout to the Wildcats with a 31-24 win in ’13.
#13 South Carolina (2-1) @ Central Florida (3-0) (Noon ABC): The Knight went into Happy Valley and beat Penn State, but can they pull off another upset, this time at home against SEC power South Carolina. Don’t think so. USC, 26-20.
Bonus Picks:
Arizona State 27, USC 17
Texas A&M 41, Arkansas 21
Oklahoma State 38, West Virginia 17
Florida 44, Kentucky 14
Stanford 28, Washington State 21
(All times ET)
