Griffiths: Big Ten Picks – Week #6
By DOUG GRIFFITHS
ISL Assistant Editor
Thankfully, the Big Ten’s so-called Fall Break is over.
After half of the conference’s 12 teams enjoyed a bye week last Saturday, 10 of the teams return to the gridiron for action this week.
This Saturday will really mark the opening of Big Ten play, since all 10 active teams are playing conference games.
The best league matchup and the best national game will take place in Evanston as No. 4 Ohio State battles No. 16 Northwestern in primetime in what arguably is the Wildcats’ biggest regular-season game ever.
Other matchups should begin to give us a read on whether Michigan can wake up from its two-game hangover following its win over Notre Dame, if Iowa is definitely for real and if Illinois could possibly be a contender in the Leaders Division.
Although the season isn’t even halfway through, IU faces a must-win situation if it is realistically going to become bowl eligible this season.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin gets to lick its wounds after its tough loss at Ohio State as the Badgers will enjoy a bye week.
Speaking of wounded, no Big Ten team is reeling like Purdue’s Boilermakers after getting crushed at home by Northern Illinois. The Huskies program is good, but 31 points better than a Big Ten team? Wow. That shows you just how giant a rebuilding project Darrell Hazell has in West Lafayette.
Purdue, (1-4) is the other Big Ten team idle this week.
The Old Gold and Black aren’t winning much this fall, but I am.
I enjoyed another banner week last week correctly forecasting 12 of 14 games, missing Iowa’s win at Minnesota and Oklahoma State’s loss at West Virginia.
As a result, my season record is now a solid 65-11 (85.5 percent).
So with that said, here’s a look at Saturday’s Big Ten action 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 some games around the country you’ll want to closely follow.
Big Ten Game-Of-The-Week
• #4 Ohio State (5-0 overall, 1-0 in the Big Ten) @ #16 Northwestern (4-0, 0-0)
Saturday
8 p.m.
ABC
Evanston, Ill. (Ryan Field 47,130)
Are Fitz’s ‘Cats ready to be a primetime player and hand Urban Meyer his first loss as Ohio State’s head coach? No. Don’t get me wrong, I think Northwestern will give the Buckeyes a decent fight, I just don’t think the ‘Cats have the overall talent to topple OSU & Braxton Miller, who despite being sidelined with an injury didn’t show any signs of rust in leading his team to an impressive victory over the Badgers last week. Go Bucks, 30-20.
Must-See TV
• Illinois (3-1, 0-0) @ Nebraska (3-1, 0-0)
Saturday
Noon
ESPNU
Lincoln, Neb. (Memorial Stadium 87,000)
Both these teams have issues on defense and now news comes out of Lincoln that QB Taylor Martinez won’t play due to a left big toe injury. Enter Tommy Armstrong Jr., who was good in the win over South Dakota State. Look for Armstrong and the Huskers’ offense to see plenty of daylight against a defense that is allowing more than six yards per play. Illinois’ offense is much improved, particularly QB Nathan Scheelhaase, who could give Nebraska fits. However, I like Big Red in Lincoln. Remember this is Illinois’ first true road game of the season and Tim Beckman’s team didn’t come close to winning a game away from Champaign a year ago. Huskers in a shootout, 42-35.
May Be Worth A Look-see
• Michigan State (3-1, 0-0) @ Iowa (4-1, 1-0)
Saturday
Noon
ESPN2
Iowa City, Iowa (Kinnick Stadium 70,585)
The Hawkeyes opened some eyes with their convincing win at Minnesota last week. If they can keep it going against the Spartans, all the talk about Kirk Ferentz needing to step down will cease. I’m going with the home team here, especially since MSU is so brutal on offense. Hawks move to within one win of bowl eligibility, 24-17.
• Penn State (3-1, 0-0) @ Indiana (2-2, 0-0)
Saturday
Noon
BTN
Bloomington, Ind. (Memorial Stadium 52,929)
IU’s home losses to Navy and Missouri proved it doesn’t matter how many yards and points a team’s offense racks up against weak teams, if you can’t stop people consistently on defense you lose. The Hoosiers obviously don’t have their defensive issues figured out. Penn State will pound the running game at them and has a freshman quarterback in Christian Hackenberg that can get it done through the air. Nittany Lions, who are 16-0 vs. Hoosiers, have the better defense so go with the Blue and White, 31-24.
Big-Time Blowouts
• Minnesota (4-1, 0-1) @ Michigan (4-0, 0-0)
Saturday
3:30 p.m.
ABC/ESPN2
Ann Arbor, Mich. (Michigan Stadium 109,901)
I’ve picked Michigan to win its last two games convincingly only to have the Maize and Blue barely show up and get by mighty Arkon and UConn. Now comes the battle for the Little Brown Jug. This is my third and final attempt in saying the Wolverines will win a game going away. I think they’ll get their act together against a Minnesota team that is injury riddled. The Big Blue owns this series, winning 21 of the last 22 matchups. Michigan hangs onto the ball and wins a laugher, 38-7.
Country Classics?
#22 Arizona State (3-1) vs. Notre Dame (3-2) (7:30 p.m. NBC, Arlington, Texas): Notre Dame’s two losses this season have come to top-25 teams. Arizona State will make it three because it has too much speed and too many playmakers for the Irish. This is the same Sun Devil team that hung 62 on USC and caused Lane Kiffen to get fired. However, ASU allowed 542 yards. The Sun Devils though become the first school ever to beat USC and Notre Dame in consecutive games (12 have failed), while Tommy Rees’ (9-for-24 with 3 INTs vs. Oklahoma) struggles continue. Sun Devils sizzle, 33-28.
#15 Washington (4-0, 1-0) @ #5 Stanford (4-0, 2-0) (10:30 p.m. ESPN): It’s revenge time for the Cardinal after losing to UW 17-13 last season. This will easily be the Huskies’ most difficult matchup to date, but they have been tested. Stanford, 30-20.
#25 Maryland (4-0, 0-0) @ #8 Florida State (4-0, 2-0) (Noon ESPN): We’ll see if the Terps D, which ranks sixth nationally, is up to this test in Tallahassee. FSU is 11-0 against Maryland at home. Keep in mind, the Seminoles gave up 34 points to a poor Boston College team last week and Terps can score (39.8 points per game). Noles improve to 5-0 with 35-27 win.
West Virginia (3-2, 1-1) @ #16 Baylor (3-0) (8 p.m. FOX Sports 1): The Bears may be the nation’s best-kept secret. They boast the country’s top offense and second-ranked defense. The Mountaineers, on the other hand, showed plenty of life with their win over Oklahoma State last week. I like Baylor in Waco, 37-20.
TCU (2-2, 0-1) @ #10 Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0) (7 p.m. FOX): Are the Sooners going to suffer a letdown in Norman? Don’t count on it. OU was impressive in South Bend last week leading from start to finish. TCU is a good team. Forget its .500 record. Its two losses this season have come to LSU and Texas Tech. OU has passed all of its tests and seems to be hitting its stride with Blake Bell leading the offense. Sooners, 27-19.
Bonus Picks:
#14 Miami (Fla.) 24, Georgia Tech 21
#19 Florida 30, Arkansas 28
Missouri 27, Vanderbilt 20
Georgia 38, Tennessee 17
Ole Miss 28, Auburn 27
(All times ET)
