Around the Big Ten

[Cody_Russell]

Rutgers has been out scored 224-0 combined vs M, OSU, MSU, and PSU.
Chris Ash has a long ways to go for this rebuild.

[iam416]

5-2. 44-32-2. Probably deserved better with Boilers. That game was mostly a 3ish TD game. Unfortunately, they really STB for roughly 5 minutes and I missed a push by 1.

With just 8 games left, I've clinched a plus season! Huzzah!

[iam416]

With 8 picks left, 50 wins is in sight, but I'll have to do slightly better than my current 57.7% to get there. It's rivalry week in the B10. It's an opportunity for shit schools to play for some sort of shit trophy to make them feel like the season wasn't an entire exercise in futility. Meanwhile, the one game that does matter involves no such trinkets.

Nebraska (+1') at Iowa. I hate picking games where the QB is in flux. TommIE Armstrong is a big deal to UNL's offense. With him, they are passably a top 25 team. Without him, they'd struggle to win the Ogallala Turkey Bowl -- but, obviously, they're still better than Maryland. Iowa is still meh. The road team has won all but 1 in this conference rivalry and 4 in a row. My gut tells me Iowa, but part of my "success" this season has been taking the Constanza Approach and going opposite of my feeling in what seems like obvious plays. So, I'll back the Corn People West to beat the Corn People East and finish at 10-2.

Rutgers (+14) at Maryland. Thank you, Jim Delaney. Fuck this game sideways. I'll back Turtle and thank god I'll be away from the TV set while it's on lest I accidentally catch even a second of this retina-burning, spirit-stealing epic shitfest.

Purdue (+20') at Indiana. Good Boiler/Bad Boiler finally lost last week under dubious circumstances. I'll still ride with it, though, and that means Bad Boiler. This one is also against my initial instincts as I think Blough will have himself a day and score enough to put the 20 in jeopardy. But IU has been winning this game by around 20 points over the past 5 years or so. Plus it's AT BLOOMINGTON!!!! So there's a chance Boiler players will mosey over to kids field behind the endzone looking for a game they might be able to win, and leave the team short-handed. Hoosiers to cover.

Illinois (+16') at Northwestern. Illinois has scored 3 points in the last 8 quarters. They're awful. The line is big, but I think nFw will rail the Illini. Mildcats to retain the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk or whatever.

Michigan (+6') at Ohio State. I've stated my thoughts on this one enough. I think M will win and I feel really strongly that if OSU does pull off the win they won't do so my more than 6. Hell, in OSU's last 6 games against M, they've only won by more than 6 twice. So, sadly, I'll back HARBAUGH w/ the points.

Michigan State (+12) at Penn State. There have been probably 4 or 5 times in the past 10-12 years I've needed this game to go a certain way and it's not only gone the other way, it's done so big-time. The odds are I won't give two shits about this game at 3:30, but assuming I do, I think Penn State is going to rail MSU. Sparty can't pass. They really can't. Nittany Lions.

Minnesota (+14') at Wisconsin. Since they've moved this to the final game of the year with the advent of B10 East/West, it's been a 10-13 point game in Wisky's favor. I think it goes that way again. The Badgers don't blow out competent teams and I think the Goofer is, at least, borderline competent. I expect Wisky to win, but I think it stays just under 2 TDs.

[Jeff Buchanan]

With 8 picks left, 50 wins is in sight, but I'll have to do slightly better than my current 57.7% to get there. It's rivalry week in the B10. It's an opportunity for shit schools to play for some sort of shit trophy to make them feel like the season wasn't an entire exercise in futility. Meanwhile, the one game that does matter involves no such trinkets.

Two things: osu does have the nifty gold pants thing they give to the players that predictably show up for sale on the internet, right? ....... and I'm counting on you to make that better than 57% mark.

[entropy]

Talent just cursed us...


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[froot loops]

Talent has little faith or he is trying for the reverse jinx. Either way he is wrong on the Penn State game.

[iam416]

44-32-2.

[froot loops]

Unimpressive, what matters is Saturday.

[Da Geezer]

Well, Talent, your record speaks for itself (outstanding). I think OSU will cover rather easily.

Does the B12 have a championship game? If not, why not have the M v OSU loser play the B12 champ? Lots of money and an actual chance for either team to play itself into the playoff. M v OU would get ratings, and a victory by either would burnish the resume.

That said, it is way past time to realign the B10, or at least to play crossover games the last couple of weeks of the season. W v PSU in the B10 championship is an outrage. PSU's victory over OSU this year was like MSU's over M last year. Freak ending and outcome that the "humans" should discount heavily. OSU kicked PSU's butt that whole game.

[The Oracle]

Are we going to realign the conference every year until we get osu or Michigan in it? Makes sense.

[Da Geezer]

Well, that's because it makes sense every year. At least the Conference used to vote for a Rose Bowl representative when teams tied for the title. That could be changed to a vote for playoff and Rose. That would be better than the #3 v #4 teams playing a "championship" game (like last year, #3 v#4, Iowa v MSU). Stupid system, and bad for the conference as a whole.

[The Oracle]

Osu could have, you know, beaten psu to avoid this alarming catastrophe that we have on our hands.

[Jeff Buchanan]

There is that ........ if the unfortunate happens and osu beats M and PSU beats MSU, while I'm pretty sure both the BT Champ and osu gets in (neglecting what could happen in the P12), I will laugh my ass off if ufm get's left out.

WMU will have a legitimate claim to represent the state of Michigan in the CFP though. Heh.

[froot loops]

It's a rigged conspiracy!

[Jeff Buchanan]

Pretty amazing ...... the Big Ten will have 10 bowel eligible teams if Maryland beats Rutgers, Indiana beats Purdue and Northwestern beats Illinois today.