B1G Week 5 Recap

Finally we were able to see horrible B1G teams beat up on other horrible B1G teams.  This past weekend did not give me any more hope about the status of the conference, but at least we could avoid another embarrassment.  The conference title still looks wide open at this point since the consensus best team is ineligible for the post-season. 

Good surprise:

Penn State seems to be on a little bit of a hot streak now, and has won 3 games in a row.  They went on the road to Illinois and dropped the hammer on the league’s worst team.  The Nittany Lion defense continues to improve each week, and their front seven might be able to shut down most teams in this conference. We could see a situation that the two best teams in the Leaders Division are banned for the championship game.

Ohio State’s front seven really stepped up in East Lansing by completely shutting down Le’Veon Bell.  The Bucknut defense has struggled to wrap up tackles in the first month, but they keyed the run and Andrew Maxwell was not able to beat them through the air.  If Ohio State can stop the run that well moving forward an undefeated season looks to be in order.  And the Urban legend would grow so large it would be even more unbearable.

Iowa had a great bounce back game against the Golden Gophers.  Minnesota came into the game undefeated, but left looking like one of the conference bottom dwellers again.  Walk on running back, Weisman, runs very hard and the offensive line made some large holes to run through.  As bad as they have looked in the first month, the Hawkeyes shouldn’t be a team to look over moving forward.

Even though Nebraska was favored against the Badgers, I thought their win Saturday night was much needed for the Huskers.  They overcame some bad turnovers and 2 17 point deficits to win the game and have a leg up on the Legends Division.  Taylor Martinez doesn’t look as good as he did early in the season, but definitely improved over last.  It will be interesting to see the Husker defense face an offense with more fire power this week in Columbus.  If Nebraska wins on Saturday, the Legend’s Division race could suddenly look like a one team competition.

Bad Surprise:

Michigan State’s passing game is absolutely horrible.  We knew they weren’t great before Saturday, but it became very obvious that they are going to need to improve a lot to return to Indianapolis for the second straight year.  Maxwell seemed to handle the pressure better than he did against Notre Dame, but the receivers continue to drop catchable passes. As bad as this unit is, I have a bad feeling that they will suddenly have Velcro-hands against Michigan in a few weeks.

Minnesota should still be able to make a bowl game this season, but they are a long ways away from being a contender in the Legends Division.  Yes, not having Gray hurts the offensive production a lot, but they lack play makers on both sides of the ball, and the defensive line struggled against an average Iowa line.

Michigan State coaches for making excuses after the game.  Seriously guys?  We know Urban is a horrible, cheating, human being.  This is to be expected.  Get over the excuses and go play the game.  And last I checked, holding the conference’s best team to 17 points should be good enough to win.  Maybe Sparty should actually focus on their own execution before throwing out ridiculous reasons for losing. 

I would say that my conference rankings are as follows:

1.       Ohio State (no change)

2.       Nebraska (no change)

3.       Northwestern (no change)

4.       Michigan (up 2)

5.       Purdue (down 1)

6.       Penn State (up 1)

7.       Michigan State (down 2)

8.       Iowa (up 2)

9.       Wisconsin (no change)

10.   Minnesota (down 2)

11.   Indiana (no change)

12.   Illinois (no change)

B1G Week 5 Preview

Thankfully the B1G season kicks off this weekend.  For the next 9 weeks, at least 5 B1G teams will win a game.  Since most teams have been embarrassed at least once already, the conference games should be pretty competitive and interesting.  The B1G title is wide open, so let’s try to enjoy the quiet next few months until the “top” teams will get rewarded by being double digit underdogs in their bowl games.

Indiana (2-1) @ Northwestern (4-0) Saturday 12:00pm

Indiana is beginning to understand their head coach’s high powered passing attack, but the problem is its Indiana and they have little talent to speak of.  Northwestern has improved in their first 4 games, and have become a legitimate B1G threat.  The two Wildcat quarterbacks should be able to attack the weak Hoosier secondary.  Indiana might be able to score a few points in this game, and maybe even hang around for most of the game.  The problem is Northwestern will just end up scoring more.

Penn State (2-2) @ Illinois (2-2) Saturday 12:00pm

The records of these two are the same, but they are trending in opposite directions.  The Nittany Lions are coming off of back to back wins, and the offense is staring to click.  If McGloin doesn’t turn the ball over, Penn State could actually cause some issues in the Leaders Division.  Illinois is coming off of a blowout loss to Louisiana Tech, at home.  The Illini turned the ball over 6 times, and as Michigan fans found out, that makes it hard to win a game.  There will be a lot of talent on both defenses, but I just can’t see Illinois bouncing back this quickly after the debacle last weekend.

Minnesota (4-0) @ Iowa (2-2) Saturday 12:00pm

The Golden Gophers are undefeated, yet the underdog as they head to Kinnick Stadium.  Iowa has looked confused and just flat out bad in the first 4 weeks of the season.  Minnesota has been one of the nice surprises in the B1G so far, but Gray hasn’t fully recovered from the high ankle sprain.  He will likely be unavailable this week.  As bad as the Hawkeyes have looked, I think Vandenberg and the passing attack bounces back a little this week and Weisman has another good game on the ground.  Also, I think Iowa’s defense will be a little upset after giving up over 30 points to a terrible MAC team.  Iowa wins in a close game and takes the hog back.

Marshall (2-2) @ Purdue (2-1) Saturday 3:15pm

Wolverine fans might be interested in this game to get a better feel for the Boilermakers before next weekend.  Purdue still has one remaining tune up game against the Herd.  Marshall throws the ball around the field with a lot of success, but Purdue’s pass rush will be able to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback.  Look for Johnson or Allen to record at least one interception in this one.  Purdue will put up some big offensive numbers again and roll in this one.

Ohio State (4-0) @ Michigan State (3-1) Saturday 3:30pm

Well since College Gameday will be in East Lansing for this one, I guess I have to pick it for the marquee game of the week.  This game should tell us a lot about two of the favorites.  Braxton Miller really struggled last season against Sparty, but he looks like a completely different player at this point.  I am also interested in seeing how the Bucknut defense is able to stop Le’Veon Bell.  I think the talented OSU secondary gives Andrew Maxwell problems all game, and Michigan State will be one dimensional again.  The problem here is the scarlet and gray front seven is better than Boise St and Eastern Michigan.  Miller makes enough plays through the air and with his feet to get Ohio State in the 20s which will be enough to beat the inept offense in green and white.

Wisconsin (3-1) @ Nebraska (3-1) Saturday 8:00pm

I already talked about this one in the upset alert.  The Wisconsin defense is talking some trash this week about Taylor Martinez, and while I agree with most of the comments, it is not a smart thing to do to the quarterback of the best B1G offense.  The Huskers will face the best defense they have played so far, but Nebraska’s offense is better than anything the Badgers have seen either.  It will be a fun matchup to watch.  I happen to think the guys in red and white from Madison will make enough plays to help their struggling offense.  However, if Nebraska gets to 30, Wisconsin could be in trouble.  Even without Ball, Nebraska will struggle to stop Wisconsin’s running attack.  I think the Badgers sneak by the current Rose Bowl favorite.  Another thing to watch for is both teams are wearing alternate uniforms for this one, and from what I have seen, they both look awful.

Week 5 Upset Alert

Most of the non-conference games have come to an end and the conference slate will be in full swing in week 5.  We take one step closer to finding out who are the real national title contenders and which teams have been over rated.  There really aren’t any marquee games this week, but there are a few that I can see the favorite struggle.

Stanford @ Washington 9:00 pm Thursday

I keep thinking Washington is going to be a team to cause problems in the Pac12 this season, and I was interested to see how they would fare against LSU in week 2.  They traveled across the country and got pummeled like most do against LSU or Alabama.  They were no match for the physical play of the Tiger’s defense and the Washington defense was too under-sized to match up against the battering ram of LSU.  I think they will fare better on Thursday night against the Cardinal.  Yes, the Stanford defense looks to top the conference, but I think Washington has enough speed to score some points. 

Tennessee @ Georgia 3:30pm Saturday

Well the Volunteers blew a big opportunity to move into a contender role in the SEC East when they blew the game against Florida.  The test is much tougher this time around, but a win would mean nearly the same thing.  It will be interesting to see how Tyler Bray handles the pressure from Jarvis Jones and company.  If he get enough time in this game, I think he will be able to find his talented receivers down the field.  Murray will look to have a big game through the air as well.  I think it will be tough to win between the hedges, but Tennessee could make things more interesting than expected.

Wisconsin @ Nebraska 8:00pm Saturday

I have been very critical of the Badgers so far this season, but none of their struggles matter in the non-conference.  They have the talent to go undefeated through this terrible B1G.  Nebraska looks like the current top pick to represent the conference in the Rose Bowl, but the Husker defense has been a major disappointment so far.  They really struggle against the run, and Wisconsin happens to be pretty good in that department.  Yes, Wisconsin has had offensive line issues and Montee Ball might not play in this game.  The Badger defense is still the best Nebraska has faced this year, and they likely will not be rattled in the surroundings.  I think Martinez will fall back on some bad habits under pressure, and the Badger line backing unit will be able to slow down the high speed rushing attack.  I am looking for Wisconsin to make a big statement in the opening weekend of conference play.

Oregon State @ Arizona 10:00pm Saturday

The Beavers are coming off of a hard fought win against UCLA last weekend, but they could run into a bit of a trap game this week when they head to Tucson to take on the Wildcats.  I don’t think the RichRod led offense will be slowed to a stop in this one.  They should be able to put up some points against the decent defense.  Also, Oregon State’s offense will not offer nearly as tough a test as the Ducks last weekend.  I also think Oregon State is one of those over-rated teams right now. 

B1G Week 4 Recap

Why wouldn’t week 4 be another embarrassing outing for terrible B1G.  After the non-conference season wrapped up Saturday night, it looks like nobody wants to take the role of favorite.  The top teams have so many issues that really 9 teams have at least a small chance at a division title.  I will try to be positive in saying that at least the race for Indy should be exciting.  The conference has lost all credibility, and will not have a chance to regain any until bowl season starts.  Thankfully we are still a couple months away from that embarrassment.

Good surprise:

Penn State gave Bill O’Brien his first winning streak as a head coach in their win against Temple.  Matt McGloin actually looked like a real quarterback on Saturday.  After these last two weeks, I think Penn State has a real chance at making some noise in the Leaders (rhymes with cheaters) division.

This isn’t really a surprise, but LeV’eon Bell looked back on track to compete for the B1G’s Offensive Player of the Year.  If Michigan State does head to Pasadena (I just threw up in my mouth), Bell will be the biggest reason why and should win this award hands down. He put up monster numbers against a terrible defense and Dantonio seems to like to play with fire by running Bell for half of the teams plays.

I guess I will reach to find a 3^rd good surprise, but Iowa walk-on running back Weisman put up his second big game in a row in the disappointing loss to Central Michigan.  It looks like the running back problems could be solved for the Hawkeyes, but take care of your ACL’s Weisman.

Bad Surprise:

Where do I start.  How about with Illinois, who welcomed in one of the top scoring offenses in the nation to Champagne on Saturday night in Louisiana Tech.  The Illini turned the ball over 6 times and got punched in the face to the tune of 52-24.  The self-stated “best front 7 in the nation” did not leave up to its own hype, and suddenly the blue and orange look like conference cellar dwellers.

Andrew Maxwell struggling against Eastern Michigan was very surprising.  I know he is the quarterback, and will get more of the criticism, but I don’t know how much is him struggling under pressure or the horrible play from the receivers. 

Iowa Hawkeyes as a whole.  They look terrible so far on the season after losing at home to a bad MAC team in Central Michigan.  I don’t know how this team rebounds after this.  It will likely take a major turnaround just for Ferentz to keep his job after this.

I would say that my conference rankings are as follows:

1.       Ohio State (no change)

2.       Nebraska (Up 4)

3.       Northwestern (up 2)

4.       Purdue (no change)

5.       Michigan State (down 2)

6.       Michigan (down 4)

7.       Penn State (Up 2)

8.       Minnesota (down 1)

9.       Wisconsin (Up 2)

10.   Iowa (no change)

11.   Indiana (Up 1)

12.   Illinois (down 4)

Week 4: Notre Dame Recap

It has taken me a bit longer than usual to recap the Michigan vs Notre Dame game, partially because of a busy work schedule but mostly because I had to compile my thoughts.  The Michigan Wolverines have had two chances this season to take the next step toward being nationally prominent again, but they have crashed and burned both times.  At this point, Hoke has one more shot at taking this program a step in the right direction, and we will have to wait until January 1^st to see if it even comes about (playing in the Rose Bowl or maybe the Capital One Bowl).  I think it is still too early to think whether the tire fire that was Alabama and the turnover bakery of Notre Dame pushed the program back at all.  Anyways, after a great day of tailgating and seeing Doug Fister collect his first ever complete game shut-out, my hopes were high as we tuned in to NBC Saturday night.  I really believed Denard would take a step forward and continue to prove himself as a passer.  I thought the receivers would gash the horrendous, inexperienced Irish secondary.  I thought the defensive line would struggle against the run, but the secondary should have a very good game against unknown receivers.  I thought Al Borges’ play-calling with Denard at quarterback was actually starting to mesh.  Wow, was I let down.  I couldn’t watch the final seconds tick away in a game where all of my previous thoughts were so wrong. Where my team completely out-played a “better” team, on the road, but still found a way to win.  I began realizing how Irish fans must have felt after 2009 and 2011. 

There honestly wasn’t too much that I liked from this game.  Some people wanted to cheer me up by saying the defense was impressive, but in reality that just made me more frustrated.  Seriously, how do you lose a game where you punt one time?  I will try to find some pearls in the pig pen, but it will be difficult.  I was impressed with the defensive line at times.  Michigan is still not creating any pressure with their front four, but at least they held their block long enough to give the linebackers open lanes to make tackles.  We finally saw glimpses of hope from Morgan and Demens.  I know the interior of Notre Dame’s offensive line is not comparable to Alabama, but it was good to see the Wolverine front four actually look like an average unit.  I already mentioned this, but the line backers played a very good game.  Jake Ryan is quickly becoming one of the most fun players to watch in the B1G, Demens did very well in coverage and tackling, and Morgan wasn’t forced to run sideline to sideline too much since some running plays were actually funneled to him.  On offense I was impressed with the running game.  The offensive line seemed to take a big step forward against the 2^nd best front 7 we will face this season.  Michigan averaged over 5 yards per carry.  Fitz was able to find some holes, especially in the 2^nd half.  He is starting to look more like 2011, which is great news with the B1G season starting now.  I also thought the receivers did a decent job of running routes and getting open (and making tackles, ugh).  Of course Denard couldn’t hit crap if he was standing in East Lansing, but the receivers are not looking like a weak point of Team 133.  I can’t think of anything else.

Since the things I didn’t like could make up its own post, and if you watched the game you know, I will keep this as concise as I can.  Where do I start?  How about with the senior quarterback who didn’t just make bad throws that resulted in interceptions like we know he is prone to do, Denard made bad decision after bad decision that resulted in the worst game I have ever seen him have (this includes MSU 2011, and any game in 2009).  Notre Dame did a good job of getting pressure in the face of the terrified senior, and instead of using his legs to get some scramble yards, throwing the ball into the crowd, or just taking the sack, Denard thought it would be a good decision to throw the ball into double coverage time after time.  This is not high school football, and if you throw into double coverage with average receivers the ball will be intercepted.  It is a good thing we have a bye week this week because I did not like what I saw from Denard after the game.  Yes, he apologized and was in total shock, but he didn’t look like a guy who was going to lead this team to a bounce-back win this weekend.  He didn’t really look like a guy that was going to lead this team to do anything special this year at all.  Enough of that, everyone saw how bad number 16 was .  How about the play-calling.  The game started well with the wheel route to the full-back from Devin.  But why would you put the ball in the hands of a running back to make a fade throw with pressure in his face.  Yes, Smith should have thrown the ball earlier, and yes Dileo was wide open if the ball was thrown to the back corner.  But this is not the play to run at the 10 yard line, even if it tricks the defense (like it did on Saturday night) 10 yards is not enough room for the receiver to get past the safety to where it doesn’t matter how bad the throw is since it will still result in a completion.  The offense averaged over 5 yards per carry, why not line up and punch the ball in the end zone.  The first drive of the game wasn’t the place to get cute in the red zone.  How about continually running play-action passes out of the I formation, did we even run the ball out of that set?  Play-action only works if the defense thinks you will actually run the ball.  On some of those interceptions, Notre Dame only rushed 3 or 4 guys and dropped everyone in coverage, they were not biting on the fake.  Al Borgess took a giant step back in my book with the game plan against Alabama and the crap on Saturday night.  I know he wants Denard to be a west-coast passer, but he just isn’t and he never will be.  I don’t understand why against inferior teams (Air Force and UMass) the play calling seems to fit Denard’s abilities more than in the games where Michigan needs the quarterback to feel as comfortable as possible (ND 2011 & 12, MSU 2011, VT, Alabama).  I just don’t understand.  After 2 interceptions in a row, why not run a simple screen pass or slant to get some of that confidence back?  Instead, lets line up in the same formation and make Denard throw the same pass again.  As a college coach for so long, Borges better learn to adapt to his star player because it is obvious Denard is not adjusting to him.  If the OC can actually do that, this Michigan team SHOULD be in Pasadena on January 1^st.

I could talk about the secondary, but I have ranted enough.  You also just read a statement that might make you scratch your head, after 2 terrible games this season how can I say “should be in Pasadena on January 1^st?”  Well first, and probably most importantly, the B1G might be the worst AQ conference this year.  The next 9 weeks should be exciting to watch, and the race is wide open, but the quality is horrendous.  Saturday saw the B1G lose its last challenge until bowl season, a team lose at home to a terrible MAC school, the preseason “favorite” struggling against EMU, and the rest of the teams just not impressing.  Yes, Michigan has a tough schedule ahead with road games against Purdue, Nebraska, and Ohio State, and the grudge match against MSU still upcoming.  But all of these teams have giant issues, which the Wolverines should be able to exploit.  If Denard can limit turnovers (at this point just one per game would be something to cheer about), Michigan should be heading to Indianapolis in December.   

Week 4: Notre Dame preview

This week Michigan faces its second game this season where they are the underdogs.  They are one of the only top 25 teams that can make that claim at this point in the year.  The Wolverines head to South Bend to take on the stinkin leprechauns of Notre Dame.  The Irish are fresh off their complete dominance over Michigan State, on the road, and now have the nation’s interest yet again.  In just a 3 weeks time the golden domers have gone from unranked to national title contenders (in some people’s mind).  Just like Alabama’s strengths aligned with our weaknesses, so did Notre Dame’s against the Spartans. While I do think the Irish are a more complete team at this time, I do not think they will have as much success against Michigan as they did last week in East Lansing.

Notre Dame run offense against Michigan run defense

This appears to be the Wolverines biggest weakness of Team 133.  They did a better job against UMass last weekend, but it was UMass.  This will be one of the most important battles in this game.  Nobody is giving Michigan much of a chance to slow down the Irish’s deep rushing attack of Wood, Riddick, Gholson, etc, but nobody really knows how good this defensive line is yet.  Alabama makes every defensive line look like stuffed animals, and Air Force makes every team look like a deforestation project.  There are still a lot of question marks in this area with the Michigan defense, but this game tomorrow should help answer some of these.  I think the front 4 look less inept in this game, but still get pushed back a few times to spring the Notre Dame backs for big gains.  Advantage Notre Dame.

Notre Dame pass offense vs Michigan pass defense

Gholson impressed some doubters last weekend when he completed some throws against a very good defense. He looks like a college senior when he throws on a roll out.  I will expect Brian Kelly to run more plays this week to get Gholson on the move and out of the pocket. While in the pocket, however, Gholson’s passing is a different story.  He over threw receivers time and again, and looks constantly rushed back there even when Michigan State did not bring a blitz.  The matchup to watch here is how effective Frank Clark and Jake Ryan can be in keeping Gholson in the pocket and also just getting pressure on the quarterback.  Notre Dame is also breaking in a stable of new receivers, and they do not have the down field threat they have had in past seasons.  Gholson’s number one option will be giant tight end Tyler Eiffert.  He will likely be double covered for some of the game.  Michigan State blanketed him last week and Gholson could not complete one pass to him.  I doubt Notre Dame will make as many attempts down field as last week because the intermediate passing attack could be very effective against our line backers and 2^nd cornerback.  If Mattison’s designed blitzes can actually force some bad decisions from Gholson, Michigan could control this game.  I don’t think the pressure will be consistent enough, and the play action passing will be effective at certain times so the Irish will move the ball down the field. Advantage Notre Dame.

Michigan run offense vs Notre Dame run defense

The strength of the Notre Dame defense is right up the middle.  Their front seven will be one of the best we face all season.  The Michigan guards have really struggled so far this year with run blocking.  Fitz was able to get positive yards last week, but mostly when he ran off Lewan.  I doubt many yards will be gained from Michigan running backs between the tackles this week.  Notre Dame interior linebacker Te’o is the best in the nation, so even if the guards can get some push up front, big number 5 will be waiting.  The x factor here is Denard’s legs.  He has dominated the Irish the past two seasons, and will likely be needed to do it again tomorrow night.  Denard will need to continue to improve as a scrambling quarterback and not just a running QB.  If he can tuck the ball and run instead of forcing a couple of throws, the offense will likely eclipse 150 yards on the ground.  Advantage Notre Dame, if only counting running backs.  Advantage Michigan with Denard added.

Michigan pass offense vs Notre Dame pass defense

This might be the most lopsided matchup of the game.  Notre Dame has lost two preseason starters in the secondary, and now they lost a third for the season.  They are going to start 2 former receivers who are in their first season of playing defense.  Denard has shown improvements in the passing game so far this year, and this should continue tomorrow.  Of course, the Irish pass rush can greatly even this difference. I don’t see Notre Dame being overly aggressive, since they need to worry about Denard running.  The Michigan offensive line has been very good in pass coverage so far this year, and I think that continues this weekend.  Hopefully Denard can limit his bonehead throws.  If Denard does not have any turnovers I find it very hard to think Michigan won’t win this game.  Advantage Michigan.

Special Teams

Michigan’s special teams have been very good so far this season outside of punt coverage.  Hagerup has 11 punts on the year and 5 of them have gone for over 50 yards.  It looks like he is finally back to being a consistent punter.  It looks like both teams are happy to kick the ball out of the end zone for touchbacks.  It looks like both groups are close to even, the problem though is the Wolverine’s punt coverage has been so bad that Notre Dame has the athletes to get a big return.  Overall I would give neither team the advantage here.

I was not overly impressed with Notre Dame last weekend against Michigan State, it was a pretty tough game to watch.  I do think they were able to exploit Michigan State’s weaknesses on both sides of the ball which makes it easier to win the game.  In this game I expect both teams to be able to attack weaknesses, and I would be shocked if less than 40 points combined were scored.  I think Michigan has enough weapons on offense to stretch the field to give Denard and company some running lanes.  The question here is, which mistake-prone quarterback cracks first? I like Denard to continue his lore against the Irish tomorrow night with a mature but moderate performance.  Michigan 27 Notre Dame 24. 

B1G Week 4: Preview

10 of the conferences teams are in action this week, gearing up for the start of B1G play.  Most teams are playing inferior opponents to get some game speed practice and to get younger players valuable experience for if/when their number is called when the games matter more.  There are a couple of intriguing this games week, however, so lets take a look around the league.

UAB @ Ohio State 12:00pm

This one is a bit of a mis-match since UAB is terrible.  Ohio State should be able to get their younger defensive linemen in the game, and continue to work on their tackling.  Braxton Miller will put up huge numbers, and probably will be able to take a seat after 3 quarters. The Bucknuts shouldn’t have any problems this week.

UTEP @ Wisconsin 12:00pm

The Miners gave Oklahoma all they wanted in the season opener, and only gave up 24 points to the Sooners.  It looks like the Badger offense is just bad.  O’Brien has been benched for Stave, so Wisconsin looks to build confidence in the signal caller position before conference play. I don’t see UTEP being able to score more than 10 points in this one, so the Badgers should be able to escape with a low scoring victory.

Central Michigan @ Iowa 12:00pm

The Hawkeyes seemed to get some offensive struggles worked out last week, and should be able to continue that progress against the terrible Chips.  This is a much needed game for Iowa who will be looking to put up some big offensive numbers at home.

South Dakota @ Northwestern

Northwestern is shaping up to be a contender in the Legends Division, and likely would be the favorite in the Leaders right now.  They will get a chance to continue to work out their quarterback situation on Saturday.  South Dakota beat a terrible Minnesota team a couple of years ago, but I doubt they will be able to hang around very long in this one.

Eastern Michigan @ Michigan State 3:30pm

Well, Michigan State has finished their two real non-conference games and are going back to stomping all over the MAC.  The Ron English led Eagles have no chance in this game.  Sparty should be able to work out some younger, athletic, real receivers than the bums they started the season with.  Maxwell will bounce back and put up a lot of yards.  Bell will likely run wild as well.  This one will be over at the coin flip.

Idaho State @ Nebraska 3:30pm

Another snoozer.  The Huskers get Rex Burkhead back and will likely enter him back into the offense slowly.  Abdullah will get enough carries to go over 100.  Nebraska could have 3 100 yard rushers in this one.

Temple @ Penn State 3:30pm

Penn State is coming off their impressive win over Navy.  They seemed to mesh well on offense and look to continue against the Owls.  Temple has never won in Beaver Stadium, but this week might be their best chance ever.  This looks to be a close game, but I like the Nittany Lions to give O’Brien his first winning streak.

Syracuse @ Minnesota 8:00pm

This has been highlighted as the game of the week.  Of course the Notre Dame vs Michigan is the high profile game this week, but I will cover it in depth tomorrow.  The Golden Gophers are coming in at 3-0, while the Orange are 1-2.  Syracuse has a very good passing offense that put up 41 points against Northwestern.  I think Syracuse is the better team in this matchup, especially with Minnesota QB Gray out for a couple of weeks with an ankle injury.  Look for Nassib to put up big numbers against the Gophers. 

Louisiana Tech @ Illinois 8:00pm

Illinois doesn’t get much of a break this week before B1G play.  LaTech is the highest scoring team in college football so far, and will likely be able to move the ball against the Illini.  It will give the defense a very good test.  The Illinois linebackers have said they have the best front seven in the nation, well they will need to show up big Saturday night.  I think Scheelhasse’s return will help the Illini outscore the Bulldogs in this game, but it could make for an exciting watch.