Big Ten
Illinois
|
Indiana
|
Iowa
|
Michigan
|
Michigan State
|
Minnesota
Northwestern
|
Ohio State
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Penn State
|
Purdue
|
Wisconsin
- Past Predictions:
Week One
Big Ten Week
Two Fearless Predictions, Part 2
How'd we do so far? 11-0 straight
up, 6-2 against the spread
Big Ten Game of
the Week
Ohio State
(1-0)
at
Texas
(1-0) 8 pm EST ABC Saturday,
September 9th
Why to watch:
It might only be early September, but
this might be for the national
championship. This is the one the whole
college football world has been waiting
for ever since these two staged a
classic in last year's 25-22 Texas
victory that kickstarted the run to the
national championship. After moving up
in the Coaches' Poll to number two,
Texas has put itself in a position to
control its own destiny in the national
title hunt with, realistically, only a
shaky Oklahoma and trips to Nebraska and
Texas Tech standing in the way of
another championship game. Ohio State is
seen as this year's version of the 2005
Longhorns with QB Troy Smith, who was
platooned with Justin Zwick in last
year's UT showdown, being asked to be
another Vince Young. After a dominating
35-12 win over Northern Illinois to
start the season, the Buckeyes are still
the number one team in the country, but
this is the game that needs to cement
the spot. Can Mack Brown win a big game
without Young? Can Ohio State show that
all the defensive losses to the NFL
didn't really matter? This should be
nothing less than a classic.
Why Ohio State might win: Texas
QB Colt McCoy looked terrific against
North Texas completing 12 of 19 passes
for 178 yards and three touchdowns. Ohio
State isn't North Texas. It's one thing
to be able to stand around all day and
wait for the receivers to come open, but
it's another to do it against a
fire-breathing defense like OSU's.
Everyone can say all they want about how
McCoy faces one of the best defenses in
the nation every day in practice, but
it's just not the same. Texas won last
year because of the steady play of Young
when things got tight. If all else is
dead even, the Buckeyes have a whopping
advantage at quarterback. Ohio State
knows Troy Smith can pull games out of
the fire; Texas hopes McCoy can.
Why Texas might win:
The forecast for Austin, Texas for this
Saturday: High 98 with isolated
thunderstorms. Especially early in the
season when everyone's still getting in
game shape, there's a huge difference
between the heat of Columbus and the
hard-to-breathe humidity that should be
a factor on Saturday night. Texas will
be used to it; Ohio State won't be. The
Buckeye defensive back seven will be
really good ... in time. As good as NIU
RB Garrett Wolfe is, it has to be a
concern that the Huskie back was able to
tear off 171 rushing yards. The Texas
offensive line is far better than NIU's,
and Jamaal Charles leads a backfield
that's more than good enough to come up
with a huge night.
Who to watch: Ohio State can
certainly run the ball, but the offense
hums at its best when the deep passing
game is working. Things got a lot easier
for Smith, Ted Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez
as Texas will be without starting CB
Tarell Brown after the senior was
arrested on misdemeanor drug and weapon
charges. It's supposed to be Brown's job
to handle a much-improved Ginn, and now
it might be up to sophomore Ryan Palmer
or junior Brandon Foster to handle the
work. ... Job one for UT defensive
coordinator Gene Chizik will be to stop
No. 7. Ginn was always known for being a
great do-it-all athlete, and now he has
improved his route running and receiver
skills to an All-America level. He
caught four passes fro 123 yards and two
touchdowns against NIU, took two
kickoffs for 25 yards, and two punt
returns for 44.
What will happen: This is about
as dead even as it can get. McCoy is
better than many might think, and he'll
show just enough poise to make the one
or two key throws needed to keep the
offense moving. It'll be a physical,
hard-hitting game with the two offensive
lines controlling the other's defensive
front. Texas will get just enough from
the running game to pull off the win and
move up to number one.
CFN Prediction:
Texas
23 ... Ohio State 20
... Line: Texas -2
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Fashion House) ... 5
Central Michigan
(0-1)
at
Michigan
(1-0) 12 pm EST GamePlan Saturday,
September 9th
Why to watch:
Michigan was hardly sharp in a 27-7 win
over Vanderbilt, but it's the sign of a
good team that it can with with relative
ease when it doesn't play all that well.
With the showdown at Notre Dame coming
up next, the Wolverines have to use
Central Michigan to sharpen everything
up from better route running from the
receivers to more big plays to more pop
from the return game. That might be
easier said than done against Chippewa
squad that gave a rock-solid and far
superior Boston College team all it
could handle in a 31-24 Eagle win. While
CMU doesn't have the horses to get into
a firefight with the Maize and Blue, it
has enough good players to have a
puncher's chance if everything breaks
the right way.
Why Central Michigan might win:
Michigan looked far from being a
finished product against Vanderbilt.
Dropped passes and a few missed
opportunities kept the Commodores from
mounting any sort of serious threat.
Expected to win in a blowout just like
BC was last week, the Wolverines, with
their heads already in South Bend, might
just let CMU hang around and hang around
and hang around until it's the fourth
quarter and the game is far closer than
expected. However ...
Why Michigan might win:
... it took gimmicks, quirky plays, and
several off-the-wall chances for CMU to
get into a position to have the ball
down seven late against BC. It wasn't
like the Chippewas just stepped up and
played better than the Eagles. Those
same tricks won't work twice; Michigan
has the film from last week's game. The
Wolverine coaching staff also has the
luxury BC's didn't of being able to
properly prepare for ...
Who to watch: ... freshman backup
quarterback Dan LeFevour. When CMU
starter Brian Brunner suffered a
concussion on a crushing hit on the
second play from scrimmage against the
Eagles, LeFevour stepped in and went 22
of 37 for 221 yards and ran 14 times for
72 yards. CMU RB Ontario Sneed is the
team's offensive star, so if Michigan
focuses on keeping LeFevour contained,
Sneed has to take advantage. ...
Michigan didn't want to wear down Mike
Hart against Vandy, but according to the
coaches, the game went flying and the
backups didn't get as much work as
expected. Hart won't last the season if
he keeps carrying it 31 times, so look
for Kevin Grady and Brandon Minor to
combine for at least 20 carries.
What will happen: Michigan will
play like its fans have been waiting for
and will look like a top ten team. This
is the game when things will start to
click.
CFN Prediction:
Michigan 41 ... Central Michigan 10
... Line: Michigan -27
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Fashion House) ... 2
Illinois
(1-0)
at
Rutgers
(1-0)
12 pm ET ESPN2 Saturday, September
9th
Why to watch:
Either Illinois or Rutgers is going to
begin the season 2-0, a potentially
monumental step for a pair of programs
searching for national respect. Last
week, the Scarlet Knights toughed out a
21-16 win over North Carolina behind a
201-yard, three-touchdown day from RB
Ray Rice and a couple of timely picks
from CB Manny Collins. With Ohio and
Howard next on the schedule, Greg
Schiano’s crew can seriously start
thinking about its first 4-0 start in a
quarter century, but it has to play a
full 60 minutes after collapsing late
last year in a stunning 33-30 overtime
loss to the Illini. Illinois’ 42-17 win
over Eastern Illinois was reminiscent of
last year’s blowout of Florida A&M, but
what does it really mean? This game will
be a better indicator of the team’s
progress and how well equipped it’ll be
to deal with Iowa and Michigan State in
a few weeks. Tim Brasic has a firm grip
on the starting quarterback job,
however, franchise true freshman QB
Juice Williams will continue getting
pertinent reps.
Why Illinois might win: The
Illini are determined to run the ball
better in 2006, and it showed in the
opener. Behind an improved offensive
line, Pierre Thomas, EB Halsey and
Rashard Mendenhall combined for 283
yards and five scores on just 36
carries. An undersized Rutgers front
was moved around by North Carolina, and
Illinois has the offensive line to
deliver similar results.
Why Rutgers might win: While the
Illinois offense showed signs of life in
the opener, the young defense remains a
bolded question mark. The Illini gave
up big plays to Eastern Illinois, and
against a balanced and, at times,
explosive Knights’ offense, they’ll
struggle to stop both the run and the
pass. With so much attention
justifiably going to the running attack,
this is the perfect setting for
sophomore QB Mike Teel to have a
breakthrough game.
Who to watch: North Carolina was
committed to stopping FB Brian Leonard
last week, and Rice made the Heels pay
for that tactical error. He’s an ideal
lightning to Leonard’s thunder, and the
kind of complement in the backfield
that’s going to allow Teel time to
develop as the starter while making the
Knights difficult to defense.
What will happen: It’s hard to
believe, but last week’s win in Chapel
Hill was Rutgers’ most profound road
victory since beating Michigan State in
East Lansing 15 years ago. Against an
Illini team that’s still trying to find
its way under Zook, the Knights aren’t
about to fumble that momentum. Now that
Rice is on everyone’s radar, Leonard and
TE Clark Harris will be the statistical
stars this weekend.
CFN Prediction:
Rutgers 38 ... Illinois 21
... Line: Rutgers -11.5
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Fashion House) ... 2.5
Miami University
(0-1)
at
Purdue
(1-0) 1 pm EST Saturday, September
9th
Why to watch:
Were the week one performances by these
two really show their real skin? Miami
had to deal with an emotionally charged
Northwestern team that wasn't going to
lose the first game back after the death
of Randy Walker. Purdue tagged poor
Indiana State for 60 points and need to
keep putting up big numbers to try to
erase all the problems of last year. As
average as MU might be, it'll still be a
nice test for the Boilermakers with a
showdown with Notre Dame coming up soon.. Things ease up in a big way for
the RedHawks after this with games
against Kent State and Syracuse, but a
win in West Lafayette would do wonders
for national respect when it comes to
bowl time.
Why Miami University might win:
Most looked at the final score in the
Purdue win over Indiana State and
assumed it was a total annihilation from
the word go. and that was sort of the
case, but the Sycamores came back and
made a game of it thanks to some big
plays. If the RedHawks can come up with
a few turnovers and a big kick return
from Ryne Robinson, this should be
interesting. It didn't show against
Northwestern, but MU has a strong
running game with the backs to control
the tempo. However ...
Why Purdue might win:
... Northwestern's run defense was among
the worst in the nation in 2005, so
either things changed in a huge way this
off-season, or Miami's running game
didn't play as well as it should've.
Purdue might not hold the RedHawks to 73
rushing yards if it's D plays like it
did against the Sycamores, but the game
plan will be to stuff the run first and
make MU QB Mike Kokal win the game. If
this gets into a shootout of any sort,
Purdue will win in a walk.
Who to watch: The two
quarterbacks hold the keys to their
respective team's seasons. Kokal wasn't
bad against Northwestern completing 16
of 26 passes for 182 yards and showed
off a little of his mobility, but he
didn't generate any consistent drives.
He needs to keep the chains moving with
his feet as well as his arm for the
RedHawks to have a shot. Running isn't a
problem for Purdue's Curtis Painter, who
dashed for two touchdowns and threw for
261 yards and two scores last week. He's
great at running the option and knows
how to find top receiver Dorien Bryant,
but he has to up his completion
percentage and has to be more
comfortable in the pocket.
What will happen: Miami will play
a lot better, Purdue will play a little
worse, and this will be surprisingly
close until midway through the fourth
quarter.
CFN Prediction:
Purdue
31 ... Miami University 20
... Line: Purdue -16.5
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Fashion House) ... 2.5
New Hampshire
at
Northwestern
(1-0)
2 pm EST ABC Saturday, September
9th
Why to watch:
This isn't' your normal battle between
D-I and D-IAA teams. The Wildcats of New
Hampshire have a high-octane offense
with QB Ricky Santos and WR David Ball a
dangerous enough combination to put
plenty of points on the board. This is
the first Northwestern home date since
the death of Randy Walker, and it'll be
certainly as emotional as last week's
game at Miami University won by the
Wildcats 21-3 in the debut of new head
coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Why New Hampshire might win: UNH
has tape of Northwestern, but the
Evanston Wildcats don't exactly know
what to make of their opponent since
it's the first game of its season. Last
week at this time, NU QB Mike Kafka was
a bit of mystery to Miami, as was the
way Fitzgerald was going to coach his
team. UNH, considered one of the five
best teams in D-IAA coming into the
year, will hardly be intimidated. This
is a program that beat Rutgers 35-24 in
2004 and has the firepower to hang punch
for punch.
Why Northwestern might win:
There was no way Northwestern was going
to lose last week's game at Miami
considering the emotion and inspiration
going into it. There's no way it's going
to lose at home this week in the first
game back. UNH can forget about its
running game if the NU D plays like it
did last week holding Miami to a mere 73
yards. Northwestern knows Santos is
going to be throwing the ball early and
often, so it can focus on stopping the
UNH passing game first and the run
second.
Who to watch: The 6-2, 200-pound
David Ball only needs five touchdown
catches to get to 51 passing Jerry Rice
as the all-time NCAA record holder in
scoring grabs and 1,153 yards to pass
Rice in yards. He made 87 catches for 24
touchdowns and 1,551 yards last year and
is the one guy Northwestern has to
double team at all times.
What will happen: The Wildcats
will win.
CFN Prediction:
Northwestern 45 ... New Hampshire 31
... Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Fashion House) ... 2
Eastern Michigan
(0-1)
at
Michigan State
(1-0)
3:30 pm EST GamePlan Saturday,
September 9th
Why to watch:
O.K. Michigan State, it's time to start
looking like things really have improved
around East Lansing. The perennial
contender for the honor of being the
nation's most enigmatic team was
stunningly underwhelming last week in a
way-too-close call against Idaho winning
27-17. With a trip to play an improved
Pitt team coming up next week and a date
with the Irish on the 23rd, the Spartans
had better start playing like they
belong at the big boy table. Eastern
Michigan is just the team to help make
MSU feel good about itself after coming
off a 38-20 loss at Ball State.
Why Eastern Michigan might win:
If Idaho, then Eastern Michigan. John L.
Smith and the coaching staff can talk
all they want to about how Dennis
Erickson and the new look Vandals were
different than expected and impossible
to prepare for, but that doesn't make up
for the simple fact that the Spartans,
on talent alone, should've blown the
doors off the perennial WAC doormat. If
the MSU lines don't play appreciably
better, EMU has a shot at getting a few
big plays from WR Eric Deslauriers to
make this a ball game.
Why Michigan State might win:
While he didn't necessarily show it
against Idaho, future top ten draft pick
Drew Stanton is one of the nation's most
efficient passers. With his experience,
he'll know not to take unnecessary
chances against an overmatched Eagle
team, and he should be able to dink and
dunk his way down the field. If Ball
State's Joey Lynch and Nate Davis can
carve up the EMU D, then Stanton should
have few problems.
Who to watch: In the new day and
age of the spread offense, everyone is
looking for a Vince Young-type to be the
offense when everything else breaks
down. This is the last time you'll ever
see Eastern Michigan sophomore Tyler
Jones be this close to a sentence with
the words Vince and Young in it, but the
6-1, 218-pounder is a do-it-all player
who completed 11 of 16 passes for 146
yards and a touchdown against Ball State
and ran 22 times for 164 yards and a
score.
What will happen: Michigan State
will be far sharper right off the bat.
You'll see highlights of several Stanton
plays from this game on draft day
CFN Prediction:
Michigan State 48 ... Eastern Michigan
16
... Line: Eastern Michigan, -25
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Fashion House) ... 2
Big Ten Week
Two Fearless Predictions, Part 2
