Big Ten
Illinois
|
Indiana
|
Iowa
|
Michigan
|
Michigan State
|
Minnesota
Northwestern
|
Ohio State
|
Penn State
|
Purdue
|
Wisconsin
- Past Predictions:
Week One
|
Week Two
Big Ten Week
Three Fearless Predictions
How'd we do so far? 11-0 straight
up, 6-2
ATS
Eastern Michigan
(0-2)
at
Northwestern
(1-1) 2 pm EST Saturday, September 16th
Why to watch:
These two teams are looking to change
around their seasons in a real big
hurry. Northwestern hit the ground with
a resounding thud with a 34-17 loss to
D-IAA's New Hampshire. New head coach
Pat Fitzgerald is still trying to find
his head coaching legs, and even though
no one is expecting the Wildcats to do
too much this season, the season might
go right into the tank if they can't
handle the middling Eagles. Eastern
Michigan had a nightmare of a time
stopping Ball State and Eastern Michigan
over the first two weeks, so this has to
be the week Northwestern gets its
offense going.
Why Eastern Michigan might win:
EMU should be able to bomb away at will
on the Wildcat secondary. UNH's Ricky
Santos completed 18 of 24 passes for 206
yards and two touchdowns and ran for
three scores, and if healthy, EMU's
Tyler Jones should be able to do the
same thing. Jones leads the Eagles in
rushing and has the potential to come up
with a huge day if his injured shoulder
isn't a problem. .
Why Northwestern might win:
The Eastern Michigan defense hasn't even
come close. It's having equal problems
stopping the pass and the run, and while
it's generating a little bit of pressure
into the backfield, it's not being
disruptive enough to make a difference.
NU QB Mike Kafka is still trying to get
his feet wet, and this is the defense to
make a big splash against.
Who to watch: Can Jones go? His
banged up shoulder has forced a
two-quarterback system with Andy
Schmitt, who could end up starting.
While Jones is the better player,
Schmitt is the better passer. For
Northwestern, the big question coming
off last week was the absence of Tyrell
Sutton late in the game. If didn't get
the ball in the fourth quarter choosing
to go with Terrell Jordan. Is Fitzgerald
trying to send a message to his young
star? Soon, Sutton needs to be the
workhorse of the attack.
What will happen: Eastern
Michigan will get a huge day out of WR
Eric Deslauriers, but it won't be nearly
enough to overcome the 250 rushing yards
the Wildcats will roll up.
CFN Prediction:
Northwestern 38 ... Eastern Michigan 20
... Line: Northwestern -17.5
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Dancing with the Stars) ...
2
Temple
(0-2)
at
Minnesota
(1-1) 2 pm EST Saturday, September 16th
Why to watch:
For those of you who enjoy car crashes,
violent war footage, or the WB Wednesday
night lineup, this is the game for you.
Minnesota is coming off a 42-17 pounding
at Cal and has the Big Ten opener at
Purdue next week. Along the way, it gets
a nice breather against a Temple team on
a 14-game losing streak and has played
to two extremes in the first two games.
After opening up with a 9-3 overtime
loss at Buffalo, it got pounded 62-0 by
Louisville in a game that was much worse
than the final score might indicate. New
head coach Al Golden is looking for
anything positive he can get out of his
team.
Why Temple might win: It's
defense will sell out to get into the
backfield. The secondary can't cover
anyone one-on-one, but it's getting a
little bit of help from a good pass rush
that has generated five sacks and 13
tackles for loss in two games.
Minnesota's defense is far from stingy,
so it wouldn't be a shock if Temple
finally broke through and came up with
its first touchdown of the year.
Why Minnesota might win:
Temple allowed 168 rushing yards to
Temple and 312 yards and seven
touchdowns to Louisville. Minnesota's
ground game will be looking to get back
on track after only gaining 109 on
California. The offensive line should
dominate from the time the two teams
come out of the tunnel.
Who to watch: Minnesota QB Bryan
Cupito has been around too long not to
be consistent. While he wasn't awful
against Cal, he wasn't a difference
maker and has shouldered way too much of
the blame for the loss. Until the
Minnesota running game is the Minnesota
running game again, Cupito has to make
everyone around him better. He has to
show against a weak Owl defense that he
can be dangerous enough to keep
defensive coordinators awake at night.
What will happen: Temple will get
its first touchdown of the year. It
won't be nearly enough as the Gophers
will put this away after their first two
drives. Don't look for a young Gopher
team that's still trying to find its way
to take it too easy.
CFN Prediction:
Minnesota 55 ... Temple 10
... Line: Minnesota -41
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Dancing with the Stars) ...
1.5
Youngstown State
(2-0)
at
Penn Sate
(1-1) 3:30 pm EST ESPNU Saturday,
September 16th
Why to watch:
Youngstown State is on a three-game
winning streak and coming of a 34-14 win
over Maine. This is one of the nation's
best D-IAA teams playing its first game
ever against a Big Ten team. Penn State
will try to bounce back after getting
rocked by Notre Dame 41-17 in a game
that showed just how far Anthony Morelli
and the offense needs to go before it
can think about being like the BCS team
of last year. With a showdown at Ohio
State coming next, the kinks have to be
worked out now.
Why Youngstown State might win:
The Penguins have an explosive offense
with a decent passer in junior Tom Zetts.
He's not a bomber, but he's good at
keeping the chains moving and adds a
little bit of mobility. If Penn State
doesn't have its head in the game, Zetts
is just good enough, and to crank
out some long drives and keep this fun
for a half. The Penguin lines are among
the best in D-IAA.
Why Penn State might win:
The YSU pass defense is average at a
D-IAA level and has no shot of staying
with the Nittany Lion receivers on deep
patterns. The Penguin defensive front
was able to get into the backfield
against Slippery Rock and Maine, but
it's not going to do much against the
Penn State line. Morelli will have time
to throw, and he'll make the most of it.
Who to watch: Penn State has to
use this game to find a rushing attack.
Tony Hunt only has 26 carries for 110
yards and a touchdown in the first two
games, but he'll have to carry more and
more of the workload with Austin Scott
likely out for the year with an ankle
problem. Junior Rodney Kinlaw needs to
make more of an impact.
What will happen: Penn State will
bomb away at will. After a bad day
against Notre Dame, the linebackers will
come out fired up and should keep the
explosive Penguin attack from getting
much moving.
CFN Prediction:
Penn State 48 ... Youngstown State 9
... Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Dancing with the Stars) ...
1
San Diego State
(0-1)
at
Wisconsin
(2-0) 3:30 pm EST GamePlanSaturday,
September 16th
Why to watch:
It'll be a meeting of new, rising star
head coaches and ex-Iowa Hawkeyes as the
Aztecs' Chuck Long and Wisconsin's
Bret Bielema each look for a little bit
of momentum going into their respective
conference seasons. Wisconsin gets its
first halfway decent test of the season
before starting out the Big Ten campaign
at Michigan. San Diego State has had a
week off to rest up after a
disappointing home opener against UTEP
losing 34-27, and it needs to come away
from Camp Randall with some confidence
before diving into the Mountain West
opener against a solid Utah team.
Why San Diego State might win: If
San Diego State can get some rushing
production out of the quarterbacks, it
has a shot. Bowling Green
quarterback-turned-running back Freddie
Barnes ran for 158 yards and two
touchdowns on the way to keeping the
Badger defense on its heels. Aztec RB
Lynell Hamilton and QB Darren Mougey are
each dangerous runners with enough speed
and quickness to tear off some big
gains. The Badgers haven't been all that
sharp on offense yet and aren't likely
to explode until the young receivers
start to get more comfortable.
Why Wisconsin might win:
Punting. Wisconsin is great at taking
advantage of good field position, and
it'll get it thanks to All-America
candidate Ken DeBauche. and his 42-yard
average. San Diego State's Michael
Hughes kicked twice against UTEP for a
total of 35 yards. The Badger special
teams are terrific and should be the
difference in at least two big plays.
Who to watch: Is Mougey ready to
be the man? With starter Kevin O'Connel
out with a thumb injury, Mougey steps in
to run the attack in his first big test.
He's a fantastic prospect with 6-5,
220-pound size and tremendous speed, but
he's very green and needs a few games of
experience.after seeing a little bit of
work as a freshman. The Badgers are
going to send everyone and the kitchen
sink at Hamilton, so Mougey has to make
the secondary pay with big plays up top.
What will happen: The Aztecs will
make a game of this for at least a half,
and then the Badgers will make a few
defensive adjustments and shut things
down in the second half.
CFN Prediction:
Wisconsin 34 ... San Diego State 16
... Line: Wisconsin -14
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Dancing with the Stars) ...
2.5
Southern Illinois
(1-0)
at
Indiana
(2-0) 4 pm EST Saturday,
September 16th
Why to watch:
It'll be an emotional game for Indiana
as it tries to win one for head coach
Terry Hoeppner, who has to undergo brain
surgery to remove a small tumor. The
Hoosiers might be the nation's shakiest
2-0 team after needing a big second half
to put away Ball State and looking
less-than-scintillating in a 29-20 win
over Western Michigan. SIU is a good
D-IAA team ranked 16th in the nation
after beating Lock Haven 49-0. This is
hardly a gimme for the Hoosiers.
Why Southern Illinois might win:
This has hardly been a consistent
Hoosier team so far on either side of
the ball. Ball State was able to get up
early on the Hoosiers with a sharp
passing game, and it took a couple of
big plays from the IU special teams and
defense to finally start to turn things
around. Statistically, IU's run defense
is good, but it hasn't faced an elite
back yet. SIU senior Arkee Whitlock is a
Walter Payton Award candidate and should
be able to tear off 100 yards.
Why Indiana might win:
SIU is 1-20 all-time against D-I teams
with the last win coming against New
Mexico State in 1983. SIU has size up
front, but it's missing quickness to
handle an IU defensive front seven that
should be able to get into the backfield
on a regular basis. The Salukis don't
have the corners to deal with the solid
Hoosier receivers.
Who to watch: And the IU
quarterback will be ... ? Redshirt
freshman Kellen Lewis saved the day
against Ball State with a brilliant
second half. While he's not Antwaan
Randle El, he provides a dual threat
that's been missing from the attack for
years. Blake Powers is the starter as
long as he's healthy, but it'll be hard
keeping Lewis off the field if the
offense starts to sputter at all. Graeme
McFarland is all but out of the mix with
a shoulder injury.
What will happen: Watch out. SIU
will make this very, very interesting
until IU finally puts it a way with a
few late big plays.
CFN Prediction:
Indiana 31 ... Southern Illinois 20
... Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Dancing with the Stars) ...
2
Big Ten Week
Three Fearless Predictions