Wisconsin
(7-2)
at Ohio State
(9-0)
12:00 PM Big Ten Network
Why to watch: Ohio State is starting
to gain a few measures of respect as the
nation's number one team after the
dominant 37-17 win at Penn State, but
the world wants to see more. Is the
defense really as nasty as it's been
against all the average teams it's gone
against? Is QB Todd Boeckman really a
fringe Heisman candidate after a strong
first nine games? Is Wisconsin just
going to be a speed bump on the way to
Illinois and Michigan? The Penn State
win was good, but getting a win this
week might even be better, even though
the Badgers were destroyed by the
Nittany Lions a few weeks ago. Wisconsin
is playing like the Wisconsin everyone
had in the top ten at the beginning of
the year, with two straight suffocating
performances against Northern Illinois
and Indiana to get within shouting
distance of the Big Ten race again.
Recent history is kind to UW, winning
the last three games in Columbus, with
the last loss coming in 1996. This will
be when Bret Bielema's club shows that
it's a true national player, or it'll be
a fantastic entry for the OSU résumé. Why
Wisconsin might win: The Ohio State
defense is getting the headlines, but
the Badger D is playing almost as well
lately, with far better play from the
secondary and far better tackling
overall. After the loss to Penn State,
the defense appeared to take a different
attitude, and it has paid off allowing
just six points in the last two games.
Yeah, NIU and Indiana aren't Ohio State
and Michigan, but the high-powered
Hoosier attack was kept under wraps,
with Jack Ikegwuonu and the secondary
shutting down IU star receiver James
Hardy. There's a chance the Buckeye
receivers could be erased from the game
from the opening snap. Why Ohio State might win: Ohio
State's defense has proven it can handle
all styles. It stopped Michigan State's
running game, it stopped Purdue's
passing attack, it kept Kent State QB
Julian Edelman from running wild, and it
stuffed Penn State's offense after a big
early drive. Wisconsin needs to pound
the ball and control the line to have
any shot at winning, but the Buckeye
defensive front should have few problems
getting into the backfield and getting
to QB Tyler Donovan. Wisconsin might
become one-dimensional early on needing
to pass and pass again against the
nation's number one pass defense because
... Who to watch: ... Heisman
caliber RB P.J. Hill is questionable at
best with a foot injury suffered in the
Indiana win. To make matters worse,
dynamic backup tailback Lance Smith
isn't able to travel with the team as
punishment for some off the field
issues. That means the Badger offense
will be on Donovan and, most likely,
freshman Zach Brown. Brown got 14
carries for 40 yards and a touchdown
last week, and if Hill isn't ready to
roll, it'll be up to the speedster, and
a slew of fullback options like Chris
Pressley to give UW some semblance of a
ground game. The key will be Donovan,
who has thrown at least one interception
in each of his last six games and only
one touchdown pass in his last three.
He's been good in big situations on the
road before, and now he'll have to pull
of the performance of his career. What will happen:
Wisconsin has the makeup and the history
to come into Columbus relaxed,
efficient, and shockingly good. Don't be
stunned if the Badgers make this a
battle, but the Buckeye defense will be
too much for the banged up UW offense. CFN Prediction: Ohio
State 26 ...
Wisconsin 13 ...
Line: Ohio State -15.5 Must See Rating: (5
Heidi Klum on Victoria's Secret Fashion Show -
1 Heidi Klum on Oprah) ...
4.5
Big 10 Saturday November 3
Purdue
(7-2) at Penn State
(6-3)
12:00 PM ESPN Why to watch:
After getting crushed by Ohio
State and Michigan, Purdue has
been dismissed from the Big Ten
discussion, and rightly so.
After all, the Boilermakers
proved once again that they're
fantastic against the weak and
sad, but soil themselves against
the better teams. That can
change this week with a big win
over a reeling Penn State team
coming off a 37-17 loss to Ohio
State. Just 2-8 against the
Nittany Lions since they joined
the Big Ten, Purdue can put
itself in a nice position to
finish in the top three and be
in range of a New Year's Day
bowl with a win. Penn State has
shown flashes of brilliance,
highlighted by the 38-7 win over
Wisconsin, but for the most
part, this has been Purdue. This
is the final home game of the
year, but the final two games
against Temple and Michigan
State are winnable. Why
Purdue might win: Purdue has
been terrific at keeping
everyone out of the backfield.
Curtis Painter is doing a great
job of getting rid of the ball,
but if he gets time to locate
his second and third options, he
can be lethal. Penn State's pass
rush has been fantastic all
season long, and even got a
little bit of pressure on Ohio
State's Todd Boeckman last week,
but the Boilermaker line is good
enough to keep Painter upright
for most of the game. The
secondary has been the biggest
issue for the Boilermaker
defense, but Penn State isn't
throwing with any consistency. Why Penn State might win: Can the
Purdue offense handle the Penn
State linebackers? Sean Lee and
Dan Connor are the nation's best
duo with the speed, instincts
and talent to keep the
Boilermaker running backs from
getting into the open, while
helping out against the short to
midrange Boilermaker passing
game. Don't discount the final
home game factor and the Senior
Day aspect. Penn State has won
16 of its last 17 home season
finales with the one loss coming
to a tremendous Michigan team in
1999. Who to watch: Purdue
senior WR Dorien Bryant has been
one of the nation's most
productive receivers over the
last several years with 269
catches for 3,347 yards and 21
touchdowns, but he's always
flown under the radar. Never
much of a scorer, that's changed
this year with eight touchdowns.
already his career high for a
season, with 16 catches for 232
yards and three touchdowns in
his last two games. Penn State's
one of the only teams he's never
had much success against, with
just nine catches for 99 yards
and no touchdowns in three
meetings. What will happen: Can
Purdue handle a good defense?
Not really, but Penn State isn't
going to generate much in the
way of offense either. This will
be a low scoring battle with the
Nittany Lions coming up with a
great defensive second half to
hang on. CFN Prediction: Penn
State 20
...
Purdue
13 ...
Line: Penn State -7.5 Must See Rating: (5
Heidi Klum on Victoria's Secret Fashion
Show - 1 Heidi Klum on
Oprah) ... 3
Ball State
(5-4)
at Indiana
(5-4)
12:00 PM
Big Ten Network Why to watch:
Indiana needed everything it had
to beat Ball State 24-23 in the
second game of last year, and it
could have an even harder time
this year. The Cardinals have
done a great job of pushing
big-name teams, but haven't been
able to get over the hump with
tough losses to Illinois to
Nebraska. That could change if
IU keeps giving up the ball like
it has over the last few weeks
on a three-game losing streak.
The Hoosiers have had three
chances to get bowl eligible
without being able to get it
done, but could go on a great
run over the final three weeks
with a trip to Northwestern and
Purdue to follow. This should be
a thrilling game with several
big plays and tons of offense,
and it should be tougher than a
MAC - Big Ten game might appear
to be. Why
Ball State might win:
Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers,
turnovers, and more turnovers.
Ball State is seventh in the
nation in turnover margin with
20 takeaways and just eight
giveaways. Meanwhile, IU has
lost nine fumbles and thrown two
interceptions over the past
three weeks in the losses. If
the Cardinals can be at least +2
in turnover margin, and take
advantage of every mistake, it
should be in this until the end. Why Indiana might win: Get ready
for a huge day from the Hoosier
running game. Ball State is
116th in the nation in run
defense, allowing 227 yards per
game, and IU QB Kellen Lewis and
RB Marcus Thigpen are slightly
overdue to go ballistic. Thigpen
had a huge run called back
against Wisconsin by a
questionable holding penalty,
while Lewis has been held in
check over the last several
weeks. The Cardinals were torn
apart by the Illinois running
game last week, and has given up
close to 200 yards or more in
each of the last four games. IU
should be able to control the
clock and the tempo, and it
should also be able to hit a few
home runs. Who to watch:
While he doesn't get much in the
way of recognition because he
plays for Ball State, senior
tight end Darius Hill has been
one of the steadiest receivers
in college football for the last
two years. He has at least four
catches in every game this year
with seven touchdowns as part of
a nice career with 97 grabs for
1,532 yards and 20 scores.
Against the aggressive IU
defense, QB Nate Davis will have
to get the ball out of his hands
in a hurry, meaning Hill will
have to play a big role from the
start. What will happen: It'll
be a shootout with plenty of big
statistics and lots of points,
but IU will have too much in the
fourth quarter. Lewis will have
a huge game with 300 passing
yards and 100 rushing, while
Thigpen will tear off a
backbreaking scoring dash in the
second half. CFN Prediction:
Indiana
34 ... Ball State 28
...
Line: Indiana -6.5 Must See Rating: (5
Heidi Klum on Victoria's Secret Fashion
Show - 1 Heidi Klum on
Oprah) ... 2.5
