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Purdue (2-4) at Northwestern
(5-1),
12:00 EST, ESPN2
Why to watch:
Northwestern’s great season took
a step back with a 37-20 home
loss to Michigan State last
week, but the team has a shot to
become bowl eligible with a win
over Purdue this week, and it
has a chance to make some big
noise over the next three weeks
with winnable games against
Indiana and Minnesota to follow.
The Wildcats have gotten by with
a good pass rush, a decent
defense, and just enough offense
to get by. Meanwhile, Purdue
isn’t getting anything from its
defense, the worst in the Big
Ten, and a win this week is a
must or bowl hopes will be all
but gone. On a three-game losing
streak, and with the only win
over an FCS team coming in a
nail-biter against Central
Michigan, the Boilermakers need
something positive to happen in
a hurry.
Why Purdue might win: The
Northwestern offense isn’t
working. New offensive
coordinator Mick McCall was
supposed to bring in a quick
strike attack that got the ball
into the hands of the playmakers
in a hurry and in space.
Instead, QB C.J. Bacher, last
year’s Big Ten total offense
leader has been inefficient and
the points have been hard to
come by lately. Purdue’s offense
hasn’t been anything special,
but the passing game is good
enough to put up big yards if it
gets a little early success.
However …
Why Northwestern might win:
… Purdue has scored a total of
nine points over the last two
weeks and has a sputtering
running game. Northwestern’s
steady pass rush should hurry
Curtis Painter’s throws and
should speed up the Boilermaker
O. On the other side of the
ball, the Purdue defense hasn’t
even been close. Allowing 400
yards per game, with the biggest
problem coming against the run,
the Boilermakers will have to
deal with a steady dose of …
Who to watch: …
Northwestern RB Tyrell Sutton.
The senior hasn’t scored in the
last three games but he’s been
putting up big yards. He ran for
139 yards against Michigan State
and has been over the 75-yard
mark in five of the six games,
but his real worth is as a
receiver. One of the nation’s
best dual-threat backs, he has
20 catches for 200 yards and a
touchdown.
What will happen: The
Northwestern pass rush will
control the game. Purdue has a
great back in Kory Sheets, but
he’s not Javon Ringer and he’s
not good enough carry the
offense. Northwestern will have
one of its better offensive
performances of the year.
CFN Prediction:
Northwestern 24 … Purdue 17 …
Line: Northwestern -4
Must See Rating: (5 The
Real Housewives of Atlanta
– 1 Celebrity Rehab With Dr.
Drew) … 2.5
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
Wisconsin (3-3) at Iowa (4-3),
7:30 EST, ESPN
Why to watch: For two
teams floundering over the last
few weeks, this is a must-win
game with the loser’s
once-promising season about to
go into the tank. Iowa was able
to pull up out of its three-game
nosedive with a 45-9 blowout
over Indiana, but with a road
trip to Illinois up next and a
date with Penn State to follow,
the chance is there to go right
back into the abyss with a poor
performance against a Badger
team in desperate need of
something positive. With a team
more than talented enough to win
the Big Ten title, Wisconsin has
been one of the nation’s most
disappointing teams with a
three-game losing streak that
has seen a little bit of
everything from a choke against
Michigan, an inability to come
up with a late stop against Ohio
State, and a lifeless blasting
from Penn State. With Illinois
up next followed up by a road
trip to Michigan State, the
Badgers need a win in a big way.
Why Wisconsin might win:
Head coach Bret Bielema, a
former Iowa Hawkeye player, is
2-0 against his alma mater. The
Iowa lines have been fine, and
the defensive tackles are
special, but the Wisconsin lines
have the potential to control
the game. The potential. After
getting shoved around by Penn
State and with problems late
against Ohio State, Wisconsin’s
manhood has been called into
question up front. This will be
a game about being physical and
pounding away. Iowa shouldn’t be
able to control the game on
offense, even if Shonn Greene
comes up with a big day, while
the Badgers should be able to
pound away in the second half.
However …
Why Iowa might win: … the
Iowa run defense has come up big
against the big backs. MSU’s
Javon Ringer was held to 91
yards, Pitt’s LeSean McCoy only
ran for 78 yards and a score,
and Northwestern’s Tyrell Sutton
ran for 77 yards. It’s unlikely
that this will be the game P.J.
Hill breaks out and John Clay
could struggle to consistently
find room to move. The Hawkeye
defense isn’t giving up big
points with 22 points in the
loss to Northwestern the most
allowed.
Who to watch: It’s time
to start paying more attention
to Iowa RB Shonn Greene. The
junior started out his career in
2005, had to leave, went the
JUCO route, and is now back as
one of the nation’s best backs
running for 109 yards or more in
all seven games. He has 937
yards and six touchdowns on the
season, and while he’s not a
receiver, he can catch if
needed. With a shaky quarterback
situation, even with the
emergence of Ricky Stanzi,
Greene has carried the team.
What will happen: It’ll
be a great game. Which Wisconsin
will show up? If it shows up in
the right focused and physical
mindset, it’ll win without too
much of a problem, but whenever
anything goes wrong, the team
has gone in the tank. Iowa needs
a few early breaks and has to
get a few early scores, but the
Badger running game will work
better than it has over the last
few weeks.
CFN Prediction: Wisconsin
23 … Iowa 20 … Line: Iowa
-3.5
Must See Rating: (5 The
Real Housewives of Atlanta
– 1 Celebrity Rehab With Dr.
Drew) … 3.5
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
Michigan (2-4) at Penn State
(7-0),
4:30 EST, ESPN
Why to watch: Michigan
has won nine straight against
Penn State, but No. 10 would
likely be the sweetest. There
was a classic, last-second 27-25
win over the Nittany Lions in
2005 to give Joe Paterno his
only loss of the season. While
that was big, considering the
Wolverines were in danger of a
losing season, this would be
even more important considering
last week’s colossal gaffe in a
13-10 loss to Toledo and with
all the heat being applied to
head coach Rich Rodriguez. At
2-4, no one’s talking about a
bowl game, but if Michigan can
pull off the upset, the hope
would be to spark a big winning
streak just like the win in 2005
did. For Penn State, it’s all
about focusing on the task at
hand and not looking at the
national title picture after a
7-0 start and a 48-7 thumping of
Wisconsin. Everything is
working. The defense has allowed
seven points or fewer in three
of the last four games, the
offensive line has paved the way
for the nation’s ninth ranked
offense, and Derrick Williams
and the special teams are among
the nation’s best. If the
Nittany Lions can get through
this week, next week’s game at
Ohio State would be a special
showdown.
Why Michigan might win:
The defensive line continues to
be the one big bright spot. The
offense stinks, the kicking game
is shaky, but the D has been
good against the run and great
at getting into the backfield.
With all due respect to the
underperforming Wisconsin
defensive front, Michigan’s
front four, led by Brandon
Graham, should give the Penn
State offensive front its
toughest test of the season.
Why Penn State might win:
Toledo 13, Michigan 10. Again,
Toledo … 13 … Michigan … 10.
This was a Toledo team that was
blasted 31-0 by Ball State and
got blown out by Florida
International. The Wolverine
offense has been non-existent
averaging a mere 292 yards and
19 points per game with no
passing game whatsoever. On the
other side of the ball, Michigan
might have a good defensive
front, but the secondary has
been a major disappointment. The
Penn State receiving corps
should be able to do whatever it
wants to, but there might not be
too many big pass plays
considering the defense should
be able to shut down the abysmal
Wolverine running game cold.
Who to watch: Michigan will
have to get creative and will
have to get something out of the
quarterbacks. Steven Threet was
playing relatively well against
Toledo completing 7-of-11 passes
for 55 yards and a touchdown
with an interception, but he
bruised his elbow and was
knocked out of the game. Nick
Sheridan competed half of his
passes for 65 yards and two
interceptions, and while he
hasn’t been ruled out if needed,
he could have major problems
against the Penn State pass rush
it he sees time.
What will happen:
Michigan came up with a shocker
against Wisconsin when the
Badgers apparently got hit with
a bout of overconfidence, and
there was a stretch in the Utah
game when Michigan played like
Michigan. But Penn State is too
sound, too mentally tough, and
too good on the lines to blow
their dream season against a
team this bad.
CFN Prediction: Penn
State 45 … Michigan 17 …
Line: Penn State -24
Must See Rating: (5 The
Real Housewives of Atlanta
– 1 Celebrity Rehab With Dr.
Drew) … 3
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
Indiana (2-4) at Illinois (3-3),
8:00 EST, Big Ten Network
Why to watch: Illinois is
coming off a tough,
mistake-filled loss to
Minnesota, while Indiana is
trying to work its way through a
tough, mistake-filled season.
The Hoosiers aren’t getting much
in the way of offensive
consistency, getting little from
the attack without a home run,
but they’re putting up big
yards. Third in the Big Ten in
total offense, drive after drive
has been either stalling or
finishing with a turnover. The
points aren’t coming scoring
just seven points against
Minnesota nine in the loss to
Iowa. The Illini is 1-2 in
conference play losing to Penn
State along with the Gophers,
and with Wisconsin, Iowa (at
Iowa), Ohio State and
Northwestern (at Northwestern)
left to play, this is the only
breather left.
Why Indiana might win:
The Illinois defensive line is
doing a great job of getting
into the backfield, but it’s not
doing enough to keep runs
reigned in. Too many tackles are
being made down the field, while
the secondary has been
hit-or-miss. The IU defensive
front should be able get to
Juice Williams and make plenty
of plays in the backfield. If
Minnesota’s defensive line can
win the battle up front, then
Indiana’s should have few
problems.
Why Illinois might win:
Illinois should be able to hit
Indiana’s defense either through
the air or on the ground. Always
known as a running team, the
ground game has improved over
the last few weeks while Juice
Williams has been spreading
around the passing game more.
Illinois can score; Indiana
can’t. Williams should be able
to pick apart the IU secondary.
Who to watch: Why isn’t
Kellen Lewis playing better? The
Hoosiers’ star quarterback
hasn’t been bad, but he hasn’t
been running as much over the
last few games, after running
for 185 yards against Western
Kentucky and 148 against Ball
State in the first three weeks,
and with James Hardy no a
Buffalo Bill, the explosiveness
in the passing game is gone.
Last year he threw two touchdown
passes or more in nine games,
while he has only hit the
two-touchdown passing mark twice
so far and was shut out in three
games.
What will happen:
Illinois will use its offensive
balance to do whatever it wants
to. Juice will be in total
control, and there won’t be the
mistakes made last week in the
loss to the Gophers.
CFN Prediction: Illinois
41 … Indiana 20 … Line:
Illinois -16.5
Must See Rating: (5 The
Real Housewives of Atlanta
– 1 Celebrity Rehab With Dr.
Drew) … 2.5
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Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
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Big 10 Fearless Predictions, Oct. 18,
Part 2 (Mich. vs. Penn St)
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