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Ohio State (7-2) at Northwestern
(7-2), 12 EST ESPN2
Why to watch: Could this
really be for the No. 2 spot in
the Big Ten pecking order? If
Ohio State wins, then yes, this
could be the gateway game to a
possible at-large BCS spot, and
at the very least, a trip to
Florida for a New Year’s Day
game depending on what Michigan
State does against Penn State.
For Northwestern, an improbable
interception return for a
game-winning touchdown against
Minnesota changed around what
appeared to be a quickly
deteriorating season. All
appears lost after a 21-17 gaffe
to Indiana complete with
injuries to QB C.J. Bacher and
RB Tyrell Sutton. The Wildcats
have Michigan and Illinois to
follow, but this would be the
big one. Beating Ohio State
would legitimize a good 7-2
season that was lacking a
signature moment until last
week. For the Buckeyes, who had
a week to recover from a
hard-hitting 13-6 loss to Penn
State, they, like Northwestern,
finish up with Illinois and
Michigan.
Why Ohio State might win:
Film. Everyone knew Northwestern
QB Mike Kafka was going to run
the ball against Minnesota, but
the Gophers had to guess against
the Wildcat running game. Kafka
tore off 217 yards in the win,
but now Ohio State knows what’s
coming. James Laurinaitis and
the linebackers aren’t going to
worry about anything other than
spying on Kafka taking off. Ohio
State will be more than happy to
dare Kafka or Bacher, who’s
expected to be back, to throw
the ball.
Why Northwestern might win:
The Buckeye defense continues to
be fantastic, it shut down Penn
State until the critical late
drive, but it’s still having
major problems getting into the
backfield. Kafka isn’t going to
find much room to run, but he
should be able to hang back and
work the short passing game a
bit. He threw two interceptions
against the Gophers, and is all
but certain to give away at
least one pick this week, but he
completed 12-of-16 passes for
143 yards and two touchdowns in
the win.
Who to watch: With all
the attention paid to Kafka, or
Bacher, who is expected to be a
gametime decision, and with Omar
Conteh out with a knee injury,
the offense needs someone to
step up and help the running
game. Conteh was held to 12
yards on 12 carries against
Minnesota, and now the Wildcats
have to look to sophomore
Stephen Simmons, who has four
carries for 19 yards, with Jacob
Schmidt and Scott Concannon
getting time. Watch out for
Bacher to be under center and
Kafka to see a little bit of
time in the backfield as a
runner.
What will happen:
Ohio State’s defense will stop
the Northwestern ground game
cold. Kafka won’t be bad
throwing the ball, but the
Wildcats will lose the turnover
battle and won’t be able to come
back from the adversity.
CFN Prediction: Ohio
State 23 … Northwestern 10 ...
Line: Ohio State -11.5
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Wisconsin (4-5) at Indiana (3-6),
12 EST Big Ten Network
Why to watch: It’s the
second week of November and
Wisconsin should be in the hunt
for a BCS berth. Instead, it’s
fighting for a bowl game and to
get out of the Big Ten cellar.
The Badgers continue to show
they have the talent and the
physical ability to be among the
Big Ten’s best, but the heads
aren’t in it. Whether it’s a key
late penalty against Michigan or
Michigan State, or whether it’s
missed tackles against Iowa, or
whether it’s the inability to
slow down the negative momentum
against Penn State, this has
been, arguably, 2008’s most
disappointing team. On the other
side, Indiana hasn’t been able
to build off of last year’s
success losing six of its last
seven games. The offense is
moving the ball, but the points
aren’t flowing to overcome a
rough year from the defense.
Last week’s loss to Central
Michigan marked the second
defeat this year to a MAC team,
and now the Hoosiers have to go
on a run of wins against the
Badgers, Penn State and Purdue
just to become bowl eligible.
Wisconsin needs to win two of
its last three against IU,
Minnesota and Cal Poly to be
eligible, but it might have to
win all three games to get a 13th
date.
Why Wisconsin might win:
The Badger offense should be
able to mix it up. There’s next
to nothing coming from the wide
receivers, but TE Garrett Graham
has been a steady producer,
catching six passes in each of
the last three games. Meanwhile,
the running game is starting to
work again, pounding away on
Illinois two weeks ago and
rumbling at will against
Michigan State before the brain
cramps started kicking in late.
Indiana knows what’s coming, but
it won’t be able to stop the
attack.
Why Indiana might win: If
the Hoosiers can get a little
bit of early momentum, Wisconsin
might go in the tank. The
Badgers have shown no ability
whatsoever to overcome
adversity. The defense isn’t
generating enough of a pass rush
to bother the IU quarterbacks.
The Hoosier passing game might
not be anything special, but
it’s just effective enough to
keep the Badgers on their heels.
Michigan State was able to
comeback when it needed to
through the air, and IU, if
needed, could do the same.
Who to watch: Wisconsin
owns Kellen Lewis. The Indiana
quarterback has had some big
moments against just about
everyone in the Big Ten, but
he’s been able to do a fat load
of jack squat against the
Badgers over the last few years,
bottoming out with a
turnover-filled 17-of-33,
113-yard, two interception day
last year in a 33-3 loss. He had
a big run and finished with 59
yards, but fumbles were a
problem. This year, he can’t
shake an ankle injury and will
be in a rotation for the second
straight week with Ben Chappell.
Lewis completed 5-of-9 passes
for 57 yards against Central
Michigan, but he can’t move like
he needs to for the ground game.
What will happen:
Wisconsin won’t be pretty, but
it’ll pound out 250 yards on the
ground, will own the time of
possession, and basically will
play Wisconsin football. Indiana
won’t get anything going on the
ground and will lose the
turnover battle.
CFN Prediction: Wisconsin
38 … Indiana 20 ... Line:
Wisconsin -10.5
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Big 10 Fearless Predictions,
Nov. 8,
Part 2 (Michigan vs. Minn) |