Week 13 Big Ten Preview

This is it for the Big Ten. The long, at times boring, occasionally exciting, a couple times shocking season is drawing to a close. I'll get unnecessarily nostalgic in the recap next week, but what will this last week hold for us? For one thing, we finally know what each of these teams is all about. Penn State and Ohio State rule the conference this year, while Michigan State has managed to not screw up their shot at taking down Penn State for a share of the title. There is a middle group including Northwestern, Iowa, with Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota confusing the hell out of everyone, then Michigan, Purdue and Indiana just lose a lot. And this is tough to say:

The game of the week has to be Penn State and Michigan State. I'll probably jinx the Nittany Lions by saying this, but until Michigan State in 2008 I've never seen a team accomplish so little and have a chance at an outright Big Ten Title in the last week of the season. They lost to a mediocre Cal team in the first week of the season and got blown out at home against Ohio State. They have zero impressive wins, but with just one they can win a share of the conference championship. The key to this game will be Javon Ringer vs the world Penn State defense. PSU is 10th in the nation against the run and the Spartans won't be able to beat them without Ringer going for at least 100. For Penn State, Daryll Clark has to take care of the ball and put Derrick Williams and Evan Royster in positions to make big plays. I don't believe that Michigan State has ever won in Beaver Stadium, so they'll look to break that trend along with their 10 game losing streak against ranked opponents. The game starts at 2:30 CST.

I can hardly believe that Ohio State - Michigan isn't the premier game of the weekend in the Big Ten. Regardless of the hype, this Jim Tressel said this is the most important game and the most important goal of the season for Ohio State. The Bucks have a chance to win their fifth straight game over Michigan, which would be the longest streak over the Wolverines in Ohio State history. It looked pretty likely throughout the year that it would be an easy win for OSU, but this week has made it look like a lock. Michigan will be without QB Steven Threet, RB Sam McGuffie, RT Steve Schilling, and still missing all their good offensive players ever and their defense's collective brain/self esteem. Terrelle Pryor throws the ball about 15 times per start, but he might not need to throw once to win. Key match-up is Pryor/Wells against tripping over their own feet. Michigan - Ohio State starts at 11:00.

Illinois travels to Northwestern Saturday and will try to become bowl eligible. Hey, guess what the key to the game is...Juice Williams vs. turnovers! The Illini certainly have the talent to beat Northwestern, but the Cats have shown great mental toughness this year and have a great chance to win at home.

Minnesota hosts Iowa in a battle of teams going in opposite directions. Shonn Greene will have a chance to set Iowa's single season rushing record, and probably will.

Wisconsin takes on Cal Poly (wooo!) and Indiana and Purdue face-off in a game someone has to win. Let's go to the picks:

Indiana 24 - Purdue 31
Cal Poly 10 - Wisconsin 38
Iowa 27 - Minnesota 13
Illinois 27 - Northwestern 28
Michigan 10 - Ohio State 27
Michigan State 13 - Penn State 28

Your Week 12 Big Ten Preview

The National Title hopes are gone for Penn State, but there are still games this week that will affect the BCS. Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan State are the three teams still holding out hope for a BCS berth. The Spartans don't play and will be preparing for Penn State this week, Penn State will be preparing for Michigan State as they have a snoozer against Indiana, and the Buckeyes take on Illinois.

Ohio State at Illinois is the most intriguing game on the Big Ten schedule this week. Last season Illinois seemed to knock Ohio State out of the National Championship picture with a huge upset in Columbus. The Buckeyes ended up going to the big game anyway, but this year Illinois could knock the Bucks out of the entire BCS for sure. The key to every game this year for the Illini has been turnovers. If they limit the turnovers, they usually win. Illinois boasts the best offense in the conference, while Ohio State has the best defense. Northwestern had some success last week running Kafka through the Buckeye defense early. Juice can couple that with success through the air when he is on. I think this will be a close game that could go either way.

A trio of 3-3 teams will get a chance to move up the conference ranks with games against teams below them in the standings. Coming into the year, many would have thought that all the 3-3 teams would be underdogs this week, and a couple of them actually are.

Michigan will host Northwestern Saturday as the Wildcats have a chance to secure a very respectable bowl bid. Right now it looks as though Bacher and Kafka will share time and the latest reports are suggesting Bacher will start. The confusion should make things difficult on Michigan's defense. Northwestern is one of those 3-3 teams that comes in as an underdog as Michigan is favored by around 4 points. Nick Sheridan will start again this week for Michigan and starting tailback Brandon Minor is out.

Minnesota is the other underdog to a team in the bottom of the conference as they host go to Wisconsin, who comes into the game as a 14 point favorite. This is the lone 2:30 game this week and will probably be boring as hell, unless Minnesota brings back that British kicker to win that big axe.

Purdue will travel to Iowa as the Hawkeyes will try to avoid a letdown after the big upset last week. Penn State, conversly will try to bounce back at home against Indiana. I like their chances. Here come the picks:

Indiana 10 - Penn State 41
Purdue 13 - Iowa 24
Wisconsin 27 - Minnesota 14
Northwestern 20 - Michigan 21
Ohio State 28 - Illinois 24

Your Week 11 Big Ten Preview

All 11 teams are in action this week as they'll try to follow up last Saturday's theatrics. The conference has really started to take shape now as you can clearly see that Penn State and Ohio State are the class of the league, with MSU, Northwestern, and Minnesota separating themselves from the bottom of the conference.

As Penn State pushes toward a possible shot at the BCS title game, the Nittany Lions will take on Iowa this week. It will be the last game away from Beaver Stadium and a possible trap game for Penn State. Quarterback Daryll Clark will be ready to go after suffering a concussion against the Buckeyes. For Iowa this is a chance to make their season and the Hawkeyes will look to star Shonn Greene and will need a hell of a game from their own first year starter at quarterback. Penn State might have to do more than just win the next few weeks to silence a lot of whining that is sure to come from the Big 12 and SEC (I'm looking at you Urban).

The only other fun game this week features Ohio State and Northwestern. There is some grumbling going on in Columbus as some of the seniors are upset they came back to see the offense handed over to a freshman QB, who has led the Bucks to 10th place in total offense. That wouldn't be so bad nationally, but I'm talking 10th in the Big Ten. Ohio State has outscored Northwestern 112-17 in Fitzgerald's first two games in the series as NW's head coach.

Michigan travels to Minnesota to battle for the Little Brown Jug, possibly the ugliest trophy in sports. It sounds like quarterback Steven Threet will be out for the Wolverines, meaning limp-armed walk-on Nick Sheridan will probably start, and lose.

Michigan State hosts Purdue with a chance to clinch their best season in recent memory with a win. Even if the Spartans can't upset Penn State, they would be on their way to a 9-3 finish...without one impressive win.

Illinois plays Western Michigan and Wisconsin travels to Indiana. Time for picks.

Wisconsin 30 - Indiana 17
Western Mich. 21 - Illinois 38
Purdue 13 - Michigan State 35
Michigan 14 - Minnesota 27
Ohio State 28 - Northwestern 10
Penn State 31 - Iowa 17

Your Week Ten Big....Ten Preview

Too many tens. All the Big Ten games will be done by around 6 PM this week. No games in prime time, because there aren't any games worthy of prime time. We'll give the game of the week nod to Wisconsin at Michigan State. The Spartans have fallen to self-inflicted late season doom every year in recent memory and this game against Wisconsin has the potential to send them down the same path. A week after their self-proclaimed epic victory over Michigan, a team with an actual physical presence comes to town. Wisconsin has their own issues though. Just a couple weeks ago the Badgers gave up about 740 yards to Iowa's Shonn Greene. You know that Sparty is going to pound Javon Ringer, the key to the game will be Wisconsin's improvement stopping the run.

Northwestern at Minnesota is the next best game of the week. See what I'm talking about? Actually, this match-up is somewhat intriguing. What are Minnesota and Northwestern doing near the top of the conference? Will the Iowa-beating Northwestern show up or will it be the team that handed Indiana a win last week? How in holy hell is Minnesota near the top of the conference? Check Lake The Posts for good info on both teams leading up to the game. Bacher is questionable and Sutton is out for NW, but as we saw last week, the conference is so unpredictable this season.

Illinois will try to bounce back from the loss at Wisconsin last week when they host Iowa in the lone 2:30 start of the week in the Big Ten. Iowa had the week off to prepare for the Illini, but the Hawkeyes struggled with the spread last time they faced it in a loss to Northwestern. The attack the Illini bring is significantly different from Northwestern's but I expect Illinois to move the ball just as well and match or surpass the 38 points the Wildcats pinned on Iowa.

Purdue will try to get its first Big Ten win this year as Michigan comes to town. Quarterback Curtis Painter is questionable and Purdue's backup QB is out, meaning that Justin Siller could see a lot of playing time again this week. Siller was a running back a few weeks ago.

Indiana plays host to Central Michigan. Picks?

God, really?

Central Michigan 28 - Indiana 24
Michigan 20 - Purdue 14
Iowa 31 - Illinois 42
Northwestern 17 - Minnesota 24
Wisconsin 27 - Michigan State 31

Your Week Eight Big Ten Preview

Michigan State will host the game of the week in the Big Ten. The Ohio State Buckeyes will travel to East Lansing for a meeting featuring two of the three Big Ten teams still undefeated in the conference. ESPN isn't coming up with any "clever" names for this one, but it has the potential to be a headliner if the Bucks are looking ahead to the Penn State game next weekend. It will be another road test for freshman QB Terrelle Pryor, but the experience he gained at Wisconsin should really help. If you're interested for no other reason, it will at least be worth noting how Javon Ringer performs against a good defense.

Undefeated Penn State hosts Michigan Saturday at 3:30 CST. This looks like the year that the Nittany Lions ditch their nine game losing streak against the Wolverines. No one in the Big Ten has come close to topping PSU thus far and Michigan looks like one of the most unlikely teams to do it. Michigan has had trouble defending the spread and the mobile quarterback this season. Penn State spreads you out and has a mobile quarterback. As day turns to evening, then to night, Penn State's fans can celebrate avoiding a decade of futility against Michigan.

Northwestern and Illinois will both try to bounce back from losses, taking on Purdue and Indiana respectively. Purdue has come off of two tough games in a row against PSU and OSU, and played tough in both games. The Boilers struggled against Central Michigan's spread attack, so look for the Wildcats to move the ball. Illinois should be able to put up a ton of points on Indiana. If Northwestern and Illinois can protect the ball, I think they both win.

Wisconsin will travel to Iowa to try and get its first conference win. These are two old school Big Ten teams smashing their heads into each other. Might be excruciating to watch. How about some picks?

Picks:

Purdue 24 - Northwestern 31
Wisconsin 24 - Iowa 16
Ohio State 30 - Michigan State 17
Michigan 14 - Penn State 28
Indiana 17 - Illinois 42

Good Rebound Game for Illini

Yeah, last week was a bad loss. You shouldn't lose to Minnesota at home when you still have a shot in the Big Ten, or well, ever. It's time to move on for Illinois and focus on getting the most out of this promising season.

On the bright side, the schedule is being kind to the Illini, giving them a game against Indiana to get their act together. The Hoosiers are 67th in the nation in rush defense, 77th in pass defense and scoring defense. Now Illinois isn't much better defensively (they're actually worse statistically), but Juice is going to put up unethical numbers on Indiana this week.

Illinois is 10th in total offense this year and Juice Williams has put up over 400 yards of total offense three separate times so far.

At home, at night, against Indiana means a win for Illinois this week and a chance to get back on track before a big game against Wisconsin.

Hey, the Cubs Play Soon!

Remember the Cubs? It seems like forever since they have played a game. It really hasn't been long, just a little while since you cared what the outcome was. Plenty more Cubs content to come, but here's a quick preview of the series. Check out some position match-ups over at Top Ten Chicago Sports.

Why the Cubs will win:

The Cubs have the pitching to win this series. You can dig into the numbers all you want, but since Lou had a chance to set the rotation, things fall in place well for Chicago. Dempster has been unreal at Wrigley this year and I think anyone would want Harden and Lilly as the two guys trying to steal wins on the road. Then you have Big Z. Call him unpredictable if you want, but everyone knows the Cubs will get all he has on the mound in game two.

This lineup is also more than capable of getting the job done against LA. The Dodgers have great pitching as well, but after last season's playoff performance, these guys have something to prove. With the improvement the Cubs showed in taking pitches this season, we'll be seeing a lot of the Dodger pen.

Add in the playoff experience for Chicago as another positive. Even though it was just three games, almost every player on the team has a taste of postseason ball. Against a lot of right handed pitching we'll be seeing a ton of Jim Edmonds this series. You don't get much more experienced in the playoffs than Edmonds.

The Dodgers don't strike fear in their opponents, especially not the Cubs coming in with the kind of season they have put together. They're a great team, don't get me wrong, but the intimidation factor is zero. Check that, the intimidation factor is Manny (more on that in a bit).

Why the Dodgers will win:

The Dodger's starting pitching has the best ERA in the NL. Sure, there is no Brad Penny, but Derek Lowe chucked a .59 ERA in September, while Billingsley and Koruda (the game two and three starters) were solid as well. If the Cubs pitching falters, the Dodgers have the firepower on the mound to take advantage.

Manny Manny Manny. Manny Ramirez is the most likely guy in the playoffs to carry his team to a series win.

I can't possibly go on in this half of the segment as long as the positives for the Cubs. Suffice it to say they have good starting pitching, Manny, a solid pen, and the experience of Joe Torre running the show.

What does it all mean?

Nothing really. It's postseason baseball. It's the Cubs. Anything can happen, but I think this one looks good for the Cubbies. Sure LA is good in some aspects of the game, but I think the Cubs are clearly better. The opening game of the series is gigantic tomorrow night, but the Cubs pitching just stacks up too well for them to drop this thing. Right? We'll see. Cubs in 4.

Chicago Blackhawks Season Preview

That's right. Hockey. Get used to it. The regular season opener for the Blackhawks is October 10th, so it's time to remind you that hockey really does still exist, and that the Hawks are going to be pretty damn good this year. As these words are hitting the e-paper, the Blackhawks front office is taking care of one of the team's glaring problems. Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin seems to be on his way out of town.

Last season, Chicago would have made the playoffs if it weren't for an abissmal January that included an eight game losing streak and only four wins in the month. After adding youth in recent years, Hawks management hit the free agency pool with a vengeance this year, picking up all-star defenseman Brian Campbell and goaltender Cristobal Huet. Campbell will be great on the power-play and should team with Duncan Keith to form one of the league's best duos on the blue line. Huet comes into a great situation with Bulin leaving town. Youngster Corey Crawford should push Huet just a little, but Cristobal and his sweet name will be the #1 coming into the year.

Almost all of the excitement when it comes to the Blackhawks though focuses on the youth. Kane, Toews, and Sharp are names you will be hearing all season long. Sharp, at 26 is the oldest of the trio, and led the team with 36 goals last season. Kane, 19, led the Hawks in points and assists and just kept improving as the season went on. The 20-year-old Toews battled injury last season, but still managed a highlight or two.

Forwards Robert Lang and Jason Williams made their ways out of Chicago in the offseason, so the youngsters will have to carry even more of the load. A resurgence from Martin Havlat wouldn't hurt either. Havlat has not lived up to expectations in his short stint in Chicago and if he gets it together this season, watch out.

The defensemen look strong as well with the addition of Campbell. It should be Campbell and Keith going against teams' top lines, with Seabrook, Barker, Wisniewski, Hendry, and Byfuglien in the mix.

I couldn't go through a Blackhawks preview without mentioning the New Year's Day game at Wrigley Field against the Red Wings. Hockey fan or not, this is a must-see event between two franchises with amazing tradition.

So where do the Blackhawks end up this year? The playoffs of course. Really.

Your Big Ten Weekend Outlook

Not a whole lot of noteworthy action in the Big Ten this weekend. Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan have the week off. The biggest game on the schedule is probably Notre Dame at Michigan State, which gives you an idea of what we're dealing with. MSU has looked pretty good so far this year, as they usually do pre-meltdown. As long as they don't go all University of Michigan and hand the game to the Irish, this should be a Spartan win.

Iowa travels to Pittsburgh Saturday, in what probably looked like a good game when they scheduled it. Even though Iowa is off to a good start this season, neither team is worth watching, and even this game should enduce a mild coma.

Purdue and Central Michigan are going at it in a rematch of last year's Motor City Bowl, which Purdue won in a shootout. I've always thought "shootout" was a glass-half-full word. What really happened in that game was that neither team decided to play any type of defense.

I heard a story this weekend about an Indiana fan who was really geared up for the game against Ball State this weekend. I don't understand. Is this a rivalry game? The Letterman school right? Is Indiana football still in the Big Ten? What's a Hoosier? So many questions.

In other action, or lack thereof, Minnesota hosts Florida Atlantic, Northwestern plays Ohio, Penn State plays another doozy in Temple, and a week after being embarrased by the men of Troy, Ohio State plays...Troy. If you plan on watching Big Ten college football this weekend, you'd better be drinking.