It’s an intriguing weekend in the Big Ten this week, as all five underdogs are at home. That is quite the rare feat, and we know that somebody is going to jump up and pull off an upset at home. So , which team will actually defend its home turf? I’m going with Michigan, despite the fact they haven’t been doing such a great job of winning at home so far this year. The three home losses this year have me thinking that the home-field advantage is less of a factor than is the Spartans’ one-dimensional offense. Michigan’s three poor defensive performances have come against Brian Johnson, Juice Williams, and Daryll Clark. Brian Hoyer is not on that level, and the Michigan front seven should be able to gang up on Javon Ringer and keep itself off the field.Otherwise, the other four road favorites should have enough in their arsenal to get wins. That includes Penn State, who is capable of making a big statement in the de facto Big Ten Championship. The offense hasn’t been slowed yet this year, and the Buckeyes will only be able to keep them in check for so long.
Northwestern Wildcats
25 October 2008
22 October 2008
Quick -- name the 3rd best team in the Big Ten! You might have to get your hands dirty. You’re not sifting through grade-A football anymore. But no worries, you’ll find something. What did you come up with?... that can’t be right. Minnesota? Northwestern? Michigan State? Illinois? Okay, just abort this grizzly mission, then. Listen, I know it’s been awhile but what more can I say about this season now that most teams are already halfway through the conference schedule. In the span of 10 minutes sitting in a bar in Madison, Wisconsin, I watched the winningest program in the history of the sport lose to Toledo at home, and saw Juice Williams throw for 440 yards yet lose at home to Minnesota. A few hours later, I sat in Camp Randall Stadium to witness a once-Top 10 team that had lost 2 games at home in 4 years get beat by 41 points before a typically infamously raucous home crowd. So what gives?This is truly a very topsy-turvy season for some of the more common reasons, and some deeper reasons as well. While turnovers and poor quarterback play have been significantly responsible for the craziness that has occurred, it can not be overlooked that there are some serious tides that are changin’. For anyone who wondered, Michigan football will never quite be the way it has been for the last 40 years. I’m not saying they won’t be very good, and at times, better than they’ve been. All I’m saying is 2008 Michael Jackson resembles 1980 Michael Jackson more than the 2008 Michigan Wolverines resemble the Bo/Carr Wolverines – and that’s even disregarding the Adidas logo on the unis.
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