Big Ten Football Week 10 Breakdown
The Big Ten offered a very exciting week highlighted by the Golden Gophers first win in the Big Ten, as well as an epic clash between Ohio State and Wisconsin. Once again, the Badgers had a late comeback but came up short on another last second big play that gave Ohio State the victory. Back to back road losses were not enough to keep the Badgers out of the national rankings, but did drop them to 18th. Ohio State, despite back to back wins against ranked teams and two near wins against the highly ranked Spartans and Cornhuskers, still has not earned their national ranking back.
Lock of the Week:
Indiana at Ohio State
The Hoosiers and the Buckeyes are on opposite tracks. Ohio State has consecutive wins over Illinois and Wisconsin and Indiana has yet to win a Big Ten game. Do not let anyone convince you that Ohio State will take a step back. After a huge emotional win over Wisconsin, they will be ready to pound Indiana this week as they continue to try to earn that national ranking once again. Ohio State leaned on freshman dual threat quarterback, Braxton Miller, to lead them to victory over Wisconsin. He was a single man wrecking crew, running for two touchdowns and 99 yards against the Badgers. Through the air Miller was a very efficient 7 of 12, including the game winner on an athletic forty yard strike with fewer than sixty ticks on the clock. He will need to have another big day against Indiana if Ohio State wants to dominate this game like they should. Expect similar stats in terms of touchdowns, but a lot more yards for Miller as he will be facing a far inferior Hoosiers defense. Ohio State’s stingy defense is still only giving up an average of 17.9 points per game (good for 16th in the nation) but looks to rebound after getting abused by a potent Wisconsin offense. The Hoosiers should be a lot easier to stop, as this game will be all OSU all the time.
Ohio State 49 Indiana 10
Upset Alert!
Minnesota at Michigan State
Well this is college football, so upsets happen every week. Although this week looks a little thin on an upset pick, with Michigan and Iowa being the game of the week, this is about the only possibility left. The Spartans are coming off of two straight Big Ten wars. They knocked off the Badgers on an emotional last second win then they traveled to Lincoln and got hammered by a physical Nebraska team. They now are back home facing a soft opponent. However, the toll on the players bodies after two straight physical games is ginormous. You can bet that Michigan State is looking to beat up on someone, but this Minnesota team is riding high after beating Iowa last week and picking up their first Big Ten victory. Captain Kirk, (senior quarterback Kirk Cousins) will do all he can to make sure that the Spartans do not suffer a setback in this game. He has had an outstanding year but struggled against the great Nebraska defense. The Spartans will likely come out of the gate looking to shove the ball down the throats of the Minnesota defense, so especially early look for Edwin Baker to get a lot of carries. When Michigan State starts to bash the Golden Gophers with the run, they will hit them with the play action and Kirk Cousins will have a great and efficient stat line. Of course, for the Spartans that is ideal, but Minnesota has proven they are not just about to roll over. Minnesota’s offense is dominated by their two headed rushing attack. Running back Duane Bennett and quarterback Marqueis Gray are their two main threats. They each have scored three times on the year. Gray has had 105 attempts and Bennett has had an even 100 attempts. Stopping this combo will be the key of the game for the Spartans. Of course Michigan State boasts one of the most talented defensive lines in the nation, so Minnesota’s offense line is going to have to play their best game of the year if they want to come out on top in this contest.
Game of the Week:
Michigan at Iowa
The Hawkeyes fell to Minnesota last week as the Golden Gophers earned their first Big Ten win. Now Iowa should be geared up and ready to roll, as they are still feeling a little ashamed for their loss. Of course, facing the Wolverines is no easy task. Michigan will enter play with a 7-1 record and Iowa fell to 5-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten. Iowa is not an easy place to go into and walk away with a victory. That, coupled with the embarrassing loss from the week before, could provide the perfect concoction for an upset. Iowa will need a better effort from their offense, which only managed to muster up 21 points against a relatively weak Minnesota defense. Senior wide-out, Marvin McNutt, will be the man that Michigan needs to key on, as he is one touchdown away from recording double digit scores on the year. However, the Hawkeyes’ running game may be their key to victory in this contest. Sophomore running back, Marcus Coker, is the workhorse for Iowa’s ground and pound. He has carried the ball 182 times already this year and has compiled an impressive stat line while doing so. Coker has rushed for 969 yards, giving him a per carry average of 5.3, and has put his team on the scoreboard 10 times. He should go over 1,000 yards on the year early is this match-up. On the other side of the ball, the Wolverines boast one of the nation’s most explosive players in quarterback Denard Robinson. He is a true athlete and an absolute threat to score on any play. He is their leader in both rushing and passing with 779 yards on the ground and 1,325 yards through the air. On top of that, he has a total of 22 touchdowns. Coming into this year we all knew about Robinson’s talent and explosiveness. What we did not know is how good this Michigan defense is, or appears to be. The Wolverines defense went from one of the worst in the Big Ten last year to a very formidable unit this season. Opponents have only been able to score 14.6 points per game against the mighty Wolverine defense, which is 6th best in the entire nation. The struggles of Iowa’s offense, combined with the strength of the Wolverine defense, and the amazing athletic ability of Denard Robinson will see to it that Michigan comes out on top and pick up their 8th win of the year and their fourth in the Big Ten.
Michigan 33 Iowa 21
Best of the Rest!
Northwestern at Nebraska
Northwestern, like Minnesota, picked up their first win of the Big Ten season last week. They dismantled the Hoosiers but now are facing an entirely different animal in Nebraska. The Wildcats exploded offensively, hanging 59 on the lowly Hoosiers. Quarterback Dan Persa tossed three touchdown passes and looks as good as ever. Nebraska is coming off a huge win at home against Michigan State. In that game Nebraska held the Spartans to only a field goal. This game could be a real shoot out, as both teams have been relying on their offenses early to carry them. However, Nebraska’s defense may have turned the corner last week, which is a scary proposition for every other team in the Big Ten. Nebraska’s rushing attack, led by Rex Burkhead and Taylor Martinez is one of the premier units in the nation. Nebraska’s defense will continue to roll and their offense will gash the Wildcats defense on the ground, as the Cornhuskers will run to victory.
Nebraska 41 Northwestern 17
Purdue at Wisconsin
A trip back to Camp Randall is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Badgers. This Wisconsin team has lost back to back road games against tough opponents at the very last second. The friendly confines of Camp Randall, at least for the Badgers, should provide the spark they need to get their season back on track. The Badger’s rushing attack of Montee Ball and James White will run wild on the Boilermakers. The key to this game for the Badgers is not Ball, White, or quarterback Russell Wilson, it is their special teams. In the last two upset losses for the Badgers, they had a punt and a field goal blocked. This is inexcusable for a team that wants to compete in a BCS bowl game. If the Badgers do not clean up their special teams, and the Boilermakers can get a big early block, this game could be a dog fight. But if not, expect Wisconsin to take out their anger on Purdue, and they never take their foot off the gas.
Badgers 57 Purdue 14
Lock of the Week: 9-1
Game of the Week: 6-3
Week 10 Football Breakdown Page
