You know in golf they call Saturday moving day? Sort of feels the same way here in week 7. Ohio State has their first real test in weeks, Iowa can take a firm grasp of the west and there’s a little game in Ann Arbor everyone seems to be talking about. On the flip side, Northwestern can make a move towards Indy with a bounce-back win, Penn State can shake up not only the Big Ten east but the national title chase with an upset. Lots at stake this Saturday so get all the snacks you need today or tomorrow so you can be glued to your butts come game day. Not that you were looking for them anyway, but Maryland and Illinois have the week off. All times central.
Game of the Week:
Michigan State at Michigan
Hmm, two top 12 teams and a rivalry – sign me up! We all know what is in play for this game. The winner’s college football tournament and BT East title hopes remain intact while the loser has very little time to right the ship. Michigan has exceeded all expectations this year while MSU seems to be struggling with expectations, new faces and some injuries. With all the hype UM’s been getting and hosting college game day, we might finally see vintage Dantonio chip on the shoulder type performance. They’ll need it too. The way they played against Rutgers won’t beat this Wolverine team.
- Saturday, 2:30pm, ESPN
Sleeper:
I know they haven’t always looked pretty (i.e. Army game) but Penn State has quietly won five in a row after that opening day sack fest at Temple. Just as quietly, their defense has risen to 10th in the nation. Ohio State has played with fire against a lot lesser opponents and this game went to overtime a year ago so we know Penn State is up to the task if they play up to their potential. Problem is, they haven’t reached that level yet this season and the Horseshoe is a whole different animal.
- Saturday, 7pm, ABC
Don’t Forget:
Will this game be how the west is won? Northwestern has a tiebreaker over Minnesota in their back pocket and Iowa has a tiebreaker over Wisconsin up their sleeve. Nebraska is in a massive hole and Minnesota still has a brutal schedule left. The winner of this game will have a huge advantage coming down the stretch to get to Indianapolis. Northwestern is healthier and has a world class defense but it is tough to know if last week’s beat down makes them angry or gets them second guessing the fast start. Iowa is more experienced but has had some injury issues, none bigger than defensive lineman and beast Drew Ott. Conventional wisdom says Iowa has better athletes and should win but we saw how that worked for Stanford and Minnesota. I’ll be at this game, I’m pumped to see a meaningful game between these two proxy-rivals.
- Saturday, 11am, ABC / ESPN2
Snoozer:
Yes, Bucky does have the ability to stop trains. This one is simple, Purdue is the worst team in the Big Ten and just got shelled by Minnesota. The Gopher’s have a good defense and an alright, albeit one-dimensional, offense. Wisconsin’s defense is better than Minnesota’s and their offense has more potential than what the Gophers were packing. Worse, this game is homecoming and a win keeps Wisconsin right in the thick of the west race, especially if Iowa loses. This does not look like it is going to go well at all for PU.
- Saturday, 11am, BTN…Or just watch this video from 2004 on loop and laugh and laugh and laugh. Oh, Purdue.
Upset Watch:
Right End – The rankings say Iowa is 17th and NU 20th, Vegas has Iowa as road favorites but something feels off about this game. Iowa was shaky against Illinois and Northwestern has impressive victories against Stanford and Duke. Don’t put anything past these Wildcats, I expect them to play angry after a meltdown in a critical game last week.
Wrong End – Wouldn’t it be the most Michigan-y thing to do to build up all this good will and look like they are finally going to get back at “little brother” only to have MSU finally live up to expectations and steal one in the Big House? I say Michigan-y due to the recent run of two-loss Lloyd, the Rich Rod fiasco and then the Hoke choke. As great a program as Michigan is, ever since the national title in 1997, they’ve found unique ways to wither in the spotlight.
Elsewhere (Alphabetical):
Indiana vs Rutgers – Oh yeah, these two teams are in the Big Ten. Both Sudfeld and Howard are listed as questionable for Indiana. If they play, I think they can win. If not, I think Rutgers can win. Lots of confidence picking the game, no? Either way, the winner’s bowl hopes jump incredibly as does the coach’s hope at seeing the field in 2016.
- Saturday, 2:30pm, BTN
Minnesota vs Nebraska – Ah yes the famous $5 and Bits of Broken Chair trophy game! This one is big for both teams. Despite a horrible game a couple weeks back at Northwestern, UM can get right back in the thick of the western race with a home win against Nebraska. The Husker’s hopes for Indy are all but done at 0-2 but there are serious questions regarding this staff and the athletic director despite it being year one of the Riley regime. A third straight loss and a 2-5 start could send the masses out en force with torches and pitchforks.
- Saturday, 2:30, ESPN
Random Musing:
We all know the ‘little brother’ jokes when it comes to MSU-Michigan so I thought I would do a legit comparison of these two teams thanks to the awesome folks at winsipedia. Seriously, check their site out. You’ll get lost for hours comparing your team to everyone else. At first glance it doesn’t look too hot. Michigan leads the series 68-34-5. UM has more wins, league titles, national titles, higher winning percentage, more bowl games, better bowl winning percentage, more all-americans, more Heisman winners, more draft picks, more weeks ranked – everything. It all favors Michigan. No doubt about it.
However, I couldn’t help but feel that doesn’t give a whole picture. After all, MSU was agrarian school, went by a college for a while and didn’t even join the Big Ten until 1953. In fact until Clarence Munn arrived in 1947, the idea of MSU joining the Big Ten was about as realistic as Cincinnati or maybe even one of the MAC schools. Yes it fit geographically, but it had little history and for much of its lifespan was a much smaller institution. I decided to recheck the rivalry since 1947. It looks a little differently:
Record: Michigan leads 38-28-2. Yup, that’s right before MSU was on somewhat equal footing with Michigan, the Wolverines owned this matchup 30-6-3. It makes sense since this game was scheduled as a non-conference cupcake for the Wolverines.
National Titles: MSU leads 6 to 3. What? Nope, you read it right. Eight of Michigan’s 11 national titles came before 1947. In fact, if not for the 1947 and 1948 back to back titles, this is a blowout for Sparty. Since MSU has joined the Big Ten, Michigan has but one national title, 1997.
Big Ten Titles: Michigan Leads 26-8. Yeah, this is a tough one for Sparty nation to have a counterargument for. UM has 42 conference titles throughout their history with 26 of them coming from that magical 1947 on. Even if I fudge it to say when MSU joined the league (1953) it still makes it 22-8. What can I say, Bo Schembechler was a hell of a coach.
The bottom line is that in the last 68 years of this rivalry, the gap has closed considerably. It is fun to call MSU little brother or say they are a cow college and historically, yes those digs have some truth behind them. But it is obvious that the Spartans have more than held their own in this matchup since becoming a university and eventually joining the Big Ten.
Big Ten and Counting 