A tough week for everyone but Slietes and Jimbo last week. Even The Professor suffered his first sub-.500 week. I guess that's what I get for jumping on the Brew Crew bandwagon.
Another tough week of picks in the Big Ten this week as no spread is set at less than a touchdown. Better have some conviction in your handicapping this week.
The Professor stands at 20-12 on the season. Now students, sit down, be quiet and prepare to learn. It's time for The Professor's Smart Money Picks.
A rejuvenated, albeit still banged-up Northwestern squad gets the pleasure of welcoming the surly and well-rested Sweater Vests this week. Bye weeks have meant trouble in the Big Ten this season - the Goof Troop being the exception. Under Coach Sweater Vest, the Bucks are 1-4 after bye weeks, but in those previous post-bye games, the Buckeyes had gone into their off week on the heels of a victory. So what's this mean for OSU and the 10.5 points they need to cover? Well, to find out, I talked with fellow handicapper Steve Geller. Take it away, Coolies. "Let me take you back to 2004 when Glen Mason was doing his best to get us back to Nashville. The 'Cats had just come off a 43-17 loss to the 19th-ranked Gophers, while OSU was 3-0 and coming off a bye. What happened? A 33-27 overtime win for Northwestern. Need I say more?" No, Steve, you don't. I'll take it from here. The Bucks won't be caught sleeping in 2008. They're pissed off, thanks to the Fighting Keisers, and they just got done watching a video clip of NU fans celebrating after that 2004 win. The 'Cats QB situation is still a mess - Kafka's performance was against a Gopher defense playing in its 2007-style - and OSU is looking for a big rebound from their last game. Take the Vests and the points. Final Score: Ohio State 34, Northwestern 17 (Ohio State -10.5 over NORTHWESTERN).
It truly is time for Tiller Time to end. The Boilers inexplicably score 48 points with Justin Siller at the helm and Tiller is still planning on running Curtis Painter out there to take on Sparty? What gives? Why the love affair with the vastly overrated Painter? I just don't get it. So, I asked Tiller himself. In reference to why he might start Painter over Siller, he actually said, "Well, you haven't been on the practice field with us, so you really don't know." Wow, just wow. Are we talking practice field here? (http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/2008/11/ai-revists-his-famous-practice-speech.html) Practice field? Tiller has gone off the deep end and it's time to bring in Mustache #2 now. Brian Hoyer is getting going, Javon Ringer is still a stud, it's Senior Day in East Lansing, Purdue only beat Michigan by six points last week (and allowed 42) and Tiller is starting Painter. That adds up to more than 10 points to me. Take Sparty and the points. Final Score: Michigan State 27, Purdue 13 (MICHIGAN STATE -10 over Purdue).
We wrap up the non-conference slate in the Big Ten with a real barn-burner - Illinois vs. Western Michigan in Ford Field...wait, Ford Field? Huh? Is this like a Motor City Bowl Preview or something? Why Ford Field? Color me confused. Anyway, Illinois is the definition of a schizophrenic team. To wit: the Fighting Wickstroms have alternated wins and losses for each of the last six games. In the business, that's called a trend. To take this game's pulse, I spoke with someone who knows schizophrenia quite well, my good friend Tyler Hirsch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCgqLXc8ZUQ). All I got out of him was something about him being the Messiah or something, so I turned to the numbers. Here we go: Western Michigan beat Northern Illinois who lost to Minnesota who beat Illinois, while Illinois has Ron Zook as a head coach, players breaking each others' jaws and a nasty case of the aforementioned schizophrenia. I'm not sure Illinois will lose this game, but the Broncos' offense keeps this one close. Final Score: Illinois 42, Western Michigan 40 (WESTERN MICHIGAN +7 over Illinois).
Now it's time for my weekly justification of why I'm picking against Bucky. It's an easy one this week: Bret Bielema is (take your pick) immature/insane/arrogant/assholeish/a bad coach/just plain stupid/a perfect fit for the state of Wisconsin. Bielema blew Bucky's chance at a win over Michigan State by being a childish jerk to the sideline officials, resulting in a 15-yard penatly which led to a MSU comeback. He's apologized to everyone, but even his players sound a little miffed at their coach's immaturity. I give you Wisco safety Chris Maragos: "Obviously, he feels horrible about the penalty. But at the same time, we're out on the field. It should never come down to any penalties, whether it's pass interference, coaches or whatever it might be. We need to do our job." Great timing on Bielema's reverting back to 3rd grade, too. The BADgers were just starting to look somewhat respectable again. Wisconsin wins, but they don't cover. Final Score: Wisconsin 23, Indiana 17 (INDIANA +9.5 over Wisconsin).
Time for the Goof Troop in the Jug Game. I'm sorry to say it, but I'm off the bandwagon (until next week). Fans can argue all they want, but Brewster's Boys were exposed for the fraud that they are last week against Northwestern. The offense is anemic. Exhibit A: Weber to Decker can only take you so far. Exhibit B: The running game is as bad as we expected it would be without Duane Bennett. Exhibit C: This ain't a Mason-era offensive line. On the other side of the ball, we've just been plain lucky. Winning the turnover battle is important, but it's not exactly something you can count on being there game in and game out...especially with a sputtering offense. Lucky for the Goof Troop they have Michigan and their case of fumblitis coming into the Dome this week. That being said, as bad as Michigan has been this year, they've got some things going for them in this game. 1) They've never lost in the Dome. 2) Their offense has been decent in recent weeks. And 3) They're still Michigan (though they're masquerading as the 2007 Gophers). Make me regret this pick, Goof Troop. Final Score: Michigan 27, Minnesota 26 (Michigan +8 over MINNESOTA).
I'm getting bored with my own analysis at this point, so I'll go with the tried and true method of picking the opposite of what The Host picked. It's worked before and it'll work again. The Nits win, but don't cover. Final Score: Penn State 27, Iowa 20 (IOWA +7.5 over Penn State).
Thus concludes The Professor's Picks of the Week. Remember, "The 'Smart' Money is Always on THE PROFESSOR."
Big Ten Pick’em Corner Current Standings (week 6)
The Professor – 20-12 (2-3)
KCKCKCK – 19-13 (2-3)
Wick – 15-11 (1-4)
Slietes – 17-15 (3-2)
Coolies – 17-15 (1-4)
Jimbo – 16-16 (3-2)
The Intern – 16-16 (2-3)
Traeny – 13-14 (1-4)
Cornerman – 15-17 (2-3)
Mighty – 15-17 (1-4)
The Host – 12-20 (1-4)
The Veteran – 8-18 (2-3)
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