8/30/07 - Saturday Preview

Appalachian State at Michigan 12:00 BTN Appalachian State comes into the Big House as the Division 1-AA two-time defending national champion. And with 17 starters returning from last year's championship team, there is no doubt that the Mountaineers could and probably would beat some D-1 teams, just not Big Ten pre-season favorite Michigan. It will be interesting early to see how the Michigan defense handles a pretty good ASU running attack. The Mountaineers could break off a few big runs, but overall ASU is obviously overmatched. This game could be close after the 1st quarter, but once the bigger, stronger Wolverines start to wear down ASU the UM offense will start to roll. BTC Prediction: Michigan 41 Appalachian State 13 Youngstown State at Ohio State 12:00 BTN The Buckeyes will face off against coach Jim Tressel's former team and Division 1-AA powerhouse, the Youngstown State Penguins. You can bet everyone in Columbus will be closely watching new Buckeye QB Todd Boeckman, who beat out Robbie Schoenhoft and Antonio Henton for the starting job late in fall practice. Boeckman needs to be sharp early and get OSU out to a lead in order to keep the inevitable "Quarterback Controversy" at least a week away. It is almost certain to happen at some point this season as the Buckeye's search for a replacement for Heisman winner and OSU legend Troy Smith, but surely coach Tressel doesn't want to be answering those questions after an opening game win over YSU. BTC Prediction: Ohio State 37 Youngstown State 3 FIU at Penn State 12:00 BTN Line: Penn State -38 Penn State coach Joe Paterno enters his 42nd year at the helm in Happy Valley against Florida International. FIU's athletic defense has enough experience to give PSU a pretty good test on Saturday. Nittany Lion QB Anthony Morelli will need to come up with some big plays through the air to keep the Golden Panthers off balance and open up the running game for Austin Scott, who could be ready to finally put it all together and have the breakout season PSU fans have been waiting for. FIU finished last in the nation in scoring offense last year so the Penn State defense won't even really be tested. BTC Prediction: Penn State 34 FIU 3 Northeastern at Northwestern 12:00 BTN Northwestern lost it's season opener last year against another Division 1-AA opponent in New Hampshire. This year's Wildcat squad is more talented and much more experienced, including head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who now has a full year under his belt. Northwestern's offensive line should dominate Northeastern's 3-4 defense. Look for Wildcat back Tyrell Sutton to have a huge day, with starting NU quarterback C.J. Bacher sprinkling in enough short, conservative passes to keep the Northeastern D off balance. The under matched Huskies from Boston may keep it close early, but by the end of the 3rd quarter this game's outcome will no longer be in doubt. BTC Prediction: Northwestern 31 Northeastern 14 UAB at Michigan State 12:00 ESPN2 Line: MSU -21.5 New Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio should get his tenure started of with a big win over a struggling UAB program. Most likely the Spartans will use their running game and defense as the recipe for success against the Blazers. MSU backs Javon Ringer and Jenuu Caulcrick should open some long gainers while the Spartans wear down UAB's defensive front. On the other side of the ball, Michigan State's defensive line should have its way with the Blazer O-Line and give UAB's two-headed quarterback tandem of Joseph Webb and Sam Hunt plenty to deal with. BTC Prediction: Michigan State 38 UAB 17 Washington State at Wisconsin 3:30 ABC Line: Wisconsin -14 Time for Wisconsin to prove they are the BCS Contenders most are predicting. The Badgers return 18 starters from last year's squad that finished with a record of 12-1. Of course many are quick to point out that last year's schedule was one of the weakest in the Big Ten. Washington State will pack the box on defense in an attempt to stop P.J. Hill and the Badger running attack. Wazzu should be successful at stopping the run early, but at a cost. Stacking the line will open up many opportunities for Wisconsin QB Tyler Donovan to pick up some big chunks of yardage. This one could stay close and will be interesting to watch, but look for the Badger offense to shine and take over the game in the 2nd half. BTC Prediction: Wisconsin 28 Washington State 14 Missouri vs Illinois (@ St. Louis) 3:30 BTN Line: Missouri -4.5 Now is supposed to be the time for Illinois and head coach Ron Zook. It has been a few years since this much attention has been paid to an Illini football team, but Zook has been bringing in the recruits and it's time to see how good these guys really are (including the head coach). But before we deem Illinois as a possible surprise bowl team, there are still many questions to be answered. Can QB Juice Williams show some consistency with his arm, not just his legs? Outside of Juice, who is going to step up for Illinois and provide a stable running game? Can the Illini defense get pressure in the backfield and really shut down a passing attack? Illinois should be a fun team to watch this season and much improved, but let's wait until we get some answers before putting coach Zook's squad in bowl contention. It will be interesting to see how the Illini match up against a decent Big XII opponent, but at the end of the year expect both Missouri and Illinois to be watching the bowl games from home. BTC Prediction: Missouri 24 Illinois 17 Iowa vs Northern Illinois (@ Chicago) 3:30 ESPNU Line: Iowa -12 Iowa travels to Chicago to play in Soldier Field in what is being called a "home" game for Northern Illinois. Even though more than half of the crowd will certainly be wearing black and gold. It will be interesting to see how the Hawkeyes respond to the shuffle of the depth chart after suspensions of WR's Dominique Douglas and Anthony Bowman. First-year QB Jake Christensen lost a huge weapon in Douglas, and will need to rely more heavily on Albert Young, Damien Sims and the always strong Iowa running attack. NIU will need to fill a big hole with last year's leading rusher Garrett Wolfe playing on Sunday's in Soldier Field. The Hawkeye defense should be a strong point this year and will give the Huskies plenty of trouble on Saturday. BTC Prediction: Iowa 27 Northern Illinois 10 Purdue at Toledo 7:00 ESPNU Line: Purdue -6.5 Purdue is looking to rebound after a disappointing end to the 2006 season, but don't just chalk up an automatic win against Toledo. This game will come down to the Rocket's secondary matching up against a very good, very deep Purdue receiving crop. The Boilermaker's have had their problems stopping teams the last few seasons, and this year's defense will have its share of trouble as well. Purdue is going to have to outscore most of its opponents to pick up wins, nothing new for a Joe Tiller coached team, and if the Toledo cornerbacks aren't up for the challenge QB Curtis Painter will have a big day. This one will be close, but Purdue has just too much firepower on the outside and should squeak by with a win. BTC Prediction: Purdue 30 Toledo 24 Indiana State at Indiana 8:00 BTN It will be an emotional time in Bloomington on Saturday, as the Hoosiers play their first game since the tragic death of coach Terry Hoeppner. Winning this one for coach shouldn't be too tough, as Indiana hosts an Indiana State team that finished 1-10 last year in Division 1-AA with one of the worst defenses in the nation. QB Kellen Lewis should cut apart the Sycamore secondary, and running back Marcus Thigpen will provide some electrifying returns and long runs. The Hoosiers will win this one big, but it will get much tougher starting next week. BTC Prediction: Indiana 42 Indiana State 13 Bowling Green at Minnesota 8:00 BTN Line: Minnesota -14.5 New Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster will have a chance to get his tenure rolling at home against two MAC opponents, Bowling Green and Miami (OH) next week. Bowling Green has a good running attack that could give the Gophers defense some problems. If the Falcons can control the clock and tempo on the ground, this could be a lot closer than Minnesota fans would like. Both teams will be looking to establish the run early, and Minnesota's offensive line should be able to dominate a smaller Bowling Green defensive front. The Gophers will switch between quarterbacks Tony Mortensen and freshman Adam Weber and it will be interesting to see how Brewster handles that position. This will be closer than many think, but in the end Minnesota's size should prove too much for the Falcons. BTC Prediction: Minnesota 27 Bowling Green 17