9/28/07 - Big Ten Newsstand

Tomorrow brings another full slate of conference games for every Big Ten team but Purdue. The Boilermakers are the latest team to entertain winless Notre Dame in a non-conference tilt. Let's take another glance around the league in this week's Big Ten Newsstand. Penn State at Illinois Time for Penn State to open up - Kevin Freeman - Lancaster Intelligencer Journal A headache is awaiting Penn State - David Jones - The Patriots News Illini ready to run vs. Penn State - Tim Cronin - The Herald News Focus turns from 'Juice' to Rashard - Jay Taft - Rockford Register Star Michigan at Northwestern No looking ahead for 'M' - Jack Herman - The Michigan Daily Humbled U-M ready for Wildcats - Dan Strawser - Livingston Daily Wildcats at tipping point - Skip Myslenski - Chicago Tribune NU's defense under the gun - Adam Rittenberg - Chicago Daily Herald Indiana at Iowa Why can't Hawks win the close ones? - Andy Hamilton - Iowa City Press-Citizen Iowa looking for payback against Hoosiers - The Sporting News Iowa, IU won't push panic button - Bob Bridge - Bedford Times-Mail Looking to get back on track - Tom Kirby - Indiana Daily Student Notre Dame at Purdue Irish believe they can win this game - Tim Prister - Indianapolis Star History outshines current ND record in Boilers' eyes - Zach Langdon - The Exponent Purdue starting to turn heads - Dick Weiss - FoxSports.com Purdue geeks out its football stadium - Miyoko Ohtake - The Underwire Michigan State at Wisconsin MSU is sleeper Big Ten title contender - Dave Dye - The Detroit News Running back latest to pick MSU - Sam Hosey Jr. - Lansing State Journal Wisconsin leaves adversity behind - Jordan Schnelling - The Badger Herald Long ball threat: Badger's Lance Smith - Jerr Potrykus - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Ohio State at Minnesota Freshman LB Jermale Hines cleared to join team - Ken Gordon - Columbus Dispatch Transition smooth for Boeckman - Doug Harris - Dayton Daily News Daunting 'D' awaits Gophers - Chip Scoggins - Minneapolis Star Tribune

9/27/07 - Saturday Preview

Penn State at Illinois 12:00 BTN Line: Penn State -3 What to watch for in this game will be the Penn State offense, which is suddenly not as good as we thought, against an Illini defense that may be better than most were giving credit for. Sure, it was only a win over Indiana, but road wins have been few and far between for Illinois in recent years, and that was a good Hoosier offense the Illini shut down. Last week Penn State struggled sustaining any type of offense at Michigan. QB Anthony Morelli looked bad, RB Austin Scott continued to put the ball on the turf, and the Nittany Lion offense couldn't get into the end zone. After giving up 153 yards to Mike Hart last week, the Penn State defense will now try to shut down Illini RB Rashard Mendenhall. Mendenhall has rushed for 100+ yards in three straight games, and Illinois will need more of the same if they want to pull off the upset. This game will be close, but Penn State will take advantage of some Illinois turnovers to sneak out of Champaign with a win. BTC Prediction: Penn State 17 Illinois 14 Michigan at Northwestern 12:00 BTN Line: Michigan -17 After consecutive wins over Notre Dame and Penn State, the Wolverines have gotten themselves right back in the hunt for a Big Ten championship. Senior QB Chad Henne, who is 0-2, is back healthy and will get the start over Ryan Mallett in Evanston. Mallett was not overly impressive in his two starts, but he did take care of the ball against Penn State, which was all Michigan needed from him to win. Northwestern will be without RB Tyrell Sutton for another game, and without him the Wildcat offense has really struggled. Michigan has had well documented problems against spread offenses this year, but Northwestern should give them few troubles. The Wolverines can ease Henne back into action, and he'll have this game and next week at home against Eastern Michigan to grow his confidence. BTC Prediction: Michigan 31 Northwestern 13 Indiana at Iowa 12:00 BTN Line: Iowa -11 The injury bug has hit hard in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes lost WR Andy Brodell for the year with a hamstring pull, and TE Tony Moeaki is out for at least 2 weeks with a dislocated elbow and broken bones in his hand. This Saturday Iowa will play a total of zero receivers that caught a pass last season. With that lack of experience, it is high time for the Hawkeyes to find a way to get their running game and RB Albert Young back on track. Indiana had problems stopping Rashard Mendenhall last week, and their run defense has to improve. The Hoosiers will give Iowa's strong defense a good test, but in the end look for Iowa to avenge last year's loss in Bloomington with a close victory on Saturday. BTC Prediction: Iowa 24 Indiana 20 Notre Dame at Purdue 12:00 ESPN Line: Purdue -21.5 In Purdue's four wins this year, the Boilermakers have scored 52, 52, 45 and 45 points. You would be hard pressed to find an offense in the entire nation that is working better than Purdue's. The Boilermakers need a win over Notre Dame to improve to 5-0 before back-to-back contests with Ohio State and Michigan. QB Curtis Painter has been more than impressive this year, and he will be given plenty of time to pick apart the Irish defense. Notre Dame's inept offense has put up a total of 27 points in their first four games. Purdue will have four touchdowns by halftime. BTC Prediction: Purdue 41 Notre Dame 17 Michigan State at Wisconsin 3:30 ABC Line: Wisconsin -7 Before this season started, there were very few people who had this game circled on their calendar, but both the Badgers and Spartans are 4-0 and dreaming of New Year's Day bowls. Wisconsin looked very sluggish early on offense last week against Iowa, and it wasn't until P.J. Hill took over in the 4th quarter when the Badger faithful could finally exhale. This Saturday may seem like an intrasquad scrimmage for both teams as so far the Spartans have been winning games using the "Wisconsin formula", strong defense and a run first ball security offense. With games against Northwestern and Indiana up next, a win for Michigan State would be huge and set them up for what could be a 7-0 start. This will be a close, hard fought game and don't be surprised to see a Spartan upset. BTC Prediction: Wisconsin 17 Michigan State 14 Ohio State at Minnesota 8:00 ESPN2 Line: Ohio State -23 Ohio State's offense absolutely slaughter Northwestern last week en route to their blowout win. Minnesota's defense has not been able to stop anybody this year and currently ranks last in the nation. And other than Purdue last week, they haven't necessarily been facing any high powered offenses (Bowling Green, Miami (OH), and Florida Atlantic). The Gopher's offense can score at a high enough clip to keep Minnesota in most games, but in the end, if you can't stop anybody, you can't win. The Buckeye offense won't put up the numbers it did at home against Northwestern, but they will have no trouble putting up points in the Dome, and the Minnesota offense will find it tough going against the strong Buckeye D. BTC Prediction: Ohio State 42 Minnesota 17

9/26/07 - Where are they now? Tyrone Wheatley

Tyrone Wheatley played running back for the Michigan Wolverines from 1991 to 1994. Wheatley rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his last three seasons with Michigan. Tyrone broke onto the college scene in his sophomore season of 1992, and led the Wolverines to a 38-31 victory over Washington in the 1993 Rose Bowl. In that game, Wheatley finished with 235 yards on 15 carries and 3 touchdowns, earning him the Rose Bowl MVP award. In his senior season of 1994, Wheatley rushed for 1,144 yards with 12 touchdowns. Wheatley was selected by the New York Giants with the 17th overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played in ten NFL seasons for both the Giants and the Oakland Raiders. Tyrone's best year as a pro came in 2000, when he rushed for 1,046 yards and nine touchdowns while a member of the Raiders. Wheatley's NFL career came to end after the 2004 season. This year is Tyrone Wheatley's debut season as head coach of the Dearborn Heights Robichaud High School football team. Wheatley, now 35 years old, says he is using coaching as a way to give back to his community. He starred for Robichaud as a high schooler, leading the Bulldogs to their only Michigan state title in 1990, Wheatley's senior year of high school. The Bulldogs have made the playoffs just twice since that championship season. Wheatley's teachings seem to be paying early dividends, as his Bulldogs are currently 4-1 and look primed for another long awaited trip to the high school playoffs.

9/25/07 - News and Notes

Michigan senior QB Chad Henne has been cleared to play Saturday at Northwestern. Lloyd Carr has still not made a final decision on who his starter will be, Henne or freshman Ryan Mallet. As the 3-1 Fighting Illini prepare for one of their biggest home games in years against Penn State, many Illinois fans are already thinking about a possible bowl game. After a disappointing loss at Michigan, here is at least one man who thinks Penn State should bench starting QB Anthony Morelli. Iowa true freshman WR Colin Sandeman will get the start Saturday at home against Indiana, replacing WR Andy Brodell who is out with a pulled hamstring. The Hawkeyes will also be without starting TE Tony Moeaki. Michigan State entered the Coaches Poll this week at #23, just in time for their marquee matchup at Wisconsin. Spartan head coach Mark Dantonio says this game will define both teams. Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema is looking for a reduced suspension for his RB Lance Smith, who currently is unable to travel with the Badgers to away games. A judge set trial dates for three Purdue football players stemming from a March 30th bar fight. All three players are still with the team, and coach Joe Tiller has said he will wait for the legal process to play out before issuing any disciplinary action. Ohio State freshman QB Antonio Henton was arrested on Monday night and charged with soliciting. Henton was to be arraigned today.

9/24/07 - Weekend Recaps

Illinois 27 Indiana 14 Illinois jumped out to an early 13-0 lead on the road Saturday and fought off the Hoosiers to conclude a very important win in their Big Ten opener. The Illini were led by RB Rashad Mendenhall who rushed for 214 yards on 27 carries with a touchdown. Mendenhall also caught three passes for 18 yards and scored a receiving touchdown. QB Juice Williams still showed a lot of inconsistency, but Mendenhall's running and ball control ended up winning this game for Illinois. Saturday was only the second time in the Ron Zook tenure in which the Illini turned the ball over less than their opponent. Indiana QB Kellen Lewis had a strong performance and finished with 263 yards through the air on 26 of 51 passing with 2 TDs, but the Hoosiers were never able to get anything going on the ground. Illinois hosts Penn State this week, while Indiana looks to bounce back from this loss with a win at Iowa. Player of the Game: Illinois RB Rashad Mendenhall Michigan State 31 Notre Dame 14 Michigan State did allow Notre Dame's first two offensive touchdowns of the season, but the Spartans used 4 TD passes from QB Brian Hoyer to improve to 4-0 on the year. MSU RB Javon Ringer also pitched in as well with 144 yards on 26 carries. The Spartans looked a bit shaky at times in South Bend, and they will certainly need to improve on defense, especially against the run to compete with the Big Ten's best. Hoyer finished the day with 135 yards and 4 TD passes, but will need to improve on the 11 of 24 passing. The Spartans did what they had to do to win, but it starts to get a lot tougher beginning this Saturday at Wisconsin. Player of the Game: Michigan State QB Brian Hoyer Michigan 14 Penn State 9 After a very rough non-conference schedule, things got back to normal in Ann Arbor with Michigan defeating Penn State for the 8th straight time on Saturday. The Wolverines used defense and a heavy dose of RB Mike Hart to wear down and eventually beat the Nittany Lions. Hart ran the ball 44 times and finished with 153 yards and a touchdown on the afternoon. Michigan freshman QB Ryan Mallet stayed composed and did not try to force any throws en route to improving his starting record to 2-0. It should be an interesting to see how Lloyd Carr handles his QB situation with Chad Henne expected to be back soon. Penn State was led in rushing by RB Rodney Kinlaw who finished with 69 yards on just 12 carries, and may have taken the starting job away from Austin Scott. Scott continued to struggle hanging onto the ball and can no longer be counted on in close games. Player of the Game: Michigan RB Mike Hart Ohio State 58 Northwestern 7 This game was over before it really even got a chance to start after two early touchdown passes from Buckeye QB Todd Boeckman to WR Brian Robiskie. Ohio State completely dominated this game in every aspect from start to finish. Northwestern's only points came on a 99-yard kickoff return by Sam Simmons at the start of the 3rd quarter. Other than that, nothing went right for the Wildcats. Boeckman finished with 179 yards and 4TDs on 11 of 14 passing. Robiskie caught 3 passes, all for touchdowns, and ended with 89 yards receiving. Buckeye RB Chris Wells rushed for 100 yards on 12 carries with a touchdown. Granted this was Northwestern they were playing, but Ohio State seems to clicking on all cylinders right now. The defense is about as good as it gets, and this offensive explosion should only help the confidence of their young playmakers. After this weekend, the Buckeyes clearly look like the best team in the league right now. Player of the Game: Ohio State WR Brian Robiskie Wisconsin 17 Iowa 13 As ugly as this game started, it certainly got interesting late in the 1st half. Iowa took a 10-7 lead into the locker room at halftime after a one-handed touchdown grab by Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. The Hawkeyes were playing undermanned at receiver all game, and it sounds like they will be all year, after the injuries to WR Andy Brodell and TE Tony Moeaki. The Wisconsin defense held Iowa down for most of the game, and didn't let the Hawkeyes get anything going with their ground game. Iowa's defense looked very strong for most of the contest, but the Badger O-Line eventually wore them down, and RB P.J. Hill took over in the 4th quarter. Hill finished the game with 113 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries. Wisconsin doesn't make it look very pretty, but they just keep winning, extending the nation's longest winning streak to 13 games. Iowa should be an interesting team to follow this season. Their offense is going to continue to struggle, but with a very strong defense, the Hawkeyes should find themselves in just about every game. Player of the Game: Wisconsin RB P.J. Hill Purdue 45 Minnesota 31 Purdue started the game with a Desmond Tardy 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and never looked back. Minnesota has had more than enough problems this year stopping the pass, and few teams throw it around better than the Boilermakers. Purdue QB Curtis Painter had a field day passing for 338 yards and 3 TDs on 33 of 48 passing. WR Dorien Bryant finished with 12 catches, 150 yards and 2 TDs. The Boilermakers also got 111 yards on the ground from RB Kory Sheet's 21 carries. It was an all around offensive effort for Purdue as they took advantage of a hapless Gopher defense. Minnesota should be able to continue putting up some points, but as shown in their first 4 contests, the defense will most likely give all those points back and then some. Purdue heads home this Saturday to take on Notre Dame before a huge home matchup with Ohio State. Player of the Game: Purdue WR Dorien Bryant

9/21/07 - Big Ten Newsstand

The Big Ten kicks off conference play tomorrow with a slate of intriguing games. Let's take a quick glance around the league at what others are writing about the Big Ten's opening weekend. Illinois at Indiana Illini out for Revenge in Big Ten opener - Mike Theodore - Daily Illini Illini seem to be making strides - Tim Cronin - Daily Southtown IU opens Big Ten play against Illinois - Lee Hurwitz - Indiana Daily Student Hoosiers glad they gave Lewis a shot at QB - The Sporting News Penn State at Michigan Penn State defense zeros in on Hart - Sam Ross Jr. - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Lions unconcerned about crowd noise - Bob Flounders - The Patriot News Will Blue own PSU? - Daniel Bromwich - The Michigan Daily Hart can carry Michigan to strong season - Dick Weiss - FoxSports.com Michigan State at Notre Dame Spartans enter South Bend looking for more respect - Shannon Shelton - Detroit Free Press Spartans still wary of Irish - Rick Shepich - Livingston Daily Regis to speak at ND's Friday pep rally - WNDU 16 NBC Northwestern at Ohio State Wildcats' spread provides problems for OSU's 4-3 - The Sporting News Laurinaitis feted for INTs - Donnie Collins - The Times Tribune Robiskie makes habit of delivering big plays - Tim May - The Columbus Dispatch Iowa at Wisconsin Herbstreit likes Iowa defensive front - Randy Peterson - Des Moines Register No Bull: Heartland Trophy is on the line - Tom Lea - The Daily Cardinal Injuries have delayed development of LB corps - Jeff Potrykus - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Badgers seek revenge in Big Ten opener - Ben Voelkel - The Badger Herald Purdue at Minnesota Men in the middle: Purdue's middle LB rotation - Tom Kubat - The Indianapolis Star Brewster looks forward to reunion - Brendan Murphy - Journal and Courier Gophers could be unbeaten if only... - Chip Scoggins - Minneapolis Star Tribune

9/20/07 - Saturday Preview

Illinois at Indiana 12:00 BTN Line: Illinois -3 A win this week for either team would put them in a good position to battle for a bowl bid. Indiana has not made a bowl game since 1993, and a win over Illinois would mark their first 4-0 start since the 1990 season. Illinois is looking for their first three-game winning streak since 2001. The most intriguing matchup to watch in this game will be Indiana's ground attack against the Illini front seven. The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten with an average of 259 yards rushing per game. Illinois' defense has been very tough against the run, shutting down Western Illinois and Syracuse, and making it very tough for Missouri to gain any substantial yards on the ground. If the Hoosiers expect to win this week, they are going to need QB Kellen Lewis to continue to shine and add to his impressive passing totals. The quarterback on the other side, Illinois' Juice Williams has yet to show much consistency this season, and will need to play a turnover free game for the Illini to win on the road. BTC Prediction: Indiana 27 Illinois 24 Penn State at Michigan 3:30 ABC Line: Penn State -2.5 Without a real clear cut favorite to win the Big Ten this year, the winner of this early season matchup will take a big step towards that goal. For Penn State, this week marks their toughest road test of the year. After Saturday, the Nittany Lions have conference road tilts at Illinois, Indiana, and at Michigan State. Penn State plays Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Purdue all in Happy Valley this year. The schedule is very favorable for the Lions this year, but it is obviously way too early to be talking about a Big Ten title, especially with one of their toughest games of the year two days away. Much like Penn State, the Wolverines looked mighty impressive in their dominating win over Notre Dame, but a win over Notre Dame means about as much as a win over FIU and Buffalo this year. The one consistency this season for Michigan has been the play of RB Mike Hart. Hart has had three straight 100+ yard games to go along with his five touchdowns so far. The stingy Penn State defense will have their hands full stopping Mr. Hart. PSU, on the other hand, is still looking for that same consistency from one of their backs. So far the Nittany Lions have been led by QB Anthony Morelli, and with the way Michigan's secondary has been shredded this year, expect Morelli to have another big day. If Penn State can give him time, Morelli should lead the Lions to an important victory. BTC Prediction: Penn State 27 Michigan 17 Michigan State at Notre Dame 3:30 NBC Line: Michigan State -13.5 Notre Dame continues their stretch of Big Ten opponents this week when they host Michigan State on Saturday. The Spartans travel to South Bend with a 3-0 record and a very strong, consistent running game. Michigan State RB's Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick should be able to pick up good chunks of yardage against the Irish defense, and that will help the Spartans control the clock and the game. Notre Dame is starting over this week and MSU is probably the weakest team they've played so far, but the Irish are still a bad team. Michigan State will win the game, but this week's BOLD prediction is that Notre Dame will score their 1st offensive touchdown on the season. BTC Prediction: Michigan State 28 Notre Dame 13 Northwestern at Ohio State 3:30 ESPN Line: Ohio State -22 You probably didn't hear much about it, but the Ohio State Buckeyes traveled to Washington last weekend and stomped the Huskies in the 2nd half of their 33-14 statement win. The Buckeyes have been using the familiar formula of excellent defense and just enough offense on their way to a 3-0 start. Northwestern travels to Columbus after a very disappointing home loss to Duke. The Wildcats haven't won at Ohio State since 1971 and don't expect that trend to change. Northwestern expects RB Tyrell Sutton to be back for this game, and having the Ohio native in the backfield will be a big boost to their offense. But this year's Ohio State defense has been as good as any in the nation so far, and will take an amazing performance from Northwestern to pull off the upset. BTC Projection: Ohio State 31 Northwestern 13 Iowa at Wisconsin 8:00 ABC Line: Wisconsin -7.5 One of the most interesting matchups of this weekend will take place in Madison on Saturday night. Iowa is coming off an embarrassing road loss to a very bad Iowa State team. The Hawkeyes have played probably the weakest schedule in the nation to date with wins over 0-3 Northern Illinois and Syracuse. If Iowa plans on being a part of the upper half of the Big Ten, Saturday is time to make a statement. On the side stands a Wisconsin team that is a bit hard to figure out. The Badgers came into the season with top 5 rating and a favorite to win the Big Ten. However, after a lackluster performance at UNLV and last week's home game against The Citadel where the Wisconsin defense gave up 31 points. If Wisconsin wants to re-establish themselves as a possible BCS team, they need to beat the Hawkeyes handily. Don't be surprised if this game ends up being a tight one, with both teams looking to establish their running games. Quarterback play might be the difference, and with the way Iowa's Jake Christensen looked in the 1st half at Iowa State, the QB advantage goes to Wisconsin's Tyler Donovan. If Donovan can step up and make a few big plays, the Badgers will win. BTC Prediction: Wisconsin 24 Iowa 17 Purdue at Minnesota 9:00 ESPN2 Line: Purdue -14 The Boilermakers are looking at a very legitimate shot at starting the season 5-0. Purdue travels to Minnesota this week, then takes a shot at Notre Dame next week. Boilermaker QB Curtis Painter has been absolutely stellar this season. Painter has thrown for 952 yards with 13 touchdowns on the season, and has yet to throw an interception. Purdue will continue to rack up the passing yards this week against a bad Minnesota defense. The Gopher offense has been able to score, led by QB Adam Weber and a strong running game. But the offense hasn't been able to keep up with the amount of points Minnesota's defense has been giving up this year. Purdue will win this shootout, and the disappointment will continue for Minnesota. This will be a long season for the Gophers. BTC Prediction: Purdue 51 Minnesota 38

9/19/07 - Where are they now? Darnell Autry

Darnell Autry played running back for the Northwestern Wildcats from 1994 to 1996. During the 1995 season, Autry led Northwestern to a Big Ten Conference Championship and a berth in the 1996 Rose Bowl, where the Wildcats were defeated by USC. Darnell finished the 1995 season with 1,386 yards and 15 touchdowns, was named an All-American, and was a Heisman Trophy finalist. Autry decided to leave Northwestern after his junior season to pursue a career in the NFL. He was drafted in the 4th round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, but was released after the season. Autry spent some time out of the game and was picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2000. After just five games, Autry quit the Eagles and moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. After his unsuccessful attempt of becoming an actor, Autry decided to move back to Evanston and completed his degree at Northwestern in August 2006. He now works in the athletic advisor's office and is planning on earning his Masters degree in communications. Autry's plans now include getting his license in commercial real estate and would eventually like to own and operate his own production company. Darnell is also working on a book detailing the ups and downs of his life experiences. He hopes to get his book published within the next couple of years.

9/18/07 - News and Notes

Michigan QB Chad Henne is listed as doubtful for Saturday's game versus Penn State. Henne is 2-0 in his career against the Nittany Lions, but with him out of the game, the focus will be on Penn State's QB Anthony Morelli. Illinois travels to Indiana this weekend with the winner setting themselves up for a possible bowl berth. Illinois last played in a bowl after winning the Big Ten in 2001. The Hoosiers have not been to a bowl game since 1993. The "overachieving" Michigan State Spartans host an "underachieving" Notre Dame team on Saturday in East Lansing. MSU coach Mark Dantonio thinks his team needs to continue to overachieve if they plan to defeat a Notre Dame squad still looking for their first offensive touchdown this season. After losing on the road to in-state rival Iowa State, the Iowa Hawkeyes now head to Madison to face 9th ranked Wisconsin with the Heartland Trophy at stake. Former Hawkeye and current Badger head coach Bret Bielema says one of his first goals at Wisconsin was to beat Iowa. Despite a 1-2 start and recent loss to Florida Atlantic, Minnesota AD Joel Maturi thinks Gopher head coach Tim Brewster is "doing things the right way". Minnesota's defense is giving up 36 points per game this year, and things will only get uglier when they face high scoring Purdue this weekend. Ohio State LB James Laurinaitis and Michigan State DL Jonal Saint-Dic were named Big Ten co-defensive players of the week. This marked the 2nd time Laurinaitis was named Player of the Week in his career. Indiana QB Kellen Lewis was named Big Ten offensive player of the week for his efforts in the Hoosiers victory over Akron. Lewis finished the game with a total of 5 TDs and rushed for 199 yards.

9/14/07 - Quick Glance at Saturday's Lines

Tomorrow marks the final non-conference weekend before Big Ten Conference play starts, and every Big Ten team is currently favored to win. The two most intriguing matchups of the day should be the annual Notre Dame-Michigan rivalry game and Ohio State at Washington. Michigan is just over a touchdown favorite at home against the Irish, the Wolverines are currently 7 1/2 point favorites. Ohio State makes the long trip to Washington, and the Buckeyes are 4 point road favorites against the Huskies. Here's a quick look around the conference and the current spreads for each game. Akron at Indiana (-13.5) Buffalo at Penn State (-34.5) Pittsburgh at Michigan State (-11.5) Illinois (-12.5) at Syracuse Central Michigan at Purdue (-22) The Citadel at Wisconsin - No Line Minnesota (-9.5) at Florida Atlantic Iowa (-17.5) at Iowa State Notre Dame at Michigan (-7.5) Ohio State (-4) at Washington Duke at Northwestern (-16.5)

9/13/07 - Saturday Preview

Buffalo at Penn State 12:00 BTN With Michigan's struggling, Wisconsin squeaking by UNLV, and Ohio State's anemic offense posting just 3 points at home against Akron, Penn State is starting to look like the early favorite to win the Big Ten. Granted wins over FIU and Notre Dame aren't too impressive, and a win over Buffalo would fall into the same category. Penn State QB Anthony Morelli has been solid in his first two games, but the Nittany Lions will only go as far as their defense will take them this year. With a defensive unit that ranks as one of the best in the nation, Penn State will take control early against Buffalo en route to another blowout win. BTC Prediction: Penn State 38 Buffalo 6 Pittsburgh at Michigan State 12:00 ESPN After wins over UAB and Bowling Green, Michigan State hosts 2-0 Pittsburgh on Saturday in a pivotal game for both teams. The Panthers will provide the biggest test so far this season for an improving Spartan squad. MSU has won using an impressive running attack as the recipe for success with the combo of Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick. The Spartans should be able to establish the run successfully against the Pittsburgh defensive front. Michigan State is young and inexperienced on defense, especially on the outside at cornerback. The Panthers big wide receivers should be able to take advantage of that and keep this game close, but in the end the Spartan running backs will win this game on the ground. BTC Prediction: Michigan State 27 Pittsburgh 20 Akron at Indiana 12:00 BTN The surprise team so far in the Big Ten is the Indiana Hoosiers. Indiana is showing the success and offensive prowess that many pundits expected from Illinois this year. Everyone should have expected the blowout win over Indiana State, but the win last weekend on the road at Western Michigan shows a much improved Indiana team. Akron comes into Bloomington with a confident defense that held down Ohio State's offense for a half, but the Zips offense mustarded less than 100 yards of total offense in their 20-2 loss. Surprisingly, the Hoosier offense, especially their passing game, is much better than the Buckeyes at this point in the season (who would have ever thought they'd read that sentence!). Akron will be able to move the ball more than they did in Columbus, but IU's offense should be able to outscore the Zips. BTC Prediction: Indiana 31 Akron 20 Illinois at Syracuse 12:00 ESPNU Illinois will try to win it's first game played in a domed stadium since 1994 on Saturday when it takes on Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. The Orange have started off about as bad as any team in the nation. Between their losses to Washington and Iowa, Syracuse has been outscored 77-12, with an offense that has shown almost zero signs of life. The Illini defense seemed to show improvement last week in a shutout win of Western Illinois, and quite frankly Syracuse is playing like a 1-AA offense right now. Also, look for QB Juice Williams to rack up the yards on the ground. The Orange have always had problems with scrambling quarterbacks, and there are few running QB's better than Juice. As long as Illinois can limit turnovers and mistakes, the Illini should finally pick up a win in a dome. BTC Prediction: Illinois 24 Syracuse 10 Central Michigan at Purdue 12:00 ESPN2 If you are looking for a high scoring shoot-out on Saturday, look no further than West Lafayette. The Boilermakers offense has been firing on all cylinders so far this season, with co-Big Ten Player of the Week QB Curtis Painter leading the way. Painter has a slew of talented receivers to throw to, and should continue his excellent play and pick apart the Central Michigan secondary. The Cippewas are coming off a strong victory against Toledo, after their embarrassing 52-7 loss at Kansas to open the season. CMU has given up over 300 yards passing to both Kansas and Toledo, which has to have Joe Tiller and the Purdue offense salivating more than one of Pavlov's dogs. The question in this game isn't who will win, but more how many points will Purdue put on the scoreboard. BTC Projection: Purdue 48 Central Michigan 24 The Citadel at Wisconsin 12:00 BTN After struggling at UNLV and barely escaping with a victory, The Citadel should provide Wisconsin with a chance to get their confidence back. The Citadel does come into Madison with a 2-0 record, but those wins came against Charleston Southern and Webber. Not exactly impressive victories. The Badgers will return home fired up and should be able to put Bulldogs away early. After their near disaster in Las Vegas, Wisconsin will get a much needed tune-up before opening the Big Ten season at home next week against Iowa. BTC Prediction: Wisconsin 42 The Citadel 7 Minnesota at Florida Atlantic 1:00 ESPN360 Minnesota heads south to take on FAU after two consecutive overtime games against MAC schools at home. Not exactly how Tim Brewster was hoping his tenure would start to say the least. The problem for the Gophers hasn't been their offense. They've showed good balance averaging 276 yards per game on the ground and displaying an improved passing game led by freshman QB Adam Weber. Minnesota is the more talented team and that should show on the field, but if the Gophers continue to turn the ball over and don't cut down on the penalties and mistakes that have hindered them so far this season they may be in for trouble. BTC Prediction: Minnesota 31 Florida Atlantic 20 Iowa at Iowa State 1:30 Versus Speaking of coach's who wish they could start over. Iowa State's new head coach Gene Chizik would fall into that category after two embarrassing losses at home to Kent State and 1-AA Northern Iowa. This year's battle for the "Cy-Hawk Trophy" will certainly put the rivalry game theory of "throwing out the records" to a test. The Hawkeyes struggled a bit in their opener against Northern Illinois, but seemed to iron out the kinks against Syracuse at home. Iowa has struggled away from home recently, and they always seem to get Iowa State's best effort. It will be interesting to watch how Iowa QB Jake Christensen will handle his first experience of a hostile crowd. Don't be surprised if ISU keeps this one close for most of the first half, but in the end the Hawkeye defense should prove too tough for the Cyclones. BTC Prediction: Iowa 31 Iowa State 17 Notre Dame at Michigan 3:30 ABC Throw out the records when these two teams meet! I'm sure both Lloyd Carr and Charlie Weis wish they could this year. Both Notre Dame and Michigan come into their annual winless and starting true freshman quarterbacks. All eyes were certainly be watching the play of Michigan QB Ryan Mallett as he squares off against fellow phenom Jimmy Clausen. Reports are that Chad Henne will miss at least three games with an apparent knee injury, and Mallett, if he plays well, could take over the starting spot and permanently plant Henne on the sideline. Wolverine RB Mike Hart has guaranteed victory, and he will show up big time in this game making it easier on the freshman QB. The Michigan defense has been shredded in their two losses, and if they have trouble stopping a bad Irish offense, it will prove to be a very long season in Ann Arbor. Look for Michigan to rely heavily on Hart's running and notch a win on the board before next week's clash with Penn State. BTC Prediction: Michigan 27 Notre Dame 13 Ohio State at Washington 3:30 ESPN Despite what you have been told by the media, this week's most intriguing matchup will be played in the Pacific Northwest. Fresh off their lackluster home performance against Akron, Ohio State heads west to face a Washington team who just stopped the nation's longest winning streak in an upset win over Boise State. However, the Huskies have yet to face a defense as talented and as good as the one the Buckeyes will bring to town. OSU will shut down the Washington running game and QB Jake Locker, but don't expect their offense to provide many sparks. This is the same group that managed just 20 points at home against Akron. Both teams will be geared up for this one. The Huskies are ready to to show they belong back on the national scene, and the Buckeyes want to prove they are a top 10 team. BTC Prediction: Washington 20 Ohio State 17 Duke at Northwestern 8:00 BTN Duke comes into this week's primetime matchup with Northwestern carrying a 22-game losing streak. The Wildcats needed some magic last week to come from behind in the 2nd half and beat Nevada. Northwestern surely expects to put up some points against a very weak Blue Devil defense even with RB Tyrell Sutton likely to miss this game. Brandon Robinson filled in nicely against Nevada with 128 yards and a score, and the Wildcats will need production like that to keep Duke honest on defense and give QB C.J. Bacher time to pick apart the Blue Devil secondary. Bacher should put up solid numbers again, and this time he won't need to lead any last minute drives to take the lead. BTC Prediction: Northwestern 30 Duke 14

9/12/07 - Where are they now? - Joe Germaine

Joe Germaine was quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 1996 to 1998. Germaine served as back-up to QB Stanley Jackson in 1996 and 97, before becoming the starter in 1998. Germaine took over for Jackson in the 1997 Rose Bowl, and led the Buckeyes on a 12-play, 65-yard drive in the game's final 2 minutes finally connecting with David Boston for the game-winning touchdown with 19 seconds to play. Germaine threw for 131 yards in the '97 Rose Bowl and was named Rose Bowl MVP. During his one year as starting QB, Joe threw for 3,330 yards and 25 touchdowns while leading the Buckeyes to a 11-1 record and a co-Big Ten Championship. Germaine was named the 1998 Big Ten Most Valuable Player. Germaine was drafted in the 4th round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams and won a Super Bowl ring while serving as 3rd string QB in his rookie season. Joe was cut by the Rams after his first year, and after a brief stint with the Kansas City Chiefs, Germaine joined the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League. Germaine currently serves as the starting quarterback for the AFL's Utah Blaze. In the 2007, Joe became the first AFL QB to ever throw for over 5,000 yards in a season. He finished the season with a new league record 5,005 yards passing while also throwing for 107 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 16 regular season games. The Blaze finished the season with an 8-8 record, good enough for 3rd place in the Western Division of the AFL's American Conference.

9/11/07 - News and Notes

Wisconsin WR Paul Hubbard is expected to miss 6-8 weeks after suffering a knee injury in the Badger's win at UNLV. Hubbard sprained his knee, but fortunately for the Badgers, there was no ACL tear which means the senior wide receiver should return at some point this season. Michigan QB Chad Henne will not play against Notre Dame, but Wolverine coach Lloyd Carr expects Henne to return this season. The Michigan offense will be led by Freshman QB Ryan Mallett in Saturday's matchup against 0-2 Notre Dame. Northwestern RB Tyrell Sutton may miss Saturday's home game against Duke. Sutton twisted his ankle in the Wildcat's win over Nevada, and will be a game time decision. Penn State senior Austin Scott is making the most of his last season as a Nittany Lion. The oft-injured running back rushed for 116 yards on a career-high 28 carries in PSU's win over Notre Dame. The Iowa Hawkeyes travel across state to Ames on Saturday to face 0-2 Iowa State. First year Cyclone coach Gene Chizik has been very impressed with Iowa thus far in wins over Northern Illinois and Syracuse. Illinois has not won a game in a domed stadium since 1994. The Illini travel to the Carrier Dome to face 0-2 Syracuse on Saturday. Syracuse beat Illinois in Chaimpaign last year 31-21. Minnesota Freshman QB Adam Weber and Purdue QB Curtis Painter were named co-Big Ten Offensive Players of the Week. Weber set a Minnesota freshman record with 368 total yards and was responsible for 5 TDs in the Gopher's 3 overtime win over Miami (Ohio). Penn State LB Dan Connor was named Big Ten Defensive Player of Week after his 12 tackle performance against Notre Dame. Iowa's Kenny Iwebema was named Special Teams Player of the Week. Iwebema blocked 2 field goals in Iowa's shutout of Syracuse.

9/10/07 - Weekend Recaps

Ohio State 20 Akron 2 Ohio State survived five turnovers and a lackluster offensive performance in their 20-2 win over Akron. The Buckeye defense was the game's headline, holding Akron to only 69 yards of total offense. OSU QB Todd Boeckman was very inconsistent in the first half and finished with only 131 yards on 14 of 23 passing, including 2 INTs. The lone bright spot for the Buckeye offense was RB Chris Wells, who rushed for 143 yards on 20 carries. Ohio State will get a test this week when they travel west to face a 2-0 Washington team. Player of the Game: Ohio State RB Chris Wells Northwestern 36 Nevada 31 Nevada blew a 24-10 halftime lead, and Northwestern scored on a 13-yard pass to Ross Lane with 21 seconds on the clock to pull ahead and eventually outlast the Wolfpack. Wildcat QB C.J. Bacher put together another impressive game throwing for 227 yards and 3 TDs on 20 of 45 passing. Bacher also ran for 60 yards on eight carries. Northwestern RB pitched in with 128 yards on 13 carries to help lead the Wildcats to their 2nd victory of the season. This week, the Wildcats host Duke in the Big Ten Network's primetime game. Player of the Game: Northwestern QB C.J. Bacher Michigan State 28 Bowling Green 17 Michigan State was tested in the 1st half, but eventually wore down the Falcons and took over the game after halftime. Spartan QB Brian Hoyer threw for 250 yards and 2 TDs on 17 of 29 passing. MSU WR Devin Thomas had a huge game, catching 4 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. The Spartan defense looked a little vulnerable allowing BG QB Tyler Sheehan to throw for 295 yards, but did force 4 turnovers on the day. Player of the Game: Michigan State WR Devin Thomas Minnesota 41 Miami (OH) 35 3 OTs Minnesota was very close to dropping two straight games to MAC opponents at home. In their 2nd straight overtime game, the Gophers got the win after RB Amir Pinnix scored on a 2 yard run and Jamal Harris intercepted a pass to seal the victory in the 3rd overtime. Miami had a great chance to pull off the upset in the 2nd OT, but Trevor Cook missed a 33-yard field goal attempt. Pinnix finished the game with 126 yards on 28 carries and the game-winning touchdown. Gopher QB Adam Weber was impressive throwing for 271 yards on 26 of 40 passing including 4 TDs. He also ran for 97 yards and a score on 16 carries. Player of the Game: Minnesota QB Adam Weber Purdue 52 Eastern Illinois 6 Purdue used this home game against Division 1-AA Eastern Illinois as a chance to tune-up their high powered offense. The Boilermakers racked up 533 yards of total offense, and QB Curtis Painter threw for 6 touchdowns in their 52-6 rout of EIU. Purdue WR Dorien Bryant caught 12 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. It will be a bit tougher to find points next week when Purdue hosts Central Michigan before beginning Big Ten play. Player of the Game: Purdue QB Curtis Painter Oregon 39 Michigan 7 For the 2nd straight week, the Michigan defense was embarrassed and completely ripped apart as Oregon posted 624 yards of total offense. Ducks QB Dennis Dixon tore apart the Wolverines by connecting on touchdown passes of 85 yards, 61 yards and 46 yards to go along with his 76 yards rushing on 16 carries. Michigan also gave up 111 yards on the ground to Oregon RB Jonathan Stewart on 15 carries. It's obvious that the Wolverine defense is not only slow and unathletic, but at this point it must be said that they are flat out bad. Michigan QB Chad Henne left the game with a shoulder injury and will miss this week's game against Notre Dame. And if you thought things were ugly in Ann Arbor now, imagine the scene if the Wolverines lose at home again to rival Notre Dame. Player of the Game: Oregon QB Dennis Dixon Penn State 31 Notre Dame 10 Defense was once again the story in a Penn State win. The Nittany Lion D held Notre Dame to just 144 total yards and zero net rushing yards while fueling the victory, despite a lackluster performance by the PSU offense. Penn State QB Anthony Morelli was less than impressive throwing 12 for 22 and 131 yards. Nittany Lion RB Austin Scott finished with 116 yards and 2 TDs on 28 carries. Penn State gets another tune-up this week hosting Buffalo before starting Big Ten play at Michigan. With the Nittany Lion defense looking very impressive and games against Ohio State, Wisconsin, Iowa and Purdue all at home this season, it isn't a stretch to put Penn State in the driver's seat for a Rose Bowl berth. Player of the Game: Penn State LB Dan Connor had 12 tackles and 1 sack Illinois 21 Western Illinois 0 Illinois defense held Western Illinois to just 152 total yards and four first downs en route to their shutout victory. The Illini chalked up most of their yards on the ground, with RB Rashad Mendenhall gaining 139 yards and scoring a TD on 23 carries. However, Illini fans have to concerned with QB Juice Williams' inconsistency and lack of accuracy. Williams finished the game with 123 yards through the air on 12 of 24 passing. Nevertheless, Illinois evens up their record at 1-1 before traveling to Syracuse this week for a very winnable game. Player of the Game: Illinois RB Rashad Mendenhall Indiana 37 Western Michigan 27 The Hoosiers jumped out to a 31-7 first half lead and then weathered a strong Bronco comeback attempt to post an impressive road win. Indiana QB Kellen Lewis had another solid game throwing for 221 yards on 20 of 40 passing with 3 TDs and an interception. Indiana now heads back home for games against Akron and then their Big Ten opener versus Illinois with a legitimate chance of starting the season 4-0. Player of the Game: Indiana QB Kellen Lewis Iowa 35 Syracuse 0 Iowa controlled this game from the opening kick-off and completely shut down an anemic Syracuse offense. The stingy Iowa defense held the Orange to just 103 yards of total offense on the night. Hawkeye QB Jake Christensen was much improved from week one, throwing for 278 yards and 4 TDs on 23 of 32 passing. Iowa TE Tony Moeaki had a coming out party catching 8 passes for 112 yards and 3 scores. The Hawkeyes now face a terrible Iowa State team before going to Wisconsin for what could be a very interesting early season matchup. Player of the Game: Iowa TE Tony Moeaki Wisconsin 20 UNLV 13 The Badgers survived a huge scare from UNLV and used a 29-yard run by QB Tyler Donovan with less than 2 minutes to play to finally take the lead and held on to outlast the Runnin' Rebels. Donovan took a step back from his first game throwing for just 138 yards on 14 of 26 passing, and Wisconsin got back to their vanilla running offense. Badger RB P.J. Hill finished the game with 30 carries and 147 yards on the ground. The early season favorite to win the Big Ten looked very beatable in Las Vegas, but it will be a few more weeks before we find out if this was a sign of troubles to come. The Badgers head home to face The Citadel in what should be an easy tune-up before Big Ten play starts. Player of the Game: Wisconsin RB P.J. Hill

9/6/07 - Saturday Preview

Akron at Ohio State 12:00 BTN Line: Ohio State -29 Ohio State had very little trouble disposing of Youngstown State last week 38-6 and will now face an Akron team coming off a 22-14 victory over Army. The Buckeyes offense and QB Todd Boeckman will face a tougher test in the Zips defense, but the OSU O-Line should eventually take over and pave some major running room for RB Chris Wells. Look for Wells to bounce back from a lackluster opening game and gain over 100 yards en route to another Buckeye blowout. Akron's only real chance of keeping this close is if OSU's inexperienced offense turns over the ball and gives the Zips anemic offense great field position all game. BTC Prediction: Ohio State 34 Akron 10 Nevada at Northwestern 12:00 BTN Line: Northwestern -10 Northwestern looked pretty impressive in their shutout victory last week, albeit against Division 1-AA Northeastern. Nevada, despite getting drilled by Nebraksa 52-10, will certainly prove to be a much tougher test for the Wildcats. The Wolfpack gave up 400+ yards on the ground to Nebraska and Northwestern's improved offensive line will also try to take advantage of Nevada's weak run defense. Also, keep an eye on NU QB C.J. Bacher. He continues to protect the ball and threw for 243 yards on 23-29 passing on Saturday. Northwestern should move to 2-0 if the offensive line can control the line of scrimmage, and the Wildcat defense steps up again against a decent Wolfpack offensive unit. BTC Prediction: Northwestern 27 Nevada 24 Bowling Green at Michigan State 12:00 BTN Line: Michigan State -18 Bowling Green tries to make it 2-for-2 against the Big Ten after a shocking overtime win at Minnesota last Saturday. Michigan State is coming off a very impressive 55-18 drubbing of UAB. The Spartans rushed for 298 yards in their victory against UAB, and they should be able to gain some massive amounts of yardage on the ground against the Falcons, who gave up 246 yards rushing to Minnesota. Bowling Green QB Tyler Sheehan will give the Spartan secondary some fits with a short, controlled passing game, but Michigan State should be able to control the clock with their strong running game and pull out another victory. BTC Prediction: Michigan State 31 Bowling Green 17 Miami (OH) at Minnesota 12:00 BTN Line: Minnesota -8.5 Minnesota looks to avoid a second straight loss to a MAC team at home after falling in overtime to Bowling Green. Miami comes into this game 1-0 after beating Ball State 14-13 on a last minute touchdown run. The bad news for Minnesota is that their pass defense does not appear to be very much improved from last season after giving up 412 yards through the air last Saturday. The good news is the Redhawks don't have much of a passing attack. Miami threw for only 118 yards against Ball State. Don't expect the Gopher defense to improve too much from last week, but they won't need to towin this one. Minnesota's offensive line and RB Amir Pinnix will wear down the Redhawks and take over giving coach Tim Brewster his first victory. BTC Prediction: Minnesota 27 Miami (OH) 13 Eastern Illinois at Purdue 12:00 BTN In Purdue's 52-24 victory over Toledo, they gained 244 yards rushing and 244 yards passing. The Boilermakers will look to continue that balance on offense against 1-AA (Note: if you haven't noticed, the Chronicle refuses to acknowledge the new Football Champsionship Subdivision namesake) Eastern Illinois. Purdue QB Curtis Painter is going to have a lot of fun this season throwing to one of the best receiving corps in the nation. WR Dorien Bryant is nursing an ankle injury and will be a game-time decision, but with or without Bryant, the Boilers should light up the scoreboard again this week and if everyone can stay healthy, they may be the surprise team of the Big Ten this year. BTC Prediction: Purdue 45 Eastern Illinois 13 Oregon at Michigan 3:30 ABC Line: Michigan -8 Michigan's fall from grace has been well documented, and the Wolverines now come into this Big Ten-Pac 10 matchup as an unranked team. Lloyd Carr's squad has now lost three straight games dating back to last season, and a loss on Saturday would mean two straight home losses for the first time since 1990. The big concern in Ann Arbor is that this Oregon offense looks a lot like the Appalachian State offense that just ripped through Big Blue's defense (only Oregon has Division 1-A talent of course). The Duck's speedy QB Dennis Dixon and a slew of receivers will certainly challenge the Wolverines, and now is the time we find out if the UM seniors are going to circle the wagons or mail it in. The defense has to show some improvement this week, it certainly can't get any worse, and as long as we see a steady diet of Chad Henne turning around and handing the ball to RB Mike Hart, the offense will be okay. This has to be the earliest "must win" game played in the Big House in a long, long time. A loss and coach Carr might have his retirement decision made for him. BTC Prediction: Michigan 34 Oregon 27 Notre Dame at Penn State 6:00 ESPN Line: Penn State -17.5 Talk about getting your feet wet! Charlie Weis finally made up his mind on a quarterback and is going with highly touted freshman Jimmy Clausen on Saturday, and he will face possibly the best defense in the Big Ten this year at Penn State. After a 33-3 loss to Georgia Tech, in a game where Notre Dame ended with a net -8 yards rushing, the Irish offense will need to greatly improve and do it in a major hurry if they expect to get in the win column anytime soon. The interesting thing to watch in this game will be Penn State QB Anthony Morelli and the Lion offense. They did just about anything they wanted against FIU in a 59-0 blowout win, and if they can run the ball with anything close to the success they had in that game this will be another ugly loss for the Irish. BTC Prediction: Penn State 37 Notre Dame 20 Western Illinois at Illinois 7:00 BTN After being knocked out in the 1st half against Missouri, Illinois QB Juice Williams is expected to start on Saturday versus Western Illinois. Former Iowa Hawkeye offensive coordinator Don Patterson will be back in a Big Ten stadium for a day when his Leathernecks travel across state to Champaign. The Illini looked like an improved team from last year in their loss to Missouri, but they will need to cut down on mistakes if they expect to challenge for a bowl game this season. Illinois should get a notch in the win column and some much needed confidence on Saturday. BTC Projection: Illinois 31 Western Illinois 17 Indiana at Western Michigan 8:00 ESPNU Line: Pick 'em After an emotional win over Indiana State, the Hoosiers travel to Western Michigan where the MAC team is actually favored. WMU got torched for 62 points in their opening day loss to West Virginia, but most of damage was down on the ground by a Mountaineer team that obviously has a lot more weapons than the Hoosiers. IU QB Kellen Lewis had a monster first half through the air against ISU; he and favorite target James Hardy will give the Broncos secondary fits. This should be a high scoring affair, and the Indiana defense will be tested by a very good Western Michigan ground game. It may surprise some folks, but this game will be very tight and one mistake could be the difference in the ball game. BTC Predicition: Western Michigan 37 Indiana 34 Syracuse at Iowa 8:00 BTN Line: Iowa -22 Iowa went to Chicago and came home with a 16-3 victory over Northern Illinois. The Hawkeyes dominated with outstanding running balance by seniors Albert Young and Damien Sims and a very tough defense, but there is much to improve on. QB Jake Christensen will need to show more consistancy, and his receivers are going to need to show they can hang onto the ball. Iowa had far too many dropped passes and failed 3rd down conversions against NIU to sustain any offensive flow. Syracuse is coming off an embarrising 42-12 loss to Washington and it is not going to get any easier on the Orange this week. Iowa's front four led by DL Mitch King should control the line of scrimmage and look for the Hawkeye offense to improve and really get rolling at home. BTC Prediction: Iowa 34 Syracuse 10 Wisconsin at UNLV 10:00 Line: Wisconsin -25.5 Wisconsin looked impressive in their 42-21 win over Washington State. QB Tyler Donovan picked apart the Cougars defense, and expect much of the same in Vegas. Big Ten teams historically do not have a good history of traveling West for non-conference games, but this is a UNLV squad who struggled to put away a very bad Utah State team last Saturday. The Badgers will look to get P.J. Hill and their ground game sharpened up. The only major area for improvement for Wisconsin from last game was tackling. The Badger defense had some trouble wrapping up against Wazzu, but expect the linebackers to take care of business on Saturday in what should be an easy win. BTC Prediction: Wisconsin 37 UNLV 10

9/5/07 - Big Ten in the Polls

After an impressive win over Washington State at home, the Wisconsin Badgers moved up two spots in both the Coaches and AP Poll to #5 in each. The Badgers are the lone Big Ten team ranked in this week's Top 10. Ohio State, despite blowing out Youngstown State, dropped one spot in each poll to #11 in the Coaches and #12 in the AP. The only other Big Ten school ranked this week in the Top 25 is Penn State. The Nittany Lions moved up 3 places in both polls, and are now ranked #14 in the AP and #15 in the Coaches poll. After their stunning loss at home to Division 1-AA Appalachian State, Michigan suffered the largest drop in the history of the AP Poll. The Wolverines, pre-season #5, dropped out of both the AP and Coaches poll, but continue to receive votes in each. Iowa is the only other Big Ten team receiving votes in either poll. The Hawkeyes received one vote in this week's USA Today Coaches Poll.

9/4/07 - Weekend Recaps

Appalachian State 34 Michigan 32 The Mountaineers became the 1st ever 1-AA football team to knock off a ranked Division 1 opponent by shocking Michigan on Saturday in the Big House. Michigan RB Mike Hart rushed for 188 yards on 23 carries, with 3 TD's in the loss. QB Chad Henne was 19 for 37 with 233 yards, 1 TD and 1 interception. Player of the Game: ASU QB Armanti Edwards. 17-23 227 yards with 2TD's passing. 17 carries for 62 yards and 1 TD rushing. Ohio State 38 Youngstown State 6 OSU Coach Jim Tressel beat his former team of 15 years in the first ever meeting of these two schools. New Buckeye QB Todd Boeckman shined throwing 17-23 with 225 yards passing and 2 TD's. WR Brian Robiske pulled in 9 catches for 153 yards. Player of the Game: OSU QB Todd Boeckman Penn State 59 Florida International 0 JoePa returned to the sideline on Saturday and saw first hand his Nittany Lions destroy FIU. QB Anthony Morelli led Penn State going 23-38 for 295 yards and 3 TD's, with 231 of those yards coming in the 1st half, a new school record. The Lions got 236 yards on the ground and 4 TD's between a trio of RB's (Austin Scott, Rodney Kinlaw, and Evan Royster). Player of the Game: PSU QB Anthony Morelli Northwestern 27 Northeastern 0 Northwestern's Defense posted the Wildcat's first shutout since 1997 en route to their season-opening victory over Northeastern. NU QB C.J. Bacher threw for 243 yards and 1 TD on 23-29 passing. Wildcat RB Tyrell Sutton also added 108 yards rushing on 24 carries. Players of the Game: Northwestern Defense Michigan State 55 UAB 18 Michigan State led 21-0 after the 1st quarter and continued to pile it on the Blazers in their lopsided victory in coach Mike Dantonio's first game. Dantonio became the 4th straight MSU head coach to win in his debut. Spartan RB Jehuu Caulcrick ran for 93 yards on 10 carries and finished the day with 4 TD's on the ground. Player of the Game: MSU RB Jehuu Caulcrik Wisconsin 42 Washington State 21 New Wisconsin QB Tyler Donovan stepped up in his first game as starter and led the 7th-ranked Badgers to their first win of the season. Donovan finished the day 19-29 with 284 yards and 3 TD's. Last year's Big 10 Freshman of the Year, P.J. Hill added 2 scores on the ground while rushing for 84 yards on 21 carries. Player of the Game: Wisconsin QB Tyler Donovan Missouri 40 Illinois 34 Things did not look good for the Illini after Sophomore QB Juice Williams was knocked out of the game in the 2nd quarter and Illinois found themselves trailing 23-6 at halftime. But redshirt-freshman Eddie McGee led a strong 2nd half comeback throwing for 257 yards and 1 TD. He did however turn the ball over twice with interceptions, and it was turnovers that did the Illini in. Illinois turned the ball over 5 times in total on Saturday. The injury to Williams does not seem too serious, and coach Ron Zook was confident after the game that Juice would be back and not miss his next start. Player of the Game: Mizzou QB Chase Daniel finished the game 37 of 54 with 359 yards and 3 TD's Iowa 16 Northern Illinois 3 It was not pretty at times, but the Hawkeyes used stout defense and a strong ground game to eventually wear down an overmatched Northern Illinois squad. The story of the game for Iowa was their two-headed running back tandem of seniors Albert Young and Damien Sims. Both backs finished the game with over 100 yards rushing, Young had 150 yards on 23 carries, and Sims rushed the ball 16 times for 110 yards. New starter, sophomore QB Jake Christensen struggled at times, throwing for 128 yards on 12 of 29 passing and 1 TD. Players of the Game: Iowa RB's Albert Young and Damien Sims Purdue 52 Toledo 24 Purdue QB Curtis Painter started where he left off last year, and the Boilermakers dominated Toledo from the opening kick on their way to a 52-24 rout. Painter was 14-30 with 244 yards and 4 touchdown passes on the night. Purdue WR Dustin Keller led the Boilers in receiving with 107 yards on 3 catches and 1 TD. Player of the Game: Purdue QB Curtis Painter Indiana 55 Indiana State 7 Indiana paid tribute to coach Terry Hoeppner in style with a 55-7 thrashing of Division 1-AA Indiana State. Hoosier QB Kellen Lewis threw for 3 TD's on the day, all on his first 4 passes of the game. Lewis finished the day 12-21 with 285 yards passing. Indiana State has now lost 28 of their last 29 games. Player of the Game: Indiana QB Kellen Lewis Bowling Green 32 Minnesota 31 (OT) The Tim Brewster era started off on a dull note, as the Gopher's rallied back from an early 21-0 deficit, but fell just short after a Bowling Green 2-point conversion gave the Falcons an overtime victory. Freshman QB Adam Weber struggled in the Gopher's new spread offense throwing for 188 yards on just 15-31 passing, including 2 costly interceptions. The bright spot for Minnesota was Amir Pinnix and the running game. Pinnix carried the ball 28 times for 168 yards and 2 scores. Player of the Game: Bowling Green QB Tyler Sheehan threw for 388 yards and 2 TD's and the game winning 2-point conversion