Brett Ludwiczak
Guest
Oregon-Michigan State headlines the Big Ten's odds, betting lines for Week 2 while Ohio State is a large favorite
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The rematch between the Ducks and Spartans is one of the most anticipated college football games of the year and is by far the best game of the week in college football.
If you missed the national game portion of our programming on Thursday, well shame on you! The good news is you can catch yourself up here.
B1G Games:
Oregon State v. Michigan (-14.5) - 12:00 p.m. - ABC
Michigan and OSU squaring off at "The Big House"! Right now they should be glad they're playing the Beavers and not the Buckeyes. The Jim Harbaugh experience started off with a loss, but at least for Michigan their defense looked solid. The offense? Not so much. Although the Butt did look good. Jake Butt that is. The Michigan tight end was the offense's biggest weapon in the loss to Utah.
The Wolverines will get to claim a win this year over OSU at Michigan Stadium, but they don't have enough punch to cover.
Michigan 27 Oregon State 17
Bowling Green v. Maryland (-7.5) - 12:00 p.m. - Big Ten Network
Maryland's best offensive weapon might very well be a defensive back. William Likely set a Big Ten record with 233 return yards in the 50-21 Terrapins win over Richmond. Even with the questions that surround the Maryland offense, they do get the luxury of playing against a Bowling Green defense that just gave up over 600 yards to Tennessee.
This might turn out to be one of the more entertaining games of the week, but Bowling Green comes up just short in their quest for back-to-back seasons with a win over a Big Ten team.
Maryland 37 Bowling Green 34
Buffalo v. Penn State (-19.5) - 12:00 p.m. - ESPN2
Should Penn State really be giving 21 points to anybody right now? I would call how the Nittany Lions performed last week garbage, but that would be an insult to garbage. Good thing Buffalo doesn't still have Khalil Mack, because if they did it would be high comedy to see what he could do to the Penn State offensive line. The sad thing is, Christian Hackenberg actually has weapons at wide receiver, but that doesn't mean much when you have no time to throw the football.
What will be interesting to see is how Buffalo attacks Penn State's defense now that the Nittany Lions have lost linebacker Nyeem Wartman-White for the year due to injury. Running back Anthone Taylor ran for 1,403 yards and 12 touchdowns last year, and the quarterback position is in good hands with Joe Licata, who is entering his 72nd year as starting quarterback for the Bulls.
It's no secret that I'm a Buffalo guy, since I hail from the area, so I'm hoping they are able to put a little bit of a scare into Penn State. The Bulls made a great hire in the offseason, bringing in Lance Leipold from Division III powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater to coach. With Penn State reeling a bit from their season opening loss, along with the steadying offensive combo of Licata and Taylor, I think the Bulls at least keep things respectable.
Penn State 35 Buffalo 20
Miami (OH) v. Wisconsin (-32.5) - 12:00 p.m. - ESPNU
This just feels like one of those games where Wisconsin just annihilates a cupcake at Camp Randall. Last year it was Bowling Green, who the Badgers smoked 68-17, and this year it will be a Redhawks squad that has 62 freshmen on their team. Paul Chryst gets his first win as Badgers head coach.
Wisconsin 56 Miami (OH) 14
Washington State v. Rutgers (-3.5) - 3:30 p.m. - ESPNU
Mike Leach ,what has happened to you? The Cougars lost last week to Portland State and things in Pullman look pretty gloomy for the foreseeable future. Some of the issues last week could be because of the game's terrible weather, but still, it was pretty ugly overall for Washington State. Quarterback Luke Falk injured his shoulder late in the game against Portland State, but it sounds like he'll be a go for Saturday's game.
On the other side, Rutgers had little issue with Norfolk State last week, using 42 second half points to win 63-13. Leonte Carroo was the star for the Scarlet Knights, hauling in three touchdowns. Quarterback Chris Laviano seemed to form quite a tandem with Carroo in the second half, so he could have the inside track on getting more snaps than Hayden Rettig behind center.
Last year the Scarlet Knights won 41-38 in Pullman on the legs of Paul James' 173 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Don't be surprised to see James have another big game against a Washington State defense that gave up over 200 yards rushing to Portland State. The combination of James on the ground and Carroo through the air will be too much for the Cougars to overcome.
Rutgers 41 Washington State 31
Minnesota (-5) v. Colorado State - 3:30 p.m. - CBS Sports Network
Minnesota gave TCU all they could handle last Thursday, but just didn't have quite enough offense to pull the upset. The 23 points Minnesota gave up to TCU snapped the Horned Frogs' streak of 15 straight games of scoring at least 30 points. The Golden Gophers have another tough task this week when they head to Fort Collins to take on the Rams.
Colorado State had an easy time with Savannah State in their first game with Mike Bobo as head coach. The competition ramps up quite a bit this week, It's still unclear as to how the Rams will cope with losing Garrett Grayson to the NFL and Jim McElwain to Florida, but they certainly can't be taken lightly at home.
I still have some concerns about the Minnesota offense this year. Are the Golden Gophers going to be able to keep up if Bobo's no-huddle offense is clicking on Saturday? I know Minnesota has the secondary to slow down the Rams, but I'm not confident enough to lay nearly a touchdown on the road. Minnesota wins but this game is closer than many people might be thinking.
Minnesota 30 Colorado State 27
Iowa (-3.5) v. Iowa State - 4:45 p.m. - Fox
The game is usually as appetizing as a wet fart, so I won't spend too much time on it. Both teams beat FCS competition, so it's hard to carry over a whole lot from their season openers. The last four meetings have been decided by a total of 15 points, but that doesn't mean it's always good football to watch. Iowa has a good running back combination with LeShun Daniels Jr. and Jordan Canzeri. I feel like Iowa is better on both sides of the football, which of course means that Iowa State will end up winning this rivalry game.
Iowa 24 Iowa State 14
South Alabama v. Nebraska (-27.5) - 8:00 p.m. - Big Ten Network
How will Nebraska respond after losing Mike Riley's debut on a Hail Mary? At least the Cornhuskers will get five players back from suspension for this contest. I wouldn't sleep on the Jaguars in this spot. Last year they went to a bowl game and Joey Jones is quietly building a solid program in the Sun Belt. Nebraska is 11-0 in their history against Sun Belt squads, and while they run that record to 12-0, South Alabama at least keeps it within the number.
Nebraska 44 South Alabama 21
Florida International v. Indiana (-7.5) - 8:00 p.m. - Big Ten Network
If you watch this game you really should re-evaluate your life choices. Life is too short to watch a coaching matchup between Ron Turner and Kevin Wilson. Last week Indiana barely defeated Southern Illinois 48-47, and that was only because of a failed two-point conversion by the Salukis. Meanwhile, FIU somehow beat Central Florida in their season opener. If the Golden Panther defense can play as well this week as they did last week, I wouldn't put it past them to pull the upset on Indiana. I certainly don't have enough faith to take the Hoosiers laying that many points.
Indiana 24 Florida International 21
#7 Oregon v. #5 Michigan State (-4) - 8:00 p.m. - ABC
The marquee game of the week in college football sees a rematch from last season, where Michigan State held tough with Oregon for three quarters in Eugene, but didn't saw the Ducks pull away late. Yet again we get to see if the tough Michigan State defense can slow down the high-powered Oregon offense. Quarterback Vernon Adams looked to be as good as advertised in his debut for the Ducks before taking an ugly hit against his old team last week. Adams isn't in danger of missing this week's game but will have quite a tough task in trying to solve the Spartan defense.
If Eastern Washington can put up 42 points on Oregon, what will a team with Connor Cook be able to do? In the first half last week Michigan State didn't have much trouble moving the football against Western Michigan. If the Spartans can get their running game going behind their experienced offensive line while mixing in Cook's passing, it will really keep an inexperienced Oregon defense on their toes.
I wouldn't be surprised to see this game play out exactly like last year's game in Eugene, except instead of Oregon pulling away, this time it's Michigan State. The Spartans end up making it two in a row for the Big Ten against the Ducks.
Michigan State 38 Oregon 28
Hawaii v. #1 Ohio State (-41.5) - 3:30 p.m. - Big Ten Network
For three out of the four quarters on Monday night, Ohio State was as dominant as many thought they'd be this season. Virginia Tech might be the only team this year who can say they had a lead on the Buckeyes at halftime. Ohio State shouldn't have to worry about trailing to Hawaii after 30 minutes on Saturday. At least if Hawaii is going to lose on Saturday, they are going to look fantastic while doing so.
Hawaii surprisingly opened the season with a win over Colorado, which marked one of the few wins for the Rainbows under Norm Chow. Hawaii does actually have some talent at quarterback with USC transfer Max Wittek taking the snaps. The bad news for Wittek is he'll have Joey Bosa, who'll be trying to make up for lost time after his suspension for the Virginia Tech game, lining up on the other side of the football.
Ohio State will also get Jalin Marshall, Dontre' Wilson, and Corey Smith back from suspension. Adding those three to the mix after Braxton Miller's performance on Monday night, along with Ezekiel Elliott's big play ability, and the Buckeye offense got a lot scarier in just a week. Buckeyes teams have scored 60 points or more five times under Urban Meyer, and this is feeling like this game might be the sixth.
Ohio State 63 Hawaii 17
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The rematch between the Ducks and Spartans is one of the most anticipated college football games of the year and is by far the best game of the week in college football.
If you missed the national game portion of our programming on Thursday, well shame on you! The good news is you can catch yourself up here.
B1G Games:
Oregon State v. Michigan (-14.5) - 12:00 p.m. - ABC
Michigan and OSU squaring off at "The Big House"! Right now they should be glad they're playing the Beavers and not the Buckeyes. The Jim Harbaugh experience started off with a loss, but at least for Michigan their defense looked solid. The offense? Not so much. Although the Butt did look good. Jake Butt that is. The Michigan tight end was the offense's biggest weapon in the loss to Utah.
The Wolverines will get to claim a win this year over OSU at Michigan Stadium, but they don't have enough punch to cover.
Michigan 27 Oregon State 17
Bowling Green v. Maryland (-7.5) - 12:00 p.m. - Big Ten Network
Maryland's best offensive weapon might very well be a defensive back. William Likely set a Big Ten record with 233 return yards in the 50-21 Terrapins win over Richmond. Even with the questions that surround the Maryland offense, they do get the luxury of playing against a Bowling Green defense that just gave up over 600 yards to Tennessee.
This might turn out to be one of the more entertaining games of the week, but Bowling Green comes up just short in their quest for back-to-back seasons with a win over a Big Ten team.
Maryland 37 Bowling Green 34
Buffalo v. Penn State (-19.5) - 12:00 p.m. - ESPN2
Should Penn State really be giving 21 points to anybody right now? I would call how the Nittany Lions performed last week garbage, but that would be an insult to garbage. Good thing Buffalo doesn't still have Khalil Mack, because if they did it would be high comedy to see what he could do to the Penn State offensive line. The sad thing is, Christian Hackenberg actually has weapons at wide receiver, but that doesn't mean much when you have no time to throw the football.
What will be interesting to see is how Buffalo attacks Penn State's defense now that the Nittany Lions have lost linebacker Nyeem Wartman-White for the year due to injury. Running back Anthone Taylor ran for 1,403 yards and 12 touchdowns last year, and the quarterback position is in good hands with Joe Licata, who is entering his 72nd year as starting quarterback for the Bulls.
It's no secret that I'm a Buffalo guy, since I hail from the area, so I'm hoping they are able to put a little bit of a scare into Penn State. The Bulls made a great hire in the offseason, bringing in Lance Leipold from Division III powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater to coach. With Penn State reeling a bit from their season opening loss, along with the steadying offensive combo of Licata and Taylor, I think the Bulls at least keep things respectable.
Penn State 35 Buffalo 20
Miami (OH) v. Wisconsin (-32.5) - 12:00 p.m. - ESPNU
This just feels like one of those games where Wisconsin just annihilates a cupcake at Camp Randall. Last year it was Bowling Green, who the Badgers smoked 68-17, and this year it will be a Redhawks squad that has 62 freshmen on their team. Paul Chryst gets his first win as Badgers head coach.
Wisconsin 56 Miami (OH) 14
Washington State v. Rutgers (-3.5) - 3:30 p.m. - ESPNU
Mike Leach ,what has happened to you? The Cougars lost last week to Portland State and things in Pullman look pretty gloomy for the foreseeable future. Some of the issues last week could be because of the game's terrible weather, but still, it was pretty ugly overall for Washington State. Quarterback Luke Falk injured his shoulder late in the game against Portland State, but it sounds like he'll be a go for Saturday's game.
On the other side, Rutgers had little issue with Norfolk State last week, using 42 second half points to win 63-13. Leonte Carroo was the star for the Scarlet Knights, hauling in three touchdowns. Quarterback Chris Laviano seemed to form quite a tandem with Carroo in the second half, so he could have the inside track on getting more snaps than Hayden Rettig behind center.
Last year the Scarlet Knights won 41-38 in Pullman on the legs of Paul James' 173 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Don't be surprised to see James have another big game against a Washington State defense that gave up over 200 yards rushing to Portland State. The combination of James on the ground and Carroo through the air will be too much for the Cougars to overcome.
Rutgers 41 Washington State 31
Minnesota (-5) v. Colorado State - 3:30 p.m. - CBS Sports Network
Minnesota gave TCU all they could handle last Thursday, but just didn't have quite enough offense to pull the upset. The 23 points Minnesota gave up to TCU snapped the Horned Frogs' streak of 15 straight games of scoring at least 30 points. The Golden Gophers have another tough task this week when they head to Fort Collins to take on the Rams.
Colorado State had an easy time with Savannah State in their first game with Mike Bobo as head coach. The competition ramps up quite a bit this week, It's still unclear as to how the Rams will cope with losing Garrett Grayson to the NFL and Jim McElwain to Florida, but they certainly can't be taken lightly at home.
I still have some concerns about the Minnesota offense this year. Are the Golden Gophers going to be able to keep up if Bobo's no-huddle offense is clicking on Saturday? I know Minnesota has the secondary to slow down the Rams, but I'm not confident enough to lay nearly a touchdown on the road. Minnesota wins but this game is closer than many people might be thinking.
Minnesota 30 Colorado State 27
Iowa (-3.5) v. Iowa State - 4:45 p.m. - Fox
The game is usually as appetizing as a wet fart, so I won't spend too much time on it. Both teams beat FCS competition, so it's hard to carry over a whole lot from their season openers. The last four meetings have been decided by a total of 15 points, but that doesn't mean it's always good football to watch. Iowa has a good running back combination with LeShun Daniels Jr. and Jordan Canzeri. I feel like Iowa is better on both sides of the football, which of course means that Iowa State will end up winning this rivalry game.
Iowa 24 Iowa State 14
South Alabama v. Nebraska (-27.5) - 8:00 p.m. - Big Ten Network
How will Nebraska respond after losing Mike Riley's debut on a Hail Mary? At least the Cornhuskers will get five players back from suspension for this contest. I wouldn't sleep on the Jaguars in this spot. Last year they went to a bowl game and Joey Jones is quietly building a solid program in the Sun Belt. Nebraska is 11-0 in their history against Sun Belt squads, and while they run that record to 12-0, South Alabama at least keeps it within the number.
Nebraska 44 South Alabama 21
Florida International v. Indiana (-7.5) - 8:00 p.m. - Big Ten Network
If you watch this game you really should re-evaluate your life choices. Life is too short to watch a coaching matchup between Ron Turner and Kevin Wilson. Last week Indiana barely defeated Southern Illinois 48-47, and that was only because of a failed two-point conversion by the Salukis. Meanwhile, FIU somehow beat Central Florida in their season opener. If the Golden Panther defense can play as well this week as they did last week, I wouldn't put it past them to pull the upset on Indiana. I certainly don't have enough faith to take the Hoosiers laying that many points.
Indiana 24 Florida International 21
#7 Oregon v. #5 Michigan State (-4) - 8:00 p.m. - ABC
The marquee game of the week in college football sees a rematch from last season, where Michigan State held tough with Oregon for three quarters in Eugene, but didn't saw the Ducks pull away late. Yet again we get to see if the tough Michigan State defense can slow down the high-powered Oregon offense. Quarterback Vernon Adams looked to be as good as advertised in his debut for the Ducks before taking an ugly hit against his old team last week. Adams isn't in danger of missing this week's game but will have quite a tough task in trying to solve the Spartan defense.
If Eastern Washington can put up 42 points on Oregon, what will a team with Connor Cook be able to do? In the first half last week Michigan State didn't have much trouble moving the football against Western Michigan. If the Spartans can get their running game going behind their experienced offensive line while mixing in Cook's passing, it will really keep an inexperienced Oregon defense on their toes.
I wouldn't be surprised to see this game play out exactly like last year's game in Eugene, except instead of Oregon pulling away, this time it's Michigan State. The Spartans end up making it two in a row for the Big Ten against the Ducks.
Michigan State 38 Oregon 28
Hawaii v. #1 Ohio State (-41.5) - 3:30 p.m. - Big Ten Network
For three out of the four quarters on Monday night, Ohio State was as dominant as many thought they'd be this season. Virginia Tech might be the only team this year who can say they had a lead on the Buckeyes at halftime. Ohio State shouldn't have to worry about trailing to Hawaii after 30 minutes on Saturday. At least if Hawaii is going to lose on Saturday, they are going to look fantastic while doing so.
Hawaii surprisingly opened the season with a win over Colorado, which marked one of the few wins for the Rainbows under Norm Chow. Hawaii does actually have some talent at quarterback with USC transfer Max Wittek taking the snaps. The bad news for Wittek is he'll have Joey Bosa, who'll be trying to make up for lost time after his suspension for the Virginia Tech game, lining up on the other side of the football.
Ohio State will also get Jalin Marshall, Dontre' Wilson, and Corey Smith back from suspension. Adding those three to the mix after Braxton Miller's performance on Monday night, along with Ezekiel Elliott's big play ability, and the Buckeye offense got a lot scarier in just a week. Buckeyes teams have scored 60 points or more five times under Urban Meyer, and this is feeling like this game might be the sixth.
Ohio State 63 Hawaii 17
Continue reading...