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Stock Market Report: Special Big Ten edition, Is Indiana the standout stock of the league?
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
With Ohio State on a bye, we take a look at the conference as a whole this week.
Since the Ohio State Buckeyes were off this weekend, it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to do this week’s Stock Market Report on them. So, instead, we are going to focus on the Big Ten Conference as a whole.
Here is who and what we are high and low on in the Big Ten after this weekend.
Indiana
I was going to put Curt Cignetti and Kurtis Rourke (MAC legend), but the Indiana defense is superb, and the offensive weapons and line has been great, so it is fair to credit the whole team.
There is a very legitimate chance that Indiana will go to Columbus 10-0 and will be a top-10 or even higher nationally. Hopefully Kurtis Rourke won’t miss significant time with his injury, because America wants to see this team at full strength.
Illinois
The Illini have to head to Eugene next week to take on Oregon, so the magical one-loss season could be over in six days. For now, things are looking up for the fighting Bret Bielema’s.
They held Michigan to under 10 points for the first time in 10 years and are 6-1 on the season. Luke Altmyer is having a great year, and the playoff — as of now before the Oregon game — is in play, as Illinois’s only loss is to an undefeated Penn State team.
Ohio State’s remaining schedule
I say this because if Ohio State finishes 11-1, they will be more than battle-tested. Including the most recently played game at Oregon, Ohio State could still have three top-10 opponents left to play before the College Football Playoff.
Michigan
At this point, there really isn’t much else to say about this Michigan team. They are 4-3 and still have Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana left on the schedule. They don’t have a quarterback, and while they do have a running back, they won’t give him the ball 30 times a game. Will Johnson is hurt, and Sherrone Moore is getting outcoached each game.
This is not a one-prong problem in Ann Arbor, and 6-6 might be the best-case scenario this season.
Buy: Big Ten playoff odds
At this rate, four Big Ten teams getting into the College Football Playoff is possible, because Oregon and Penn State don’t play each other, and Indiana plays neither of them.
Sell: Lincoln Riley
Lincoln Riley has lost 12 games as the USC head coach. In five of them, they held a double-digit lead at some point. That is negative for the coaching staff and a bad omen for USC moving forward. Riley got paid a lot of money to go coach at USC, and that didn’t include being 3-4 on Oct. 20 and already out of the 12-team playoff halfway through the season.
Something has to change, and it has to change fast for Riley.
Sell: Nebraska
Maybe this is a bad idea as the Buckeyes prepare to play the Huskers this week. I want to be clear: I am not saying Dylan Raiola or Matt Rhule altogether — just for this season. Raiola hasn’t looked great, and the Huskers have not taken the leap forward that most people expected. I still think it will come, but not this year.
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
With Ohio State on a bye, we take a look at the conference as a whole this week.
Since the Ohio State Buckeyes were off this weekend, it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to do this week’s Stock Market Report on them. So, instead, we are going to focus on the Big Ten Conference as a whole.
Here is who and what we are high and low on in the Big Ten after this weekend.
Blue Chip
Indiana
I was going to put Curt Cignetti and Kurtis Rourke (MAC legend), but the Indiana defense is superb, and the offensive weapons and line has been great, so it is fair to credit the whole team.
There is a very legitimate chance that Indiana will go to Columbus 10-0 and will be a top-10 or even higher nationally. Hopefully Kurtis Rourke won’t miss significant time with his injury, because America wants to see this team at full strength.
Solid Investments
Illinois
The Illini have to head to Eugene next week to take on Oregon, so the magical one-loss season could be over in six days. For now, things are looking up for the fighting Bret Bielema’s.
They held Michigan to under 10 points for the first time in 10 years and are 6-1 on the season. Luke Altmyer is having a great year, and the playoff — as of now before the Oregon game — is in play, as Illinois’s only loss is to an undefeated Penn State team.
Ohio State’s remaining schedule
I say this because if Ohio State finishes 11-1, they will be more than battle-tested. Including the most recently played game at Oregon, Ohio State could still have three top-10 opponents left to play before the College Football Playoff.
Junk Bond
Michigan
At this point, there really isn’t much else to say about this Michigan team. They are 4-3 and still have Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana left on the schedule. They don’t have a quarterback, and while they do have a running back, they won’t give him the ball 30 times a game. Will Johnson is hurt, and Sherrone Moore is getting outcoached each game.
This is not a one-prong problem in Ann Arbor, and 6-6 might be the best-case scenario this season.
Buy/Sell
Buy: Big Ten playoff odds
At this rate, four Big Ten teams getting into the College Football Playoff is possible, because Oregon and Penn State don’t play each other, and Indiana plays neither of them.
Sell: Lincoln Riley
Lincoln Riley has lost 12 games as the USC head coach. In five of them, they held a double-digit lead at some point. That is negative for the coaching staff and a bad omen for USC moving forward. Riley got paid a lot of money to go coach at USC, and that didn’t include being 3-4 on Oct. 20 and already out of the 12-team playoff halfway through the season.
Something has to change, and it has to change fast for Riley.
Sell: Nebraska
Maybe this is a bad idea as the Buckeyes prepare to play the Huskers this week. I want to be clear: I am not saying Dylan Raiola or Matt Rhule altogether — just for this season. Raiola hasn’t looked great, and the Huskers have not taken the leap forward that most people expected. I still think it will come, but not this year.
Continue reading...