[NU Sports] PIGSKIN PICKS - Week 7

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

Aaah, it's the best time of the year! The leaves are changing, the cooler breezes are flowing and football is in full conference rivalry swing! Plus we have a mega-matchup in the NFL with my Saints going for the Empire State trifecta on Sunday. 

And speaking of New York, it's also the time of the season where I love to get my rant on about how much baseball sucks these days ... from the lack of fair competition (Hey Bud, want to know why no one watches or attends baseball anymore? It's because 20 teams are out before opening day ... New York, LA, LA and Philly? Yeah, why should fans in KC, Pittsburgh, Cleveland or Milwaukee care again when their best will be bought by the big boys ... and in the Yankees' case, then jacked full of 'roids??) ... to the terrible scheduling (three days of midweek without bazzzzeball when people might actually watch it, all to set up the ALCS/NLCS on the weekend opposite of a sport 3/4 of the country would rather watch, whether it be college or pro??? Smart move, Bud!). I don't usually like to kick things when they're down, but I'll make an exception for baseball because they deserve it for what they've done to all those small market towns that they Harold Hill-ed
 into building new stadiums (the only good thing about baseball since the mid-90s) for teams that will never have a shot at the World Series.

But back to America's true passion ...

We’ve passed the midway mark in the Big Ten season and we’re at the annual Texas State Fair game, which seems a bit late this year and a bit less spectacular than usual with Oklahoma’s struggles. Still, always a great sight to see and unless the Cowpokes get Dez eligible again, it’s still the Big XII title game – regardless of what they have in December. We also could have the ACC title game this week when the Tech’s battle in Atlanta – so again, I’ll ask why everyone is pushing the Big Ten to get a title game when the SEC, ACC and Big XII can’t get their two best teams to face off in these so-called title games most years!

Speaking of the Big Ten, it’s a pretty quiet week except for the slobberknocker in Madison and a “make or break” game for bowl hopes with NU and Sparty. And we also have that “who the heck do you root for” game with SC and the Evil Empire. And there’s a pretty game for Big Le … er, East, and – dare I say – national title implications on Thursday night.

So get those picks in by Thursday night!

PIGSKIN PICKS – WEEK 7
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Name: 

BIG TEN
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GAME 1: Illinois @ Indiana
WINNER: 

GAME 2: Iowa @ Wisconsin
WINNER: 

GAME 3: Minnesota @ Penn State
WINNER: 

GAME 4: Ohio State @ Purdue
WINNER: 

GAME 5: Delaware State @ Michigan
WINNER: 

NATIONAL
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GAME 6: Cincinnati @ South Florida
WINNER: 

GAME 7: Oklahoma vs. Texas (@ Dallas, TX)
WINNER: 

GAME 8: Virginia Tech @ Georgia Tech
WINNER: 

GAME 9: South Carolina @ Alabama
WINNER: 

GAME 10: Southern Cal @ Notre Dame
WINNER: 

MY PICKS
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* INDIANA 24, Illinois 20 – The only fun for Illini fans now, besides coming up with different domain names for firezook.com, is trying to figure out which game they’ll show up, score 45 points and win – because there’s just too much talent to go winless in league play, right? Could be this week, especially after IU laid an egg at a Virginia team who lost by two scores at home to William and Mary. But for now, I guess I’ll go with the home team. Really, it's a flip-a-coin game.

* WISCONSIN 28, Iowa 21 – Should be a heck of a game in Madison and I’m gonna go against Iowa yet again because I just don’t see a team that can’t run the ball at home on Michigan winning in Camp Randall. As long as Bucky doesn’t give up the ball for TDs like they did at OSU, they should have enough to muddle the Rose Bowl race.

* PENN STATE 42, Minnesota 24 – Now that PSU is rolling on offense and over their Hawkeye hiccup, they should pull away from the Gophers in the second half.

* OHIO STATE 49, Purdue 6 – Given the Boilers’ tendency to cough up the football and the Buckeyes’ tendency to score on D off turnovers, this one could be over before Pryor & Co. even take a snap.

* MICHIGAN 48, Delaware State 20 – What do you do after blowing two winnable games on the road? Come home and munch on come cupcakes!

* SOUTH FLORIDA 34, Cincinnati 27 – Should be a good one on Thursday night, and while the Bearcats have won a big road game already at Oregon State, I like the Bulls at home. Plus, the history points towards the top 10 team taking a tumble on Thursdays.

* TEXAS 27, Oklahoma 17 – Both teams looked sluggish last week, but the Sooners have looked sluggish all year – with or without Bradford. And with Sam not at 100%, Colt, Shipley and Mack seize the day and get a big win in the spotlight. Pasadena, here come the Horns again!

* VIRGINIA TECH 45, Georgia Tech 37 – Two of the best-coached teams you will find play a fun shootout in Atlanta. While the Hokies are far from “clearly the best one loss team” as the ABC/ESPN hype machine is saying, they should have enough to slip by despite a hostile crowd in Georgia. 

* ALABAMA 16, South Carolina 6 – Spurrier, Saban, SEC showdown – who could ask for more? Both these teams play solid defense (a rarity in that league these days), so look for the Tide to squeak by at home.

* SOUTHERN CAL 41, Notre Dame 14 – Keep up your crying about the polls, Charlie. Meanwhile, SC is about to come to town, shut down pretty boy Claussen with their defense and let their own trash-talking blondie punk QB just hand off the ball as the Trojans control the ball and run over that porous ND defense to victory.

And off the board …

* NORTHWESTERN 38, Michigan State 31 – A bit of a “purple colored glasses” pick here as Sparty seems to have found their game in the last couple weeks and the Cats need some serious work on offense with poor play calling and poor line blocking. Still, NU has a history of playing well in East Lansing and on the road under Fitz, so I’m hoping we can come together and pull out a big upset to make up for our annual preseason “oops” game – this year at Syracuse.

Picks in by Thursday!
GO CATS!!!
GEAUX SAINTS!!!
-SjT

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STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!!