Big Ten Blogger’s Pick’em week 8

Week 8 is upon us and most of the games are so bad that only one game will be played after noon. Last week there were some head scratching upsets but don't look for that to happen this week. All of us missed out on the Wisconsin surprise (damnit!) and no one saw Purdue's sudden spurt of offense with their third string QB leading the way. Let's get to the picks and as always stats and comments to follow.

Last Week
Galen: 3-2
Tim: 3-2
Mike: 1-4 Note: you're lack of effort is disturbing; see me after class

Overall
Galen: 44-10
Tim: 43-11
Mike: 41-13

LB-U: 35 - 6: still in 10th

Date	Visitor @ Host	Time, TV	Galen	Tim	Mike	LB-U
10/23/2010	Michigan St @ Northwestern	12 PM, ESPN
10/23/2010	Purdue @ Ohio State	12 PM, BTN
10/23/2010	Indiana @ Illinois	12 PM, BTN
10/23/2010	Wisconsin @ Iowa	3:30 PM, ABC

Random Commentation

Mike
The only game I feel comfortable picking is Ohio State over Purdue. Illinois is favored by about 12 against Indiana, but for some reason, the Hoosiers' passing attack has me worried. But the Illini have a good defense, and an offense that should have little problems moving the ball against a terrible Indiana defense. Ohio State choked last year at Purdue. But this doesn't have the same feeling. Ohio State is at home and angry. Michigan State could very well choke on its own laurels this week, remaining as the only undefeated Big Ten team. Northwestern is dangerous, but with the way the Spartans played against Illinois last week, it's unlikely the Wildcats will pull the upset. Wisconsin is an interesting pick over Iowa, but I'm not sure the Hawkeyes aren't doing their typical mid/late-season surge. The Michigan win wasn't as close as Wolverines fans want you to think, as Ricky Stanzi looked very good when it mattered in Ann Arbor. Wisconsin may have blown its load last week in a super-hyped night game against the No. 1 team in the nation. The Hawkeyes may win this one more comfortably than people think. As always, the Penn State picks will come in our LBU Staff Predictions later.

Galen
Michigan State is rolling right now and people are actually using the words "Big Ten Champions" when speaking of them. I don't think jNorthwestern has a chance. Congratulations Purdue you have a two game win streak; you're reward: a pissed off Ohio State team coming off an embarrassing loss. Have fun with that. After getting shell-shocked by Sparty, Illinois will rebound nicely against the Hoosiers. Then there's the only game of relevance in Wisconsin and Iowa and I don't feel very comfortable with this game. Conventional wisdom suggests that Wisconsin is in for a letdown after the emotional victory last week. Couple that with the home field advantage and I'm taking the Hawkeyes.