Doc’s Big Ten Update

[Dr. Jack]

Doc’s Big Ten Update

The Big Ten Conference likes to think it has the best talent in the
country, however this past Saturday, it took a giant hit on the chin.
Michigan State, Iowa, and Michigan all lost straight up and Wisconsin,
Purdue and Northwestern all struggled. The only real bright spot was
Ohio State's crushing win over a ranked Washington State squad.
The biggest disappointment of the weekend had to be Michigan State.
The Spartans were at home and as a 13½ point favorite, were crushed by
California, 46-22. As one looks at the stats, the difference between
the two wasn't much. The Bears had a big first half as they led, 25-0
at intermission. According to Coach Bobby Williams, "The guys weren't
ready to play. We just simply didn't show up."

Michigan State is back home this week against Notre Dame. The
oddsmakers have made the game even. The Irish have been one of the
biggest surprises of the young season. After beating Michigan, can they
travel to Michigan State and win again? I certainly love one side and
this game will be a winner for us this week.

Another team that wasn't ready and in reality should have lost, was
Wisconsin. The Badgers came in flat, or just aren't as good as some may
think, however they did edge out a 24-21 victory over Northern
Illinois. If the stats were any indicator of determining the final
score, it would have been all Huskies. Northern Illinois racked up a
total of 455 yards while the Badgers could only muster 275. The big
eye-opener for Wisconsin has been the lack of a ground attack. Saturday they only gained 68 yards in 41 attempts. The big question mark right now is the play of the offensive line. Thought to be one of the best in the country, it's certainly not playing up to expectations. N. I. U. used a lot of delayed blitzes which caused a lot of problems for Wisconsin.
The Badgers are at home again this week against Arizona, who is also
undefeated. The oddsmakers have made Wisconsin a 5½ point favorite. A tough game to call, as Wisconsin just isn't playing well, however they
seem to rise to the talent of their opponent. We'll evaluate more as
the week progresses.

Maybe not a major upset, but an upset never the less, was Iowa State's
road victory over rival Iowa. The Cyclones, under Head Coach Dan
McCarney, have now beaten Iowa five straight. The big play maker for
the Cyclones was QB Seneca Wallace, as he passed for 361 yards, threw
for a score and ran for another. The ‘Hawks' looked good on offense as
they had over 400 yards, however the defense fell apart in the 3rd
quarter as they gave up three touchdowns in the first 10½ minutes.
I really like this Iowa State ball club, coached by one of the best
motivators in the country. I knew Mac (his nickname) when he was a
defensive coordinator at Wisconsin. If you ever get to know him, you
can't help but love the guy. The Cyclones host Troy State this week,
which could be a dangerous game for Iowa State, as they are installed as
an 18 point favorite. The game is sandwiched between Iowa last week and
Nebraska coming up. I certainly would have to consider the points here.

Iowa takes a breather this week by playing at home against Utah St.
The ‘Hawks' should once again pile up the yardage on the ground. May be a tough game to call, being a 19 point favorite, an emotional game with
Iowa St. and their Big Ten opener with Penn St. next. We'll see!
The ‘Luck of the Irish' continues as they edged out Michigan, 25-23.
For the Wolverines, Coach Lloyd Carr summed it up best, "We made too
many mistakes. You can't win that way." However, in reality, Notre
Dame certainly deserved the victory. The Irish rushed for 154 yards.
Ryan Grant did most of the work as he got 132 yards of it and two TDs.
I liked Michigan early in the week, but as I talked to people around
the country, everyone loved the Wolverines. When that surfaces, it's
time to "pass". Had to be a large win for the Bookmakers. The ‘Wolves'
are home this week against a good Utah club. The Wolverines should get
a "W" here.

Ohio State and Maurice Clarett continue to impress. The Buckeyes
pulled off a big win over # 10 ranked Washington State, 25-7 The game
was much closer than the score indicates as the Cougars led 7-6 at
halftime. However Clarett took over in the second half. Held to 36
yards on 11 carries in the first half, the true freshman exploded for
194 yards in the second half. No question he carried the team.
Ohio St. is on the road this week (Paul Brown Stadium) against
Cincinnati. The Bucks are a 15-point favorite. What is really
interesting about this game is the fact that the "Bearcats" haven't
beaten Ohio State since 1897. I certainly like this game. We will be
there!

In other Big Ten action, Minnesota hosts Buffalo. The Gophers are a
32-point favorite and should win big. Purdue is at home against Wake Forest. The ‘Boilers' had their hands full last week against Western Michigan. The Broncs were stopped on the ground but did get plenty of yardage through the air. I think this Purdue club will get better as the season progresses and as QB Kyle Orton gains confidence. The Deacons are a mystery, as at times last year they played excellent football under Head Coach Jim Grobe. Installed as an 8-point favorite, the ‘Boilers' could have their hands full here.

In other Big Ten action, when's the last time a Service Academy's been
a favorite over a Big Ten school. Well it's happened this week as Navy
is a 3-point favorite over Northwestern. The ‘Middies' had a big opener
win over SMU but then got crushed by North Carolina St. a week later,
65-19. A week to prepare, might even have to take a look with Navy!
Indiana finally played someone they could handle, Central Michigan. We
went against the Hoosiers last week and lost. I really think the
weather was a factor that done us in. Kentucky was up 14-0 and then the
game was halted because of severe weather. When the game resumed the
‘Cats' lost the crowd and the momentum. We'll never know, but for those
that were on Kentucky, it was a shame for this delay. The Hoosiers
should get their 2nd win of the season, but face a nightmare next week!

Illinois faces San Jose St. this week. A large favorite, the Illini
should roll once again like they did last week against Arkansas State.
San Jose St. had a big game last week against across-town rival,
Stanford. I have to believe the Spartans left their team on the field
in that encounter.