Iowa vs Indiana: Iowa -5

Iowa’s defense has given up 11.2 pts per game this year…Indiana has yet to win ATS this year…Indiana has given up average of 431 ypg on offense last three…The over has hit the last 3 games played between these teams…Iowa has lost 3 in a row by a combined 9 points…Indiana has lost last three by an average of 2 TDs per game…

Michigan vs. Toledo: Michigan -16.5

Illinois vs. Minnesota: Minnesota +12.5

• Golden Gophers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 conference games.
• Golden Gophers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
• Golden Gophers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a S.U. win.
• Golden Gophers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS win.
• Golden Gophers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games.
• Fighting Illini are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 conference games.
• Fighting Illini are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
• Fighting Illini are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games following a ATS win.
• Fighting Illini are 11-4 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.

Purdue vs. Ohio St.: Purdue +19

• Boilermakers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games after accumulating less than 170 yards passing in their previous game.
• Boilermakers are 8-20-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
• Boilermakers are 5-17-1 ATS in their last 23 games following a S.U. loss.
• Buckeyes are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games in October.
• Buckeyes are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
• Buckeyes are 23-8 ATS in their last 31 conference games.
• Buckeyes are 15-7 ATS in their last 22 games following a ATS win.

Michigan St. vs. Northwestern: Northwestern +1

• Spartans are 6-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
• Spartans are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
• Spartans are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS loss.
• Spartans are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game.
• Spartans are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing less than 20 points in their previous game.
• Wildcats are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a bye week.
• Wildcats are 6-21 ATS in their last 27 games following a S.U. win.

Penn St. vs. Wisconsin: Penn St. -6

• Nittany Lions are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games on turf.
• Nittany Lions are 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
• Badgers are 16-5-1 ATS in their last 22 games after allowing less than 170 yards passing in their previous game.
• Badgers are 17-8 ATS in their last 25 home games.
• Badgers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall.

Alright, what do we have on tap? Let’s get to it.

Iowa vs. Indiana

Rittenberg: Iowa 24, Indiana 20

Big Tenet says: Iowa 28, Indiana 17

Iowa has lost games it shouldn’t have. Indiana hasn’t looked like itself after the Ball State shellacking. With Shonn Greene, Indiana will have visions of Black and Gold running over it all day.

Michigan vs. Toledo

Rittenberg says: Michigan 30, Toledo 13

Big Tenet says: Michigan 24, Toledo 10

Michigan will definitely be muscling up this week after coach Rich Rodriguez called the team “soft”. After the offense looked solid in the first quarter against Illinois last week, it deflated into nothingness. Not this week against an easier Toledo team.

Illinois vs. Minnesota

Rittenberg says: Illinois 34, Minnesota 24

Big Tenet says: Illinois 28, Minnesota 14

Minnesota certainly is the feel good team of the year at 5-1, but with this game being played in Champaign and Minnesota struggling a bit on offense, the Illini should roll.

Michigan State vs. Northwestern

Rittenberg says: Michigan State 23, Northwestern 21

Big Tenet says: Northwestern 27, Michigan State 20

C.J. Bacher should have a field day against the Spartans who are hurting a bit on defense, and with the Wildcats enjoying their first ranking in a very long time, Northwestern should be able to outlast Javon Ringer to keep atop the Big Ten.

Penn St. vs. Wisconsin

Rittenberg says:Penn St. 30, Wisconsin 24

Big Tenet: Penn St. 28, Wisconsin 21

The Nittany Lions are ranked sixth, and perhaps people will stop saying they don’t deserve the ranking after the win in Madison. Wisconsin is still shell-shocked over its loss to Ohio State, and Penn State’s arsenal proves too much for the Badgers.

Ohio State vs. Purdue

Rittenberg says: Ohio State 34, Purdue 17

Big Tenet says: Ohio State 24 Purdue 14

Purdue continues to struggle on offense (how odd to say!), and Ohio State rolls at the ‘Shoe.

So, one game again separates the expert from ESPN and this lowly blogger. Stay tuned to see what the results are!!

Yeah, yeah, let the ribbing begin.

Thanks to a last minute drive by upstart freshman Terrelle Pryor and a Buckeyes team that was not to be denied, it allowed for Ohio State to defeat Wisconsin in Madison, and in the process, give my picks the only blemish for the week. It was enough to provide my match up with ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, the prolific sports site Big Ten guru, a perfect mark and week one win over the Big Tenet.

Oh my, what ever will I do? Now my record stands at 21-4, while Rittenberg’s overall is 43-7.  So he has a slight edge, ok?? So now we begin…right?

(Hey, anything to ease the pain of the oh-so-close loss.) Ah well….

At least in the betting category I stayed on the up side, winning 3 of 5 ATS bets. Again, that darn Pryor kept me going 4-1, but oh well. I’ll take +100 for the week

Adam Rittenberg is THE Big Ten football reporter for ESPN and always has a TON of information that he keeps Big Ten fans updated on as the stories hit. Now that I’ve built him and given him some respect, it’s time for me to throw the gauntlet down in terms of picking games–he picks games every Thursday, and I am going to start doing the same. Going into week six, Rittenberg has posted a 37-8 straight up record, while if you look at my stats, I have picked a 17-3 slate since the season began. Yes–that means I have an overall better percentage than he does–85 to 82!!

So, let’s see if the lowly Big Tenet, avid fan and would-be Jimmy the Greek (minus the racism), can upend the big and bad Adam Rittenberg! Here’s the link to his picks: http://myespn.go.com/blogs/ncfnation/0-2-664/Big-Ten-picks-for-Week-6.html

Adam’s pick: Michigan State 24, Iowa 23

Big Tenet’s pick: Michigan State 28, Iowa 17

Quick Comment: Michigan State defends the run well at home, and Iowa is still having problem with chemistry at QB. Ringer runs rampant again.

Rittenberg’s Pick: Minnesota 38, Indiana 31

Big Tenet’s Pick: Minnesota 42, Indiana 34

Quick Comment: Indiana can’t seem to stop anyone and Minnesota, while losing to Ohio State, showed heart in the 2nd half, something missing from last year.

Rittenberg’s Pick: Penn State 41, Purdue 27

Big Tenet’s Pick: Penn State 48, Purdue 24

Quick Comment: Simply the best team in the Big Ten at this point, the Nittany Lions just continue to roll, and after Purdue gives up 38 to a Notre Dame team that is not that great offensively, look for the Lions to feast.

Rittenberg’s Pick: Illinois 27, Michigan 24

Big Tenet’s Pick: Illinois 21, Michigan 17

Quick Comment: Michigan may have a bit of confidence now after beating Wisconsin, but their offense is still pathetic. The Wolverines will not be able to stop the Juice-Benn combo.

Rittenberg’s Pick: Ohio State 24, Wisconsin 21

Big Tenet’s Pick: Wisconsin 28, Ohio State 20

Quick Comment: The only game separating the Tenet and Rittenberg. I’ve already made my bigger commentary on the game on another post dedicated to that, check it out!

Indiana (2-2) at Minnesota (4-1): Minnesota -7

Betting Statistics: Gophers are 3-1 against the spread this year…Indiana has yet to win against the spread in 2008…Over Under is 58-combined this year both teams are 5-2 for the over….both teams have given up more than 350 yards per game on defense for the last three games…First road game for Indiana this year…Gophers are 3-0 this year at home.

The Big Tenet’s Bet: Take the Gophers with confidence. The over is a good bet as well.

Penn State (5-0) at Purdue (2-1): Penn State -13

Nittany Lions are 3-1 ATS this year…Boilermakers are 1-2…Penn State is averaging 49.8 points a game…Boilermakers are giving up nearly 27 a game, Nittany Lions giving up 13…Penn State is 3-1 in the Over/Under…57 is the over/under for this game…Purdue has given up nearly 440 yards per game this year after playing high octane offenses Oregon, Central Michigan, and Notre Dame…The under has won the last six games of this series

The Big Tenet’s Bet: Penn State is on a roll and Purdue is spinning out of control. The under may have won the last six, but I’ll take the over as Penn State could easily score 40 on these guys.

Illinois (2-2) at Michigan (2-2): Illinois +2.5

Both teams are a combined 2-5 ATS…Illinois’ losses this year have come to teams ranked in the top 10…Michigan’s win last week at home was biggest comeback in Ann Arbor ever…Over under is 52.5…Combined, teams are 5-2 for the over…Michigan has given up 325 yards per game at home, 285 total for year…Illinois has averaged 415 yards per game on offense for last three…Michigan has given up average of 89 ypg on ground this year…Illinois averages 33 per game, Michigan 20

The Big Tenet’s Bet: Illinois took Penn State deep into the fourth quarter but their special teams failed them once again. Michigan had no business winning against Wisconsin and with Illinois trying to gain respect, look for Arrelious Benn to own the Wolverines’ secondary. I’m staying away from the O/U, but if you put a gun to my head, I’d take the under.

Iowa (3-2) at Michigan St (4-1): Michigan St -8

After losing first game, Michigan State has won 4 straight by an average of nearly 20 ppg…Iowa is 2-2 ATS this year, Michigan State 3-2…Over/Under is 44…All Iowa’s games have hit the under this year…MSU is 2-3 for the over this year…Michigan state has averaged nearly 400 ypg this year on offense–200 on the ground…Iowa has given up only average of 10 ppg…Iowa has given up nearly 325 ypg over last three…Home team has won the last 8 games…Favored team has won the last four…

The Big Tenet’s Bet: Michigan State has looked like an offensive juggernaut over the last few weeks. Javon Ringer doesn’t seem to be able to be stopped, and after Iowa had the wind taken out of their sails against Northwestern, the Spartans will take advantage. The Over/Under seems to scream under, but with MSU’s offensive capability, I’m staying away from this one.

Ohio State (4-1) at Wisconsin (3-1): Wisconsin +1.5

Ohio State is 0-4 ATS…Wisconsin is 2-2…Over/Under is 44…combined, teams are 4-4 O/U this season…Wisconsin is 2-7 over last 9 conference games ATS…Underdog is 7-1 ATS over last 8….Wisconsin has averaged 72 ypg on the ground at home this year, Ohio State averages 71 ypg on the road…Wisconsin averages 413 ypg on offense for the year, 391 over last three…

The Big Tenet’s Bet: Wisconsin should not have lost at Michigan, that’s a given. Ohio State has talent with Terrelle Pryor, but a freshman playing at Wisconsin is not a good combination. Look for Bielema’s Bunch to cover.

My, how this game has lost its luster. With many thinking this game could decide the Big Ten championship, that idea took a huge hit as Rich Rodriguez‘ crew made the biggest comeback in the Big House’s history in beating heavily favored Wisconsin. Now after this shocking loss, Bret Bielema’s team is trying to keep things from spinning out of control. Their gift: none other than the Big Ten baddies themselves, the Ohio State Buckeyes. Read the rest of this entry »

Sure, the line was 15 or 16 points. Sure, the money in Las Vegas seemed to be free flowing in Penn State’s direction. So was the Nittany Lions 38-24 win over Illinois all that big of a surprise? Maybe not, but the way that they did it against a talented offensive team like the Fighting Illini served notice to the rest of the Big Ten: We may be the best team. Period. Now try to stop us. Read the rest of this entry »

Rich Rodgriguez was probably tired of hearing the questions asked about what the deal was with his team, when they would be “Michigan-ready”, the spattering of boobirds from time to time at home games, and other assorted annoyances that can drive a coach to insanity. But even with all of these things hanging over R-Rod’s head and the tumultuous coverage he has had with his ugly divorce from West Virginia, nothing of that variety was in his smile as he walked off the field, his Wolverines accomplishing a comeback that the Big House had not seen in over 80 years in beating 8th ranked Wisconsin 27-25.

Wisconsin, which had come in as a pretty straight forward favorite and even a team that many thought would be able to win the Big Ten and sneak into a big BCS game, just looked awful in the second half. They were timid, and Michigan simply outplayed them. It was a huge turnaround for Michigan as they trailed 19-0 at half and looked pathetic–throwing 2 picks and losing 3 fumbles will get the catcalls for any team.

There was a bit of controversy at the end of the game when the Badgers finally got their offense going on the last drive, scoring a TD and then going for the 2 point conversion to tie. The Badgers converted, but the play was called back for illegal man downfield. The ensuing play lead to a Allan Evridge pass that wasn’t even close, and the Wolverines stormed the field with their first Big Ten win of the season.

The call seemed a little nickel-dimer at first, but on review, it was clear that tight end Travis Beckum did not line up correctly, so the zebras did in fact make the right call. (Who woulda thunk it?)

While the Michigan offense still wasn’t pretty, it was the defense that really did the damage to Wisconsin in the second half. While the Badgers overall still outgained Michigan, the huge swing in momentum in the second half carried the Wolverines to this improbable victory. This game may have really established Steven Threet as a double threat, and while his passing still leaves something to be desired, his running game should have Big Ten defenses starting to rethink how to defend Michigan.

Any way you put it, this may have been a Michigan fluke victory, or maybe it was just a signal to the rest of the league–we’re here, and you better respect us. I’m convinced.