Some things never change. O.J. Simpson is back in court and MSU is a mediocre 3-2 with six games left in the season. Not only is this week important for the Spartans, but its also important for Bowl Championship Series teams fighting for rankings.
After a dismal drive back from Minneapolis, Racy Lacy hopes to build on his success from the past two weeks. Lacy is 23-14 and Vanilla Rice is 22-15.
MSU (3-2) at Wisconsin (4-4)
MSU lost to Minnesota 28-19 and Wisconsin lost to Illinois 42-35. The Spartans, who were destroyed by the run against the Gophers, face one of Big Ten’s best running team and most productive running back, Anthony Davis.
Vanilla Rice: I can’t believe I let Racy Lacy take the lead last week, his first lead all season. But this week, I shouldn’t have any problems reclaiming it as MSU’s game will prove to be the difference.
Lacy’s lack of faith in the green and white will be shown up by junior tailback T.J. Duckett when he runs over Badger linebackers all day on Saturday. Oh yeah, senior wide receiver Herb Haygood should have a fair day too.
MSU, 27 Wisconsin 21
Racy Lacy: Like the decision to put Old Yeller out of his misery, this is yet another tough call. I might cover the team, but quite honestly, I have no clue what’s going to happen here.
What I do know is that Minnesota’s running backs danced all over the Spartans last week, and Wisconsin’s Davis will most likely do the same. MSU must stop the run, and there’s a good chance that it won’t against the conference’s best running back. I hope I’m wrong, because I’m a little short on cash to drown my sorrows away this weekend.
Wisconsin 41, MSU 28
No. 2 Oklahoma (7-0) at No. 3 Nebraska (8-0)
Memorial Stadium in Lincoln may not be the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, but it’s going to play host to the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the BCS rankings Saturday. But who knows how these teams will react to playing each other since they both played cake teams last week. Oklahoma beat Baylor 33-17 and Nebraska defeated Texas Tech 41-31.
Vanilla Rice: The way I see it, both these teams are overrated because they play light schedules. So let the corn-fed lineman of Nebraska get a No. 1 vs. No. 2 game out of the way now because after they lose to the Sooners, they won’t have a chance of playing for the National Championship on Jan. 3 in the Rose Bowl.
Oklahoma 31, Nebraska 30
Racy Lacy: The Huskers average a whopping 338 rushing yards a game, and don’t think they won’t try pounding the ball even harder against the Sooners. With quarterback Eric Crouch at the helm and a defense that gives up a mere 11 points a game, the Huskers have the more balanced attack.
Nebraska 27, Oklahoma 24
No. 4 UCLA (6-0) at No. 20 Stanford (4-1)
Stanford shocked the world last week by beating No. 11 Oregon 49-42 and UCLA kept their unbeaten streak alive with a 56-17 thumping of California.
Vanilla Rice: Stanford won’t be able to pull off an upset two weeks in a row, but it’ll make a game of it. UCLA is in the top five in the BCS and could really make a run at the national championship game because one of the top two BCS teams will fall this weekend.
UCLA 38, Stanford 26
Racy Lacy: No matter what sport it is, Stanford always chokes. In basketball and football, the school always finds a way to play well in the regular season, but there’s always a serious breakdown when it matters most.
UCLA quarterback Cory Paus is making it even harder for defenses to stop the Bruins’ powerful offense. And this matchup won’t be any exception.
UCLA 34, Stanford 21
Northwestern (4-2 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) at No. 24 Purdue (4-1, 2-1)
Northwestern fell out of the AP rankings when it lost to Penn State 38-35 and took to fight its way back into the top 25 with a win over Purdue. Purdue lost its first game of the season Saturday, a 24-10 loss to Michigan.
Vanilla Rice: I was glad to see the Wildcats get a taste of their own medicine Saturday, but I have to pick them to upset the Boilermakers. But if you think about it, it won’t really be an upset considering Northwestern’s quarterback Zak Kustok has already racked up 1,430 passing yards this season.
Northwestern 31, Purdue 20
Racy Lacy: I can’t believe that Wildcats running back Damien Anderson has yet to have a breakthrough game this season. Chances are that it could happen this week, but it’s not going to matter. It’s the Wildcats’ struggles on defense that will make the difference. C’mon now, how can you give up 38 points to Penn State at home? I don’t even know if that’s possible if you played against them in a video game.
Purdue 27, Northwestern 20
Penn State (1-4 overall, 1-3 Big Ten) at Ohio State (4-2, 2-1)
Penn State beat Northwestern 38-35 and Ohio State beat San Diego State 27-12. Nittany Lions head coach Joe Paterno is one win away from breaking Bear Bryant’s all-time win record of 323.
Vanilla Rice: I have to give JoePa the nod. Many people said he wouldn’t get the two wins he needed this season to give him his 324th win. But after beating Northwestern in a wacky one Saturday, the Nittany Lions will rally behind their old man and get him one more. It may be the last one of the season. Well, that is if MSU can beat them.
Penn State 24, Ohio State 20
Racy Lacy: There’s the cliché that records are made to be broken, but don’t expect that to happen against the Buckeyes. Granted, the Lions shocked the world and beat Northwestern, but it’s still a lot to ask for the squad to play at the same level - especially offensively - as it did last week.
For example, the Lions’ 213 rushing yards were 50 yards more than they gained in their first four games combined.
Ohio State 17, Penn State 10
