Uncle Joey might have been the only person outside the MSU locker room to call last week's upset. He's doing it again this week with Iowa over Wisconsin. Will his magic last?
Penn State (3-7 overall, 1-6 conference) vs. MSU (5-5, 4-3)
Crone - Coming off their biggest win of the season, the Spartans must travel to Happy Valley, a place which has been very unhappy for MSU the last 40 years or so. MSU has not won at Penn State since 1965, although they did beat them 41-10 in East Lansing last year.
Will this be Joe Paterno's last game? (I don't think so.) Does that even matter if the Spartans play like they did against Wisconsin?
I've had a hell of a time predicting what the Spartans would do week by week this season. I picked them to beat Michigan and Ohio State, but to lose against Wisconsin. So, maybe I should pick the opposite of what I think they'll do this weekend? Hmm. Nah.
MSU 34, Penn State 17 (PSU to win the blood drive, what else can you do in the mountains?)
Uncle Joey - There has been some quiet talk this game is a dangerous one for MSU, that it could be one of those "classic" let-downs for the Spartans. The kind that happen after big wins (a 37-28 loss to Indiana after beating Michigan in 2001 comes to mind). Nevermind that.
It seems almost impossible for Penn State to win this game. The Nittany Lions have virtually no offense, and MSU is coming off of an inspired defensive performance. The Spartans' offense has been clicking for weeks. Penn State does boast a good defense, but so did Wisconsin and so did Michigan. There are few defenses that could really slow this offense down now, especially with Drew Stanton back
I don't know exactly why, but I've been feeling sorry for Paterno all season. It just seems like he's taking too much blame. I guess I don't know any Penn State fans. This is the easiest pick I've made all season, next to the Central Michigan game.
MSU 30, Penn State 13
No. 9 Wisconsin (9-1 overall, 6-1 conference) vs. No. 17 Iowa (8-2, 6-1)
Crone - Well, well, well, look what we have here - it's a battle for second place in the conference and a possible tie for first (if Michigan loses to Ohio State). The Badgers need to lick their wounds fast, because they get to go play Iowa, on the road, and the Hawkeyes have won six straight games. What does this mean for this game - nothing.
Wisconsin is still a good defensive team, they just got exposed by MSU last week. The Hawkeyes do not have the rushing attack MSU has to pound the Badgers. Last week at Minnesota, Iowa amassed a whole six-yards passing on 27 attempts. Derek are you serious?
Erasmus James and company can get ready to pass rush, because Iowa can't run the ball. If you can't run it against Wisconsin, you can't win. Iowa's streak is over.
Wisconsin 24, Iowa 20
Uncle Joey - Can we just give Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz the Big Ten Coach of the Year award right now? Who thought the Hawkeyes would have a shot at a share of the Big Ten Championship going into their last conference game? Iowa quarterback Drew Tate has been amazingly solid, especially without much of a running game to help him out (Iowa's last in the Big Ten in rushing offense). The Hawkeyes have rattled off six straight wins since losing the conference opener in Ann Arbor. The only minor concern is that three of their last four wins have been by two points. But good teams win close games, right?
Who knows how Wisconsin will play after last week's shellacking. The defense will probably get back on track but Iowa has shown it can win a defensive struggle. (Remember the Hawkeyes' 6-4 win at Penn State?)
Iowa 20, Wisconsin 17
Ohio State (6-4 overall, 3-4 conference) vs. No. 7 Michigan (9-1, 7-0)
Crone - So, it's the final week of the Big Ten season and U-M has to win at Ohio State to win the conference title. A familiar situation, except for the fact that the Buckeyes need to win to finish .500 in conference play. The Buckeyes have finished below .500 in the conference only once in the last 15 seasons.
Michigan has been dodging bullets all season long, down 21-17 at halftime to San Diego State (win 24-21), down 24-20 to Minnesota in the fourth quarter (win 27-24), and down by 17 to MSU in the fourth quarter (win 45-37 in 3OT). The luck has to run out sooner or later for the Wolverines. I think it'll be Saturday. MSU gave you the Rose Bowl and you're going to hand it back to Wisconsin. A classic in Columbus.
Ohio State 23, U-M 21
Uncle Joey - I don't know how many of you noticed all the media outlets putting MSU's win against Wisconsin into context for Michigan fans. It was as if the most important outcome of that game was the fact MSU helped the Wolverines' Rose Bowl chances. Forget Damon Dowdell's gutsy first-half performance followed by Stanton's comeback, or MSU's powerful running game. It does make sense, because U-M is, regretfully, the state's No. 1 college football team. But give the Spartans their credit.
The Wolverines should win this game. They're the better team. Take away Ohio State's Ted Ginn Jr. and the Buckeyes don't have many ways to score points. Last week in a loss to Purdue, the Buckeyes' two leading rushers were quarterback Troy Smith and Ginn, a receiver. Add the Maurice Clarett mess swirling around Columbus right now, and the Buckeyes are set up for a second straight loss to Michigan.
But this is supposed to be the "greatest rivalry in college sports" and anything can happen.
U-M 24, Ohio State 10
