Predictions: Penn State Week

Husker Mike: I try to pick the five best games of the week each week for this...so explain to me again how the hell I picked an Indiana game. I mean, I know I selected the game, but Indiana?

Billgrip: The fact that the Indiana/Wisconsin game even matters speaks volumes about the state of the Big 10 East this year.

David McGee: Oh, hey guys, slept through my alarm last week. Looks like you guys got along fine without me. Just for the record, I picked NU to win 20-13, feel free to add that one to my tally.

Cornhead: Whoever keeps picking against the Corn in a sly reverse psychology move.....KEEP IT UP!

Brian: Exhibit 101 of B1G East nightmares: This is still in play after Halloween.

Wisconsin (-7) at Indiana

Husker Mike: Jim Delany’s worst nightmare. Ohio State and Penn State are ineligible; Purdue and Illinois are suffering massive suckage. OK, fine. On Wisconsin, right? Uh, Bucky needs a quarterback...bad...now that Joel Stave is out for the season. So now they turn to Curt Phillips, who has undergone three ACL surgeries since he last threw a pass in 2009. Yikes. But Wisconsin will do what Wisconsin usually does. The offensive line is back at full strength, and the Hoosiers rank 107th in rushing defense. Hoosier Daddy 31, Indiana 14

Aaron: It really comes down to whether or not Indiana can stop the Wisconsin run game. If the Badgers are one-dimensional, Indiana could sell out to stop the run. Wisconsin should win this game, but that’s why they play. Sell Outs 24, Wounded Marmots 14.

Billgrip: Even with Wisconsin’s QB situation being what it is and Indiana having the most to play for since...ever, I just can’t see Wisconsin losing this one. Give MonTAY Ball the rock about 35 times and the Badgers coast to an easy victory. But it is worth noting that Indiana is a team on the rise and could be tough over the next few years. Stinking Badgers 28, Hoosiers 17

DM: Remember Iowa State when they had a chance to win the division and all they had to do was hit a chip shot field goal? This kind of reminds me of that. I see this game going right down to the wire with the Hoosiers having an opportunity to win. Will they be able to execute with everything on the line? It’s not out of the realm of possibility that this will be Indiana’s only chance to get to the Big Ten title game. As in they may never have this opportunity again. They better take advantage of it now. I see a party breaking out in Bloomington on Saturday afternoon. Hoosiers 34 Wisconsin 31 2 OT

Jon: Let’s just pretend that the Big Ten Conference is the best in the land and that the SEC is the worst. It’s not that hard to do, especially if you consider research grant money. Now, Madison is known for being a bastion of liberalism, and the state is known for cheese, beer, and brats. Indiana is known for basketball, decay, the Indy 500 and, uh.... yeah. You know, those Indy 500 guys are really fast. Besides, MELLENCAMP! Indiana 33, Wisconsin 23

Cornhead: Wow, some love for the Hoosiers....in FOOTBALL! They have been a nice little story the past few weeks. It ends here. Wisky 41, Indiana 28

Brian: On one hand, it’d be good if Wisconsin could win and have a good storyline for the B1G Title game vs Nebraska. On the other hand, if Indiana wins, you may have a large turnout for the game and won’t resort to having to hire seat fillers again... ah, screw it. Wisconsin wins with their third QB starting this year.

Oregon State (+5.5) at Stanford

Husker Mike: Stanford drops in the polls because the schedule maker forced the Tree to play 1-AA Colorado last week? 48-0 and holding the Puffs to 71 total yards isn’t good enough? How about this? Stanford 38, Oregon State 28

Aaron: Stanford has improved but they are capable of slipping up. That being said, their quarterback change last week seemed to ignite something with the Cardinal. Stanford 31, Oregon State 24

Billgrip: Oregon State just keeps getting it done. This is a team that has over-performed all season, but I think that stops this week. Smart guys 31, Beavers 21

DM: The battle of the Pac 12 potential stand-ins assuming Oregon plays in the National Title Game. Hmmm...I’ve seen a total of 7 snaps betwen these two teams combined, so in my highly educated guess, I’m going to have to go with Stanford. Mostly becaue they’ve got a bunch of guys left from that team that was really good last year and went to the Fiesta Bowl. Or at least, I’m assuming they do. But you know what happens when you assume, right? That said, I shouldn’t underestimate the power of In-N-Out. (Brian: words to live by, folks) I’ll say Stanford 27, OSU 26 in a game that will send barns up in flames.

Jon: Stanford is full of really smart people. Oregon State has Beavers. I like beavers more than most smart people, and in a fight most Beavers would kill most smart people, smart people being all smart, but completely dependent upon everybody else to defend them. Therefore, Beavers 28, Tree 21

Cornhead: Well, Jon has convinced me. Some very sound logic. Beavers 27, Smarties 24

Brian: Stanford gave us Apple, Oregon State gave us Reser’s Salads. And damnit, I like my potato salad and cole slaw. Beavers.

Texas A&M (+14) at Alabama

Husker Mike: Johnny Football meets …. well.... football. Laundry Detergent & Toilet Paper 35, Gaggies 17

Aaron: Alabama should win this one. The Aggies best chance is to try to keep Bama’s defense guessing and on their heels. This should be a good test to see if Bama can hold their own against a good spread team. Alabama 31, A&M 21

Billgrip: I want Alabama to lose so badly. But they won’t. They don’t know how anymore. Bama 31, A&M 20

DM: I’d be tempted to take the Aggies to cover the spread if this game were in College Station. It’s not. It might be a game for a while. A&M will make some plays, but I think in the end, Bama shuts them down and runs away with it. Bama 34-17

Jon: JOHNNY MANZIEL IS HUMANITY’S ONLY HOPE! WE’RE NOT KEEPING TRACK ANYMORE! Texas A&M Fighting Aggie Meanasses 28 Soulless Machine Robot Tide Dudes 27

Cornhead: Ah, Johnny Football vs. the NFL’s Rolling Tide. He has seen two good defenses, and did poorly against both. Gotta go with Bama. Tide 37, Johnny Football 18

Brian: This is a interesting game to me at least. TAMU with Johnny Football has taken over the state of Texas from a non UT/TAMU standpoint. Baylor can’t stop anyone, Tech fizzled out after last week and TCU can’t hang with anyone w/o Casey Pachall. This is also a good test after Bama’s 60 minute slugfest with LSU. If Zack Mettenberger can move the ball, I got to think Manziel can. The battle of Sumlin and Kliff Kingsbury’s offense vs. Saban’s D is worth watching alone. That being said, the Aggie D isn’t going to do well. Roll Tide, y’all.

West Virginia (+7.5) at Oklahoma State

Husker Mike: Remember when West Virginia was a Top Ten team and angling into the BCS title game? Ahh memories. But too many questions about Oklahoma State’s quarterback this week. Mountain Men 38, Pokes 31

Aaron: West Virginia seems to be righting the ship. Don’t think we’ll see the scoring explosion from them the rest of the year, but they should get enough points to win this one. West Virginia 34, Oklahoma State 28

Billgrip: The mountain men look pretty good against average or below average teams, but look horrible against anyone that plays defense. Oklahoma State is a pretty average team that doesn’t play a lot of defense. Mountaineers 45, Okie lite 38

DM: When I watch these two teams play, they seem like two teams that want to be Oregon and go right up to the line of being Oregon but aren’t bold enough to cross the line that they need to cross to be Oregon. I’ll go with the Oregon Mountaineers 42, Oregon Cowboys 38

Jon: West Virginia has mountains! Oklahoma has hills! West Virginia has coal! Oklahoma has oil! West Virginia has forests! Oklahoma has dirt.... wow. Oklahoma is so screwed. West Virginia 45, Oklahoma the State 24

Cornhead: Are there any defenses playing in this game? No? OK, give me the rootin’ tootin’ Cowboys. Boys 48, Mountains 41

Brian: Two teams that have disappointed me so far this year. Okie St cause of injuries, and West Virginia for lack of defense. At home, gimme the Cowboys.

Penn State (+7) at Nebraska

Husker Mike: We all know what’s going to happen here... Nebraska will screw around in first three quarters, and come roaring back in the fourth. The only question is who will screw up, and how big of a hole the Huskers will have dug. I like this matchup, though, for Nebraska; I think Nebraska’s pass defense is much improved in recent weeks, and can shut down Penn State’s. Huskers 31, Penn State 21

Aaron: The weather should be good and the matchups should bode well for Nebraska. I think it comes down to Nebraska’s mis-cues and what Penn State is able to do with them. Blackshirts hold Penn State to Field Goal attempts after turnovers and the Huskers wind. Nebraska 27, Penn State 16

Billgrip: This is a game Nebraska should win, but could lose if they don’t realize they’re playing until the 4th quarter. Wait a minute, Nebraska wins those too. Okay, I’ll cautiously pick the Huskers this week if they can avoid more than 3 turnovers. The sad thing is that I’ve come to expect at least 2 per game. It’s not a matter of if, but when. It sure would be nice to have Rex back...but I’d be very surprised if that happens. Nebraska 24, Penn State 21

DM: There is a certain symmetry that has been the Taylor Martinez era. If that symmetry holds true to form, Nebraska will lose on Saturday. But, that doesn’t mean I’m going to pick it to happen. Not by a long shot! I think this team has learned from it’s missteps in the past and has turned a bit of a corner. Penn St. will make some plays on this secondary, but I don’t see Penn St. being able to shut down the Nebraska offense enough to win this game. The Nittany Lions don’t beat themselves, however, so if Nebraska gets mistake happy, this could be yet another Groundhog Day scenario in Memorial Stadium. I’ll call for a close game, but the Huskers land a couple of haymakers late to knock out Penn St. Huskers 34, PSU 27

Jon: We’re at home. I’m tired of comebacks. Therefore we win without having to come back from behind. Bo Pelini finally wins that game that gets him over the hump and on his way to a division title in this newfangly Big Ten Conference! Huskers 33 Penn State 23

Cornhead: One step closer to a conference championship......ok, so it’s not the SEC, but I’ll take it. This game is close because of Husker penalties and turnovers, but Nebraska takes over in the 4th. Corn 37, Lions 28

Brian: This game is kinda odd to me. Nebraska under Bo has had a home stinker every season he’s been here. You can make a argument that it was the Wisconsin game, but then again it’s November. But, Nebraska comes in the clearly hotter team. While the Offense hasn’t been perfect, the D has been better and this team just finds a way to win. Lets hope that the Nittany Lions don’t have that hot of a start. If Nebraska is even or better after the first quarter, expect a good Nebraska win setting up Senior Day in Lincoln next week.