Ohio State is back.
The Buckeyes travel to Bloomington for their first of two-consecutive night games. That time will shift around head coach Ryan Day's schedule a bit and, I'd imagine, give him an opportunity to follow along with what's going on around the country before his team takes the first at 7:30 p.m.
Unlucky for him is that this week's slate of games is not great. There's no matchups between teams ranked in the AP Top 25. But here are a few games he'll probably have an eye out for as the weekend rolls along.
Spreads are from FanDuel as of Oct. 22
No. 7 Penn State vs. Illinois: 12 p.m., ABC
This matchup doesn't look to be particularly close. Penn State's offense, led by QB Sean Clifford and WR Jahan Dotson, averages nearly 400 yards per game and 5.7 yards per play. Illinois' defense is the worst in the Big Ten conference, allowing 427.9 yards per game, 21 total touchdowns and 6.1 yards per play having faced Nebraska, UTSA, Virginia, Maryland, Purdue, Charlotte and Wisconsin. The other side of the coin is not much better for the Fighting Illini bringing the worst offense in the Big Ten (317.9 yards per game) against a Penn State defense that has allowed the least amount of touchdowns in the conference with eight and 4.3 yards per play. Chase Brown has been good for Illinois in the ground game, averaging 82.8 yards per game and 6.9 yards per rush— most of those yards coming with after a 257-yard day against Charlotte — but he will face a Penn State defense that has allowed four touchdowns all season with opposing backs averaging three yards per touch. After Ohio State faces Indiana, once Day and the coaching staff start to prepare for Penn State, this film will likely show what the Nittany Lions look like at their best, what they will try to do in Columbus Oct. 30.
My pick: Penn State -23.5
No. 6 Michigan vs. Northwestern: 12 p.m., FOX
I told you this wasn't a good week. FOX's Big Noon Saturday game pits the Big Ten's best rushing offense against its worst rush defense. And it could get ugly. Led by sophomore running back Blake Corum, who leads the team in rushing yards, and senior running back Hassan Haskins, who is tied with Corum with eight rushing touchdowns — truly a 1A and 1B scenario — the Wolverines have scored 21 of their 28 total touchdowns in the ground game, averaging 5.5 yards per rush. Northwestern, on the other hand, has been dreadful at stopping the run, allowing 14 touchdowns, and 205.7 rushing yards per game, by far the worst in the Big Ten. Like the Penn State game above, this is a game for Day to watch to see what Michigan's run game ideally would look like each week, knowing the Wolverines will see a lot between now and their matchup with the Buckeyes in the final week of the regular season.
My pick: Michigan -23.5
No. 4 Alabama vs. Tennessee: 7 p.m., ESPN
Obviously, this is one to pay attention to with Alabama being directly in front of Ohio State in both the AP and the USA Today Coaches Polls. But the matchup to watch here is Alabama's run defense against Tennessee's rushing attack. This Volunteers offense is No. 2 in the SEC in rush offense, averaging 249.14 yards per game and 5.15 yards per rush, tied for the conference lead with Ole Miss with 20 rushing touchdowns this season. Running back Tiyon Evans has been special, averaging 6.7 yards per carry and six touchdowns, while quarterback Hendon Hooker has added four rushing touchdowns as well. This Alabama defense has allowed 97.8 rushing yards per game 13th best in the country. Against Ole Miss, the Crimson Tide allowed 78 yards on 34 rushes — 2.3 yards per carry — and two touchdowns. Could Tennessee's rushing game give Alabama problems? Probably not, but it will be something worth watching, especially as Ohio State tries to put itself in the national picture again.
My pick: Alabama -24.5
My picks were much better a week ago, hitting on both Purdue and Oklahoma State's upsets. Here are my picks for this week.
Other games to watch
Last Week Against the Spread: 6-2, Overall: 10-6
Army vs No. 16 Wake Forest; 12 p.m., CBS Sports Network — Army +3.5
No. 25 Purdue vs. Wisconsin; 3 p.m., Big Ten Network — Purdue +3.5
Iowa State vs. No. 8 Oklahoma State; 3:30 p.m., FOX — Oklahoma State +7.5
No. 23 Pittsburgh vs. Clemson; 3:30 p.m., ESPN — Pittsburgh -3.5
No. 5 Ohio State at Indiana; 7:30 p.m., ABC — Ohio State -21.5
The Buckeyes travel to Bloomington for their first of two-consecutive night games. That time will shift around head coach Ryan Day's schedule a bit and, I'd imagine, give him an opportunity to follow along with what's going on around the country before his team takes the first at 7:30 p.m.
Unlucky for him is that this week's slate of games is not great. There's no matchups between teams ranked in the AP Top 25. But here are a few games he'll probably have an eye out for as the weekend rolls along.
Spreads are from FanDuel as of Oct. 22
No. 7 Penn State vs. Illinois: 12 p.m., ABC
This matchup doesn't look to be particularly close. Penn State's offense, led by QB Sean Clifford and WR Jahan Dotson, averages nearly 400 yards per game and 5.7 yards per play. Illinois' defense is the worst in the Big Ten conference, allowing 427.9 yards per game, 21 total touchdowns and 6.1 yards per play having faced Nebraska, UTSA, Virginia, Maryland, Purdue, Charlotte and Wisconsin. The other side of the coin is not much better for the Fighting Illini bringing the worst offense in the Big Ten (317.9 yards per game) against a Penn State defense that has allowed the least amount of touchdowns in the conference with eight and 4.3 yards per play. Chase Brown has been good for Illinois in the ground game, averaging 82.8 yards per game and 6.9 yards per rush— most of those yards coming with after a 257-yard day against Charlotte — but he will face a Penn State defense that has allowed four touchdowns all season with opposing backs averaging three yards per touch. After Ohio State faces Indiana, once Day and the coaching staff start to prepare for Penn State, this film will likely show what the Nittany Lions look like at their best, what they will try to do in Columbus Oct. 30.
My pick: Penn State -23.5
No. 6 Michigan vs. Northwestern: 12 p.m., FOX
I told you this wasn't a good week. FOX's Big Noon Saturday game pits the Big Ten's best rushing offense against its worst rush defense. And it could get ugly. Led by sophomore running back Blake Corum, who leads the team in rushing yards, and senior running back Hassan Haskins, who is tied with Corum with eight rushing touchdowns — truly a 1A and 1B scenario — the Wolverines have scored 21 of their 28 total touchdowns in the ground game, averaging 5.5 yards per rush. Northwestern, on the other hand, has been dreadful at stopping the run, allowing 14 touchdowns, and 205.7 rushing yards per game, by far the worst in the Big Ten. Like the Penn State game above, this is a game for Day to watch to see what Michigan's run game ideally would look like each week, knowing the Wolverines will see a lot between now and their matchup with the Buckeyes in the final week of the regular season.
My pick: Michigan -23.5
No. 4 Alabama vs. Tennessee: 7 p.m., ESPN
Obviously, this is one to pay attention to with Alabama being directly in front of Ohio State in both the AP and the USA Today Coaches Polls. But the matchup to watch here is Alabama's run defense against Tennessee's rushing attack. This Volunteers offense is No. 2 in the SEC in rush offense, averaging 249.14 yards per game and 5.15 yards per rush, tied for the conference lead with Ole Miss with 20 rushing touchdowns this season. Running back Tiyon Evans has been special, averaging 6.7 yards per carry and six touchdowns, while quarterback Hendon Hooker has added four rushing touchdowns as well. This Alabama defense has allowed 97.8 rushing yards per game 13th best in the country. Against Ole Miss, the Crimson Tide allowed 78 yards on 34 rushes — 2.3 yards per carry — and two touchdowns. Could Tennessee's rushing game give Alabama problems? Probably not, but it will be something worth watching, especially as Ohio State tries to put itself in the national picture again.
My pick: Alabama -24.5
My picks were much better a week ago, hitting on both Purdue and Oklahoma State's upsets. Here are my picks for this week.
Other games to watch
Last Week Against the Spread: 6-2, Overall: 10-6
Army vs No. 16 Wake Forest; 12 p.m., CBS Sports Network — Army +3.5
No. 25 Purdue vs. Wisconsin; 3 p.m., Big Ten Network — Purdue +3.5
Iowa State vs. No. 8 Oklahoma State; 3:30 p.m., FOX — Oklahoma State +7.5
No. 23 Pittsburgh vs. Clemson; 3:30 p.m., ESPN — Pittsburgh -3.5
No. 5 Ohio State at Indiana; 7:30 p.m., ABC — Ohio State -21.5
Last edited:
