We are back and OMG what did you all do to the Big Ten?? I TOOK ONE SATURDAY AFTERNOON OFF FROM WATCHING FOOTBALL TO RAKE LEAVES AND NOW EVERYTHING IS ON FIRE.
Seriously, it is Week 11 and chaos has begun to take over the entire league.
- Purdue ruined another undefeated season by putting the beat down on #3 Michigan State.
- Michigan somehow moved in front of Michigan State in the CFP rankings despite losing to Michigan State 13 days ago.
- Iowa switched quarterbacks and the offense took off, scoring 17(!) points.
- PJ Fleck got a big contract extension and then promptly lost to Illinois at home.
- Nebraska fired their entire offensive coaching staff but IS NOT firing Scott Frost or hiring a special teams coach.
- SA went 8-7 last week thanks to Penn State picking off Taulia Tagovailoa with 2 minutes left and returning it 87 yards for a TD to cover. That was some weird, good chaos.
Thankfully we have a new Taylor Swift album to listen to that will help calm everything down errr…I mean….um…
Gather your things and prepare for what chaos Week 11 has to bring. Iowa plays for the pig, Michigan goes against Penn State, Purdue will try to ruin Ohio States hopes and dreams, and Indiana/Rutgers square off in the Worst Game of the Year of the Century.
BIG 10 GAMES OF THE WEEK OF THE CENTURY
Minnesota +5.5 @ #20 Iowa (2:30 PM CST, BTN)
Is Iowa back?? The offensive line is showing some life and the defense created some big turnovers last week…Oh, and Alex Padilla has arrived. I was actually getting some food in the kitchen when he entered the game so I found this video of him coming onto the field to save the season:
Sure, you could say most of the improvements made last week were due to Northwestern being awful, and that even if the offense looked better with a new QB at the helm they still only managed to score 17 points, but that is a very pessimistic view and no one should go through life like that. I choose to believe Iowa is fixed and back to normal. The defense is good again and Alex Padilla has a laser rocket arm.
I spent today studying CFB QB's. Mostly for the 22 draft class:
— Tim Jenkins (@TJenkinsElite) November 8, 2021
- Malik Willis V Ole Miss
- Matt Coral V Liberty
- Sam Howell V Wake Forest
but the throw of the day came from Iowa QB Alex Padilla.
Call me bias but this is 10/10. pic.twitter.com/VnyHeXCZg3
So, with all this positivity going on, does Minnesota have a chance at taking Floyd from us?
That is a tough question, and it really depends on which version of the Gophers row their way to Iowa City. Minnesota has losses to Bowling Green and Illinois. I don’t think you need me to tell you how pathetic that is. They also won four games in a row at one point, including a win over Purdue. So, what are we dealing with here?
IT DOESN’T MATTER. FLOYD IS STAYING HOME. PADILLA (Puh-dill-uh) THE CHILLA (chill-uh) (still workshopping names, it will get better, I promise) 4 HEISMAN.
PICK: Iowa -5.5, UNDER 37.5
Northwestern+24.5 @ #18 Wisconsin (11:00 AM CST, ESPN2)
Listen, if Iowa wants to make the Big Ten Championship game they not only need to win out, but they also need Wisconsin to lose. Unfortunately, the Badgers play Northwestern this week and the chances of them losing are about the same as Spread Awareness losing every bet we make this weekend. Has that happened before? MAYBE. Will it ever happen again? MAYBE. WHY DON’T YOU TRY DOING THIS EVERY WEEK BEFORE YOU JUDGE US??????
OK, wow, sorry, I don’t know what got into me.
Wisconsin continues to roll and I think our only hope at making it to Indy is to put our faith in Nebraska pulling off an upset against Wisconsin next week. Yeah, we are so screwed.
PICK: Wisconsin -24.5
#6 Michigan -1.5 @ Penn State (11:00 AM CST, ABC)
Michigan bounced back from their loss to Michigan State by dominating Indiana. They dominated them so hard that they moved to #6 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Michigan State, who beat Michigan last week but then lost to Purdue, is somehow ranked #7. I don’t claim to be a smart man, but that seems dumb.
Penn State finally recovered from their loss to Iowa and ended their three-game losing streak by beating Maryland. Maryland actually had a chance to tie the game late but threw a pick-six with two minutes left. I know, shocking that MARYLAND would throw an interception.
Michigan wins a close one in what could be a cold, windy, rainy/maybe snowy, afternoon in Beaver Stadium. Bad weather you say? Don't threaten me with a good time. Take the over!
PICK: Michigan -1.5, OVER 48.5
Rutgers +7 @ Indiana (11:00 AM CST, BTN)
What a game we have here, folks! Rutgers, who is 1-5 in conference play, takes on Indiana, who was ranked to start the year but is now 0-6 in conference play. It is a battle for the bottom.
Should you bet on this game? No, absolutely not. Seriously don’t do it. STOP IT. I AM SERIOUS. OK, IF YOU BET THIS GAME, I AM BETTING ON THIS GAME. I AM NOT JOKING, DON’T MAKE ME DO THIS! WAIT, DID YOU JUST DARE ME TO BET THE SPREAD AND THE TOTAL? IS THAT A THREAT? FINE!
PICK: Rutgers +7, UNDER 43.5
#19 Purdue +21 @ #4 Ohio State (2:30 PM CST, ABC)
When Purdue wakes up in the morning and has a Top 5 team on their schedule, they ask themselves two questions:
- Is this, or is this not the Big Ten?
- Do they, or do they not currently have a pulse?
If the answer is yes, they just go out, play football, and beat the hell out of the teams.
Should Ohio State be worried? Absolutely. They struggled against a Nebraska team that has been so bad this year they fired their entire offensive staff with three weeks left in the season. They also struggled against a Penn State team that lost to ILLINOIS the week prior. Things aren’t all that great in Columbus at the moment, no matter what the playoff committee says.
On the other hand, after Purdue beat Iowa, they lost to Wisconsin by 17. So, which Purdue team will show up this week? The hungover, bad Boilermakers, or the soul-crushing, ruin your life Boilermakers? I am here for chaos. I am also here for Purdue losing and getting knocked out of first place in the division. Ohio State wins but does not cover.
PICK: Purdue +21
Maryland +12.5 @ #7 Michigan State (3:00 PM CST, Fox)
Oh no, Sparty. It was all right there in front of you and BAM, blindsided and run over by a train. They still have Ohio State on the schedule, so not all is lost, but it isn’t looking great.
They should be able to bounce back this week, though, because Maryland is hot garbage. Also, they probably have a little motivation from being ranked behind Michigan, who they beat two weeks ago, in the playoff rankings.
PICK: MSU -12.5, UNDER 61
TOP 25 GAMES OF THE WEEK OF THE CENTURY
#8 Oklahoma -5.5 @ #13 Baylor – Oklahoma -5.5
Baylor got caught looking ahead last week to this game and lost to a TCU team that fired their coach. Just think what will happen when Lincoln Riley is standing on the opposite sideline!
#23 UTSA -33.5 vs Southern Miss – UTSA -33.5
UTSA has some DUDES. They are also 8-1 ATS while Southern Miss is 1-8. EASY MONEY.
#11 Texas A&M -2.5 @ #15 Ole Miss – Ole Miss +2.5
We have lost every bet we have made on both of these teams this year so confidence is at an all-time high.
#10 Oklahoma State -12.5 vs TCU – OSU -12.5
Pokes have covered 7 in a row, might as well make it 8!
#16 NC State +2 @ #12 Wake Forest – OVER 66.5
All Wake Forest does is score touchdowns and give up touchdowns.
DEGENERATE GAME OF THE WEEK OF THE CENTURY
Charlotte +7 @ Louisiana Tech – Charlotte +7
A two-win team as a seven-point favorite?? Hmmmmm...
2021 RECORD
Overall: 77-67-1
ATS: 60-45-1
OU: 17-22
