The wait is nearly over! We are almost back to full slates of college football. While we still have two more weeks until the Pac 12 joins the party, we don’t mind celebrating early.
And the major reason for that celebration is the return of the B1G Ten. After postponing the season originally this is something that some thought may never happen. However thanks to primarily Scott Frost/Nebraska and Ryan Day/Ohio State, the conference did not go down without a fight. Despite a brutal (to put it kindly) start on the job for B1G Commissioner Kevin Warren, the conference circled the wagons to get a season in place. Not only does that mean National Championship chances for the likes of Ohio State, but it also means we have nearly 50 games on the board this week! 50!
Now that is something we can all get jiggy with…
Before we move on though let’s quickly recap last week. Week 7 saw the Blog picks go 5-2, while the official Twitter adds went 2-2. Unfortunately after replacing Mike Leach with Lane Kiffin as the Over King, we put the jinx on the Ole Miss overs. Despite that, it’s another winning week, coming in at 7-5. That will put the season total at 25-13-1. I don’t know where you are from but where I am from that ain’t too shabby. Enough of the past though because the real season starts now. Can’t wait to tune into ESPN2 at noon in a few weeks and hear the sweet voice of Beth Mowins calling a 9-3 Northwestern/Iowa game with more punts that first downs. Between that and cool fall weather, I got chills.
But now it’s time to turn our attention to another B1G week…
B1G Picks
*We will provide a little more detail for these B1G games.
*Think of it as a getting know them: B1G Edition*
12:00pm – Nebraska @ Ohio State -26 and O68
What better way to start off the B1G picks that starting with the two teams that saved the season. Some feel the schedule makers made a point to make Nebraska pay for their brashness and threats. That is tough to argue with the Huskers having to start off on the road versus the Buckeyes. Not to mention them having to play Wisconsin next week and then Penn State just two weeks later. That is a B1G task to say the least.
Ohio State: Turning our focus back on this matchup. Let’s start off with the Buckeyes. Offensively there isn’t much not to like here. Heisman candidate and possible top 3 pick in the draft, Justin Fields leads the way at QB. Fields will be surrounded by possibly the best crop of receivers OSU has ever seen. The WR corp. is led by returning stars Chris Olave and Garret Wilson. Add to that, possible breakout star in speedster Jamison Williams and a trio of 5 stars freshman (Gee Scott Jr., Julian Fleming, Jaxon Smith-Njigba), and Fields should continue putting up video game numbers in year two. As for the backfield, obviously the loss of JK Dobbins is one that can not be overstated. However, they will try to replace him with a 2-headed monster. Expect to see a heavy dose of both Oklahoma transfer Trey Sermon and Sophomore Master Teague, who showed flashes as a freshman last season. It won’t hurt running behind one of the strongest O-Lines in the country. In summation, expect Ohio State to score fast and score often in 2020.
Defensively the Buckeyes are loaded with talent, especially at linebacker. The question marks will come from having to replace first round picks Chase Young, Jeffrey Okudah, and Damon Arnette. Luckily they are stocked with high ranked recruits just looking for their chance to shine. The secondary will be led by Shaun Wade, with Seven Banks and Tyreke Johnson expected to step into larger roles. On the defensive line, the name to watch is Zach Harrison, as he tries to continue the path set by the Bosa brothers and Chase Young.
Nebraska: Now let’s quickly dive into the Huskers. Scott Frost enters his third season in charge of his alma mater. And oh boy does he have his work cut out for him week one. The ability to stay in this game is going to fall on the shoulders of returning QB Adrian Martinez. After a year of injuries and playing hurt, Martinez looks to bounce back and show some of the skill he flashed early on. Two things he has going for him are Running Back Dedrick Mills and receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. These two are both expected to have big years, even more-so for the latter. Look for Robinson to be an all-league type player who will turn a lot of heads. The other thing the Huskers have going is returning their entire O-Line.
On the other side of the ball is where the issues will stand out and the reason for these bets. Last year Nebraska’s rush defense was it’s major weakness and things are expected to get much better, losing its three top D-Lineman. The secondary which played better last year, is expected to take a dip, having lost their best DB Lamar Jackson. I would expect that most games the Huskers win this year will be because of the offense and they are definitely a team on #OverWatch in 2020.
What To Expect: We will be doubling down on this game. While it might not suprise me to see the Buckeyes come out a little slow, as many teams have in their first game; I expect the offense to get going by the second quarter and never take it’s foot off the gas. With the short 8 game season and possible future cancelations if any covid breakouts happen in the conference, I could see Coach Day trying to run up scores as much as possible. B1G teams are already at a disadvantage so trying to build a resume and impress people is of the utmost importance each week. If it was later in the season I could see this being an even bigger blowout but with the Buckeyes replacing so much in the secondary and on the d-line, I see a big day in store Wan’Dale. Martinez’s legs could also be an x-factor. Don’t be shocked or scared if the game stays close early. I think the Buckeyes do most their damage in the 2nd/3rd quarters and then tack on in the 4th.
Buckeyes B1G and the Over. Oh Yah!!!
Final Prediction: Ohio State 55 Nebraska 21
3:30pm – Penn State @ Indiana +6.5
Next we move onto a mid-afternoon B1G game featuring pre-season, highly touted Penn State and an Indiana team coming off an impressive season.
Penn State: First we have the Nittany Lions who are ranked #8 in the AP Poll. Let’s first get the negatives out of the way. PSU are going to have to replace arguably their best offensive and defensive players from last season. WR KJ Hamler was THE Big-play guy for the Nittany Lions’ offense in 2019 and unfortunately he now plays for the Denver Broncos. On the defensive side of the ball, stud LB Micah Parsons opted and when the season was originally postponed. He, unlike most other B1G stars who opted back in, decided to focus on the NFL Draft. If that wasn’t bad enough, the team just announced that star RB Journey Brown is expected to miss most (If not all) of the season. Brown averaged nearly 7 yards per carry in his breakout year and expectations were sky high.
It’s not all negative however, as one would expect for a top 10 team. PSU brings in a new offensive coordinator from Minnesota (Kirk Ciarrocca), who excelled last year. He will bring a strong running and RPO offense to College Station, which should set up well. They will return QB Sean Clifford, a top notch O-Line and one of the best TE in the country, Pat Freiermuth. While the loss of Brown is big, PSU will still have two stellar backs in Noah Cain and Devyn Ford. On defense, the Nittany Lions return a lot of depth across the board and should once again be a stout run defense. The room for improvement is in the passing game. The development of the secondary and pass defense could be all the difference for the team this season.
Indiana: The Hoosiers will look to build off of one of their most successful season in recent memory, going 8-5 in 2019. Building on that will fall mainly on the offense, more specifically the passing game. And that will revolve around Sophomore Michael Penix Jr. The Dual Threat QB showed flashes as a true freshman last year despite an injury and is someone to keep an eye on this year. He has the arm talent to spread the ball around and the athleticism to extend plays. Penix Jr. will be the the ultimate weapon for new OC Nick Sheridan. Expect him to hurt teams on the run and spread the wealth around to WR Whop Philyor, WR Ty Fryfogle, and TE Peyton Hendershot.
On defense, the Hoosiers started off the year by losing one of their best players in safety Marcelino Ball to injury. They do return a lot of young players with experience on the first two levels. One would expect the secondary to be the strength of a defense that will most likely be out manned in several games. If they can help to eliminate the big passing plays this season, expect the Hoosiers to be a pesky out for teams this season.
What To Expect: I am not sure if you can have a trap game in the first week of the season, but if you can this might be it. Next week, the Nittany Lions will host Ohio State on Halloween Night. The fear here would be if PSU overlooks Indiana and hold back some plays for OSU. I am not sure if this will be the case, but the main reasons for siding with the Hoosiers here are:
-The line stinks. #8 Team in the country favored by less than a td?
-How soon can Penn State get the offense humming after needing to replace Hamler and Brown?
-Indiana offense and Penix Jr. will cause fits for Penn States defense.
Combine all this and I see a tight game. The Nittany Lions best be careful because a B1G upset could be brewing here if they do look ahead to Halloween. I smell B1G Trouble in Little Bloomington.
Final Prediction: PSU 34 Indiana 31
7:30pm – M*chigan @ Minnesota +3
Our final B1G game we will focus on this week is the the primetime ABC game of the week. This one features two top 25 teams and should be a good one.
M*chigan: This is a huge year for Jim Harbaugh and this is a huge game to get the season started. Harbaugh and the Wolverines season seems to be squarly on the shoulders of Sophomore QB Joe Milton. In choosing Milton over Dylan McCaffery (Who most thought would be the starter), Harbaugh is not only going with the future but also hoping to capitalize on the upside here. Milton has the potential to be the best QB Harbaugh has had since Andrew Luck. If Milton fails this year, especially since McCaffery has since transferred, this could be a disappointing season in Ann Arbor. Things will be a little harder for Milton, as star WR Nico Collins, has opted out for the season. You just can’t replace someone like Collins with one guy. Instead the team will rely on some of the young blue chips that Harbaugh has brought in over the last couple years. Ronnie Bell offers some veteran experience while Giles Jackson is the name to watch here.
Defensively the focus will be on how the secondary performs. The only returning starter, Ambry Thomas, also decided to opt out for the season. This leaves DC Don Brown with the task of building an entirely new secondary and with a short season it has to click quickly. Look for Vincent Grey and Daxton Hill to be the two main guys stepping up.
Minnesota: Entering his fourth season as head coach, PJ Fleck seems to be rowing the boat quite well. The Gophers are coming off an 11-2 season, including a win over Auburn in the bowl game. They will look to keep things going in 2020, with the help of returning signal caller Tanner Morgan. Morgan will have some things going for him this season. First off is star receiver Rashod Bateman. Next you have a strong returning offensive line. Then you have two capable running backs in Bryce Wiliams and Mohamad Ibrahim. All-in-all, this offense should be legit.
Defensively, losing Antoine Winfield Jr. is a huge loss. The secondary will do its best to replace Winfield with the likes of Coney Durr, Jordan Howden and Benjamin St-Juste. The Gophers lost several other key defensive players from 2019, so more pressure will be put on Morgan and the offense. I think the difference between a very good season and representing the B1G West will be the ability of the new guys to step up on D.
What To Expect: I just think this is a tough ask for Joe Milton and a young team. Going on the road for a primetime game Week 1 after nearly a 2 month delay.
Home game at night (no crowd), catching 3 and a hook? Gimme the home dogs here. The Wolverines won’t be able to keep up with Gophers rowing their damn boats #skiUMah
Final Prediction: Minnesota 33 UM 27
Best of the Rest
12:00pm – Syracuse @ Clemson O61.5
This one is squarly based on Clemson. Everyone saw them hang 70 on GTech last week right? Well I am condfident that GTech is better than this Syracuse team. This Syracuse team that just got handled, at home, by Liberty. If Clemson plays their starters deep into the second half and shows a willingness to run up the score, they honestly could hit this by themselves. Elite teams get fat and put up B1G numbers on teams like this in these kind of spots.
Final Prediction: Clemson 57 Syracuse 17
12:00pm – Auburn @ Ole Miss O70.5
This one is tough to go with considering how last week went. Ole Miss laid an egg after we anointed them as our 2020 Over Team.
And as we learned the last couple weeks, it is never a good feeling putting money on Bo Nix. Yet here we are. I am going to roll with the concept that Lane Kiffin will continue to play fast and bounce back with points this week. And we know they can’t play defense. If there was a ever a time to get the offense going for the Tigers, this is it.
Don’t let us down again Kiff…
Final Prediction: Auburn 43 Ole Miss 40
3:30pm – Bama -21 @ Tennessee
I mean, what can you say. Bama stormed back last week and hung 41 points on what some argued was the best defense in the country (Georgia). Tennessee on the flipside got steam rolled by rival Kentucky, 34-7. If UK managed 34 against the Vols, I can only imagine what Saban and the Tide offense will do. On the flip side, if UK could hold Tennesee to 7 points imagine what Saban and the Tide defense will do.
Tennessee fans once again find out that Bama is in another world from them. Bama B1G and make it look easy.
Final Prediction: Bama 50 Tennessee 17
3:30pm – V Tech @ Wake Forest O68
This is just a system play for me. Anytime you have two teams averaging over 40 ppg (41.5 Vtech, 40.3 Wake) and poor defenses, we are going to lean towards the Over. I honestly thought this could be mid-70’s. This matchup sort of strikes me as similar to VTech vs. UNC from a couple weeks back. Much like Same Howell did, I can see Wake QB Sam Hartman exposing the Vtech defense. That game ended up with a final score of 56-46. While I still think VTech is the more talented team and will pull out the “W”…
let’s take the leap of faith that the offenses prevail in this one…
Final Prediction: VTech 42 Wake 37
4:00pm – GTech @ Boston College O54.5
I have some good news for GTech fans. You don’t have to play Clemson again this week. Boy that was a tough one to say the least. Luckily this should be a more competitive game and one I like to go Over the total. Jeff Sims has proven two things. He has big play ability (Arm and feet) and he also is prone to turnovers (9). Both of these qualities can be good for an over. Pick 6? Turnovers setting up short field for BC? Both possible here. On the flip side the Yellow Jackets have also caused 11 turnovers. Boston College has struggled to stop the run and also to run the ball. With Boston College throwing more than ever and the Yellowjackets ability to exploit a poor rush defense, things are aligning for a higher scoring game than one would think.
So to recap, let’s expect some big defensive plays, some short fields, and some offenses exploiting weaknesses.
Bet it , win it, and thank me later…
Final Prediction: BC 37 GTech 30
There they are. 9 Winners for Week 8. A little more writeup this week than normal, to get you acquainted with some of what the B1G Ten has to offer. As always, make sure you follow the ol’Twitter (@BetOppositeOfMe) for additional adds, although some of those may be after a few adult recreational beverages. With 4 games on Friday odds are we will drink ourselves into one or two. So lets have some fun this week and as always if you fade them good luck…
but also…
#BOOM #CHEERS #SaturdaysAreForTheOver
BetOppositeOfMe 