Big College Football Weekend in the Big Ten
The Penn State Nittany Lions hold their fate in their hands this weekend. All Joe Paterno’s team has to do is beat Michigan State and they’ll win at least a share of the Big Ten Championship and earn a trip to the Rose Bowl. If Penn State loses, the NCAAF sports betting picture gets a little cloudier.
The Nittany Lions, the Spartans, and the Buckeyes all enter the final week of the Big Ten regular season with 6-1 conference records. Penn State already beat Ohio State this season, and a win over the Spartans this weekend would give them the advantage over them as well.
The Spartans’ outlook is simple – they have to beat Penn State this weekend and Ohio State must lose to Michigan, because the Spartans’ only conference loss this season came against the Buckeyes. And what about the Buckeyes? They can land on top if they can beat Michigan and if the Spartans defeat Penn State, because like we said earlier they already topped Michigan State this season. If that’s all clear let’s move on to what really matters – the games.
The Nittany Lions and the Spartans meet up at Penn State this weekend with the Spartans coming off a bye and the Lions coming off a 34-7 rout of Indiana as a 35.5-point favorite on the NCAAF odds. Against the Hoosiers Daryll Clark got back on track after his disastrous performance against Iowa with 240 passing yards and a pair of touchdown strikes. The defense also rebounded, holding Indiana to 180 yards.
Michigan State has had two weeks to prepare for Penn State after their 21-7 win over Purdue two weeks ago. Running back Javon Ringer basically was the Spartans’ offense in that win, with 121 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries.
Last season the Spartans upset the Nittany Lions 35-31 as a 3-point home underdog. It will difficult to repeat that upset as 14.5-point underdogs at Penn State this weekend, where the Spartans have never won.
The Michigan/Ohio State game is usually the game of the year for both schools. It’s still an age-old and fierce rivalry, but the game has lost some of its shine this season due to the Wolverines’ pathetic 3-8 record. The Wolverines are guaranteed their first losing season since 1967 and they’ll miss out on the bowl season, snapping their 33-year bowl streak. Not a good start to the Rich Rodriguez era. Michigan’s latest embarrassment came last week in a 21-14 loss to Northwestern. Quarterback Nick Sheridan was awful in the loss, completing only 8-of-29 pass attempts for 61 yards with a TD run. If Sheridan doesn’t pick up his game this weekend the Wolverines won’t stand a chance against Ohio State.
The Buckeyes put themselves in a position to win at least a share of the Big Ten last week with a 30-20 win over Illinois. Windy conditions forced Ohio State to abandon the passing game, which is why Terrelle Pryor attempted only 10 throws for 49 yards with a TD strike. Pryor was active on the ground with 110 rushing yards and a TD on 13 carries, and running back Chris Wells also had a busy afternoon with 24 carries for 143 yards and a TD.
Ohio State has dominated the rivalry lately, winning the last four games and six of the last seven matchups against the Wolverines. The Buckeyes defense held the Wolverines at bay last season in a 14-3 win as 4-point underdogs. In Saturday’s game the Buckeyes are a 20.5-point home favorite on the NCAAF odds.
