Big Ten Country

October 11 Game Summaries

Penn State 48 Wisconsin 7
If there was any doubt the Nittany Lions are a national title contender, there were removed last night in Madison. And if there was any doubt that the Badger season is spinning dangerously out of control those were removed simulataneously. Darryl Clark turned in an exquisite performance, operating mostly out of the shotgun, throwing for 244 yards on 16/25. Wisconsin never got their running game established, as Penn State's defense delivered their second straight road shut-down performance. And to top it off, UW shot themselves in the foot, committing four turnovers and eight penalties, compared to PSU's 0 & 1. Joe Paterno's team will likely be up to #3 in the polls next week, behind only Alabama & Texas. 

Minnesota 27 Illinois 20
The Gopher defense stood up and delivered a big-time effort against an offense that had been blowing out the scoreboard lights, as they churned out a 14-6 lead after three quarters and then survived a wild fourth quarter to hold on for the upset win. The key was stopping the Illinois ground game and capitalizing on mistakes. Juice Williams was still explosive, going off for 462 yards in the air, 181 of them to Aurelious Benn. But Minnesota won the turnover battle 3-1, and on the ground they shut down Daniel Dufresne. In the meantime, the Gophs got 124 yards of their own from DeLeon Eskridge, while Eric Decker turned in another very solid outing at receiver, catching nine balls. Jim Souhan of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the defense answered all the questions. Well, maybe not all of them. Illinois did roll up 550 yards of offense. But Rick Brewster brought home a huge win and facilitated even more chaos in the middle of the conference, so much so that it's no longer crazy to mention his program in the same breath as a New Year's Day bowl.

Toledo 13 Michigan 10
It's also no longer crazy to mention Michigan in the same breath as the Big Ten bottom-feeders. Is it worse that they lost this game or just the fact that it doesn't make anyone recoil in shock? The offense was again inept, and while the defense wasn't horrible, they did allow receiver Nick Moore to haul in an astonishing 20 catches. The Wolverines finished it off by missing a short field goal that would have tied it with four seconds left. Drew Sharp of The Detroit Free Press declares this loss to be worse then Appalachian State.

Michigan State 37 Northwestern 20
Just as was the case last week, the Spartans weren't great, but they kept winning. Northwestern was able to move the ball, racking up 459 yards of offense and getting a big game from Tyrrell Sutton, who rushed for 139 yards. But MSU avoided mistakes, with a 3-0 margin on turnovers and got a 124-yard game from Javon Ringer. Mark Dantonio moved his team to 6-1, right where he needed to be when the meat of the schedule starts up. Michael Rosenberg of The Detroit Free Press writes that this is not a team that will collapse. I would agree that this team is mentally tough enough not to wilt. But there's a difference between collapsing and simply having weaknesses exposed. Right now, MSU needs to improve the defense.

Ohio State 16 Purdue 3
It was a ho-hum day in Columbus as Ohio State won a proto-type Tressel-ball type game, getting an early lead and then just slugging it out the rest of the way. The offense continues to use Terrel Prior very conservatively and Chris Wells was held to less then 100 yards. Ray Stein of The Columbus Dispatch prints the letters of some disgruntled fans.

Iowa 45 Indiana 9
This one was competitive for a half, with the Hawks leading 17-9 at intermission. But Iowa's offensive line took over and both Shon Greene and Jewel Hampton went over the 100-yard mark. The win, and most importantly the fact it was easy, gives Kirk Ferentz a little breathing room and momentum as he prepares for reeling Wisconsin next week.

North Carolina 29 Notre Dame 24
Jimmy Clausen was again the real deal in Chapel Hill, lighting it up for 383 yards against the ACC's best. But the Irish put the ball on the ground and committed five turnovers, and Clausen himself made a killer mistake when an interception was run back for a touchdown. It was a strong outing for Charlie Weis' team, as it showed it could compete with a legitimate conference title contender, but a tough one to let slip away. With the schedule being tougher the rest of the way, ND is going to have to scrap for each win.

Another Opportunity In Madison

Once again, the lights of prime-time shine on Madison as Penn State comes into Camp Randall to play Wisconsin in 8 EST kickoff on ABC. While the Badgers have been consistently good for 15 years now, this type of prime-time exposure is unprecedented and Bret Bielama wants to be sure his program doesn't miss the opportunity.

Missed opportunities are the story of the Wisconsin season thus far. A horrible quarter at Michigan and failure to recover two Ohio State fumbles on the game's decisive drive have turned a dark-horse national championship run into a must-win situation just to stay in contention for a BCS bid.

The fact the Badgers played even-up with a Buckeye team that has superior talent is testimony to their abilty to overcome the disappointment from the previous week. If they can do it two weeks in a row, they can finally get a Big Ten win and put themselves in position for a strong finish to the season. Penn State is very good, but not appreciably better then Ohio State and if Wisconsin simply matches last week's effort the odds would say the ball has to eventually bounce their way. One big bright spot for UW is the play of strong safety of Jay Valai, says Jeff Potrykus of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

Joe Paterno is having the kind of season he desperately needed, with a university president unwilling to grant him a contract extension. Regardless of what happens Saturday, PSU looks no worse then a 10-2 squad and that means Joe Pa will hold all the cards when it comes to the future of the program. The present is looking awfully sharp, with an offense that has real explosiveness and a defense that stepped up and made a statement against Purdue. It's important to keep a grip on national title hopes until the road trips Saturday night and to Columbus are out of the way. That's tough row to hoe for anyone. But Lion fans can't be blamed if they are having a hard time maintaining that grip, because this may be a game they can even afford to lose, provided a one-loss team will have a chance at the title game and the presumptive loss was very close. Penn State is the one team in the Big Ten that will get respect from voters. Jeff Rice of The Centre Daily Times reports on whether the old coach will still be in the press box for Saturday night.

Michigan State and Northwestern will be in the 3:30 EST slot on ESPN2. This will be a big game for both schools. NU is still undefeated and now has an opportunity to defeat a good team for the first time. MSU can continue to put itself in position for a tough late-season stretch run. C.J. Bacher added some fuel to the fire by saying that based on the last two shootouts the schools have played, this now qualifies as a rivalry. While you can't help but respect the Wildcats and what they've done, State is decidedly the better team in this one. Northwestern's offense hasn't been as explosive as in years past, and while the Spartans have to make some progress on defense, they are considerably more disciplined then previous teams were. And Javon Ringer should have no trouble keeping Bacher on the sidelines.

Notre Dame goes to North Carolina in another 3:30 ESTkick, this one on ABC. The Irish have come along nicely, but I think they are in over their heads in this one. The Tar Heels are one of the elite in the ACC, and in spite of their narrow loss to Virginia Tech, I'm sticking by my preseason pick of them to win their league and go to the Orange Bowl. The Heels are a little more complete, while the ND offense still comes and goes and Clausen is not yet adequately supported by enough of a running game. 

Illini & Bucks Push Forward

Illinois and Ohio State each have relatively easy home games ahead of them on Saturday and can continue to push forward off the big wins they got this past weekend. The Illini host Minnesota. Juice Williams is directing an offense that is pure dynamite and should be enough to win at home (Noon EST, ESPN). What will be interesting to watch is the play of Ron Zook's defense. As mentioned here yesterday, the Illini defense has not yet played at the level needed to let Juice & Co. carry them to a January 1 game. Minnesota has a nice pitch-and-catch tandem of Adam Weber & Eric Decker that will test this unit. Whether Illinois can keep them under wraps will give us a good progress report. Herb Gould of The Chicago Sun-Times says the Gophs remind him a lot of the 2007 Illini, both in terms of style and their hopes of a big turnaround.

Ohio State plays host to Purdue in a 3:30 EST kickoff on ABC, one of two conference games that will be on national televison in this time slot (Michigan State-Northwestern being the other). The Boilermakers haven't lived up to the expectations that some (such as myself) had for Joe Tiller's swan song. Right now, making any kind of bowl is looking like a tough fight and they won't make any progress towards that goal in Columbus. Ken Gordon of The Columbus Dispatch writes that a Boilermaker is just the cure for an OSU team that's beat up after the win in Wisconsin.

Iowa travels to Indiana (Noon EST, BTN). I've got the Hoosiers penciled in for last place this year, as do most observers after their loss to Minnesota. But we have to be honest--Iowa's done nothing on the field to make you think they are appreciably better then Indiana. Respect for Kirk Ferentz and his ability to get a team going, along with the fact that it was their own mistakes that did them in against Northwestern, preclude burying the Hawks too quickly. But if they are going to save their season it absolutely must start in Bloomington. Andy Hamilton of The Iowa Press-Citizen reports that while the vultures are circling the program, the head man is standing firm.

Michigan hosts Toledo in another noon game on the Network, and this should be a game that finally gives Rich Rodriguez a chance to breath easy. If it turns into a dogfight, the only question will be how loud the booing gets in Ann Arbor.

All Eyes On Florida

The race for the Big Ten's New Year's Day bowl bids in Orlando and Tampa looks as wide-open as it will be all season. At the start of the year, I saw the the trio of Ohio State, Wisconsin and Penn State being head-and-shoulders above the rest of the league. The Big Ten can reasonably assume an at-large bid to the BCS will go to its second-place team (for reasons that will be elaborated on when we get into regular bowl projections in a few weeks), so that allows room for a fourth team to jump into the New Year's party. Wisconsin's 0-2 start has knocked them off the pedestal, and while they remain a contender for either Capital One or Outback, they have fallen back into the pack.

Ohio State and Penn State look headed into the BCS, and that holds true even if the Lions falter in Madison & Columbus (can anyone really picture a 10-2 Lion team not getting a major bowl bid?). On the opposite side of the conference, Indiana looks locked into the #11 spot this year. Minnesota has clearly progressed, but it would be a big stretch to put them in Florida on January 1. Northwestern is sitting on 5-0, but against a soft schedule and their season is going to be defined by a scramble to get the extra wins they need just to make any bowl. Iowa & Purdue haven't played at the level that would justify any confidence in their ability to make a major run.  That leaves four teams in a race for two spots. Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois.

Wisconsin can re-assert itself as the leader of this foursome with a win over the Nittany Lions on Saturday night. The Badgers have only played one bad quarter since Big Ten play started (albeit perhaps one of the worst quarters in the history of Michigan Stadium). If their psyche stays in good shape, they could easily win out, or at least get to 5-3 in the conference (9-3 overall). With their good reputation for travel and what would be a strong finish, they'd be an attractive team to a bowl. But the way they lost to Michigan and Ohio State won't be easily overcome. Jeff Potrykus of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that defensive chaos prevented the defense from stopping OSU's winning touchdown.

Illinois has its offense in full gear, an achievment that makes Juice Williams an MVP candidate. With 69 points against Penn State & Michigan, no lead will be safe against the Illini. They have two easy home games against Minnesota and Indiana coming up and can continue the roll they started in Ann Arbor. But they will need to start playing D, or they will fall victim to the kind of unexpected loss that puts a team in the Champs Sports Bowl rather then the Capital One. Herb Gould of The Chicago Sun-Times says the players aren't looking ahead. They have the Gophers on their minds.

Michigan State is taking on the personality of its coach. Mark Dantonio is gritty and hard-nosed, and he's turned the Spartans into the same. The talent base is not yet high enough to avoid losing a few games in league play, but previous MSU teams would have lost in the face of a strong challenge at Indiana and not been able to slug past Iowa. An interesting test case will be when they host Wisconsin (interesting for both teams). Overall, the Spartans have to be consistent enough to outlast a more explosive Illinois team in the race and to finally overcome their problems against Michigan. One team MSU couldn't stop last year was Northwestern. Shannon Shelton of The Detroit Free Press looks at the D's preparation for the rematch on Saturday.

Michigan is only in this group based on reputation, quite frankly. They've played one noteworthy quarter since the season started and still have games with Ohio State & Penn State ahead. If they lose those two, they'd have to sweep the rest to get into the New Year's party. As troublesome as the offense is, given the transition to the spread, I'm waiting to see the defense play a good game against conference competition. They did not play well against Wisconsin, though they made enough key stops to make the comeback possible. And they were blistered by Illinois.

The prediction? I'll say Wisconsin and Michigan State get onto January 1. The Spartans are able to outlast Illinois in a close race for the Outback slot, while the Badgers go Capital One.

Both bowls are Big Ten vs. SEC matchups. If you look at prospective SEC opponents, you can also assume two teams from that league will go to the BCS, and then Cap One and Outback start making their picks. Right now, we can look at LSU, Alabama, Florida and Georgia as being the lead candidates to fill the BCS & New Year's slots. Auburn would be right on the outside looking to break in. Right now, I'd project Florida in the Cap One and Georgia in the Outback.

October 4 Game Summaries

Ohio State 20 Wisconsin 17
The prime-time battle in Camp Randall was everything it was supposed to be. This was a game as nearly even as you can get. Total yardage was a virtual dead heat, and neither team had an appreciable edge running or passing. Third down conversions were about 50 percent each way. And if Wisconsin would have had a few more seconds at the end of the first half to try another play or two after getting to the 3-yard line, they might have a touchdown instead of a field goal and had the margin of victory. The Badgers can also point to two OSU fumbles on the final game-winning drive that bounced safely back into Buckeye hands.

But it's Ohio State who got out of this one with a win because they had more playmakers. Terrell Pryor's final numbers aren't spectacular, but they don't reflect the way his speed changed the game, and the way he came through at every key point when the Bucks had to move the ball. A long touchdown drive just after UW had taken the lead with six minutes left answered any questions as to whether he was ready for high-pressure situations. And Chris Wells rushed for 168 yards on 22 carries and was another game-changing player that the tandem of P.J. Hill and John Clay wasn't for UW. Though the latter two played well, neither has Wells' explosiveness. Thus, Ohio State is on track in the Big Ten and hoping for a rejuvenation of national title hopes, while Wisconsin has to try and recover and see if they can play their way back into the New Year's Day bowl picture. Bob Hunter of The Columbus Dispatch writes about how OSU exorcised some demons in Madison with their winning drive.

Penn State 20 Purdue 6
It wasn't the kind of win that will reverberate through the college football establishment when they read through the scores. But it was exactly the kind of performance Penn State needed. They were efficient on offense, getting strong games from both Darryl Clark and Evan Royster. Most important, their defense stood up and shut down Purdue. The Lions' road tests get stricter the next two weeks in Madison and Columbus. But PSU fans can enter those games knowing they have a complete team. Jeff Rice of The Centre Daily Times says the D knows how to defend the Boilermaker spread.

Illinois 45 Michigan 20
Those of us who said Michigan's win over Wisconsin was no turning point, but the product of a Badger collapse were vindicated in the last three quarters on Saturday. The Illini spotted the Wolverines a 14-3 lead and then just exploded in UM's face. Juice Williams lit up the Michigan defense for 431 all-purpose yards. Even though Steven Threet had his most productive game at quarterback, he wasn't going to keep up with this onslaught.

Between this game and a near-miss at Penn State, Illinois has put itself back on the agenda as a player in the race for the January 1 bowl invites. As for Michigan, there is no excuse for the defensive performance. This is a veteran defense that is not learning a new system. This was the kind of game they were reasonably expected to carry the load in, and it's not happening. They've given up 60 points in two Big Ten games. Rich Rodriguez is right when he says that this is ridiculous.

Michigan State 16 Iowa 13
The Javon Ringer Express was slowed down in East Lansing. 91 yards on 25 carries isn't exactly shabby, but he was upstaged by Iowa's Shon Greene, who rushed for 157. MSU was still able to get out to a 16-3 lead and then hold on. It wasn't a statement win, but it kept the Spartans moving forward. It wasn't a bad loss, but it keeps the Hawkeyes struggling. Andy Hamilton of The Iowa Press-Citizen opines that the Hawks were their own worst enemy.

Minnesota 16 Indiana 7
Neither team had any running game to speak of, and both quarterbacks played a good game. But Gopher QB Adam Weber had Eric Decker to throw to and that was the difference. The Minnesota wide reciever hauled in 13 catches for 190 yards, and his team was able to get three second-half field goals to break up a 7-7 tie at intermission. It's been a long time coming, but more then two years after Glen Mason's firing, Minnesota has again won a conference game. Rachel Blount of The Minneapolis Star-Tribune gives credit to Decker and his toughness.

Notre Dame 28 Stanford 21
After each of the last three Notre Dame wins, I've had the same reaction. Nice win, but nothing to get too excited about. And taken individually, that's true. Michigan, Purdue and Stanford are nothing to get worked up about, especially given they were all in South Bend. But taken collectively, it's a mark of how ND is progressing. No one more so then Jimmy Clausen, who threw for 347 yards in a career-best day. The Irish will have to improve their running game as the schedule gets tougher, but at 4-1, there's again reason for hope under the Dome.

Lions & Buckeyes Look To Assert

Penn State will look to keep itself perfect when it travels to West Lafayette to face Purdue in a Noon EST game that will be televised by ESPN. This will be a good test for the Nittany Lion defense to show it can up to snuff. Whatever Purdue's flaws, moving the ball isn't one of them. While PSU's defense is certainly not a bad unit, it hasn't been championship level. As far as this game goes, Penn State isn't in serious danger of losing, as their offense is now good enough to win a track meet. But whether the Lion D can keep things under control will be a good barometer of how far they might go. One part of that defense, middle linebacker Josh Hull speaks to The Centre Daily Times about his performance so far.

Michigan hosts Illinois in the 3:30 EST ABC time slot. I'm not ready to buy the notion that UM's comeback against Wisconsin marked a huge turning point, not when the Badgers made nearly as many mistakes as the Wolverines. Illinois has hung around with legitimate national contenders in Missouri & Penn State, and has shown an ability to put points on the board. Sooner or later, Rich Rodriguez is going to have find get some production out of his offense. The winner of this game puts itself squarely in the mix for a New Year's Day bowl bid. The loser probably has to settle on playing sometime prior to January 1. Mark Snyder of The Detroit Free Press writes that just as the UM offensive line was getting healthy, they are hit by injuries in other places.

The prime-time show is Ohio State & Wisconsin, a game that had a lot of steam taken out of it by the Badger collapse in Ann Arbor. Wisconsin is now fighting to keep its season from spinning away. Ohio State looked ready to take advantage of the fresh start conference play offered them and keeping it up in Madison will get Big Ten eyes pointing toward their showdown with Penn State. Terrelle Prior will have to show he can handle the spotlight of prime-time in a hostile environment. Prior is just one example of what Ken Gordon at The Columbus Dispatch says is Jim Tressel's willingness to show his seniors that seniority does not guarantee playing time.

Key Undercard Games

Three of Saturday's undercard games will have big implications for teams pushing to make a bowl game. For Michigan State & Notre Dame, these are part of a dwindling number of very winnable home games. For Minnesota, it's their best chance to get back on the Big Ten scoreboard with a win.

Iowa goes to Michigan State (Noon EST, BTN).The natives are getting restless  in Iowa, as Kirk Ferentz redirected criticism of his coordinators and took the blame himself. The Hawkeyes have their back to the wall after losing at home to Northwestern, right on the heels of a loss at Pitt. The Michigan State defense showed obvious vulnerablilty last week against Indiana, and the Hawks should be able to move the ball. But the question will be whether they can hold on to it. It was five turnovers that doomed them a week ago, and the Spartan offense is more able then Northwestern's when it comes to making them pay. Javon Ringer's profile is rising nationally and Brian Hoyer will look to build off a strong performance last week in Bloomington.

MSU also needs this game badly. At 4-1, their bowl hopes aren't in jeopardy, but after this game and a road trip to Northwestern next week, Mark Dantonio's squad begins a brutal closing stretch that starts with Ohio State on October 18. They play every contender in the conference, and as such, they need to be 6-1 when the process starts. After last year's overtime loss against Iowa, the Spartans feel as though they have unfinished business, per this report from Shannon Shelton of The Detroit Free Press.

Indiana goes to Minnesota(Noon EST, BTN). The Hoosiers haven't won since starting the season with victories over Western Kentucky and Murray State. Apparently, they plan to continue the quarterback alternation scheme of a week ago where Ben Chappell shared time with Kellen Lewis. I originally thought that was due to a Lewis injury, but apparently not. I think this is a mistake. Lewis is one of the league's most dynamic players and IU needs to put the ball in his hands. As for the Gophs, they badly need this win. If they want to get to a winning season, they must win at least two of three from home games with IU, Northwestern and Iowa and this will be the easiest one on the slate. Minnesota hasn't so much as won a single Big Ten game since showing Glen Mason the door. They should get this one. Rick Brewster tells The Minneapolis Star-Tribune that he wants to see more big plays from his team.

Notre Dame hosts Stanford (2:30 EST, NBC). The Irish have an opportunity to move to 4-1 and keep a positive feeling around the program. This game and a November matchup with Syracuse are the only home dates that ND can really circle and say they should roll to victory. There are winnable road games (notably Washington), but I don't think the Irish are strong enough yet that any road trip can be quickly counted in the win column. Stanford has beaten Oregon State, a win that looks very impressive in light of what happened last Thursday in Corvallis. Although I agree with the conventional wisdom that sees that as more an indictment of USC's weekly focus then anything about Oregon State. And if we can't read too much positive about the Beavers, we are limited in how much we can take positively from the Cardinals beating them. Bottom line: Charlie Weis must have this win.

National Overview

Before we jump into the game previews for the weekend, let's take a brief overview of the national scene. Right now, Penn State & Javon Ringer are the Big Ten's two best hopes for recognition beyond the league. The Nittany Lions are the only contender to enter October as a viable national title contender, and Ringer is still a dark horse for the Heisman Trophy. Although with each 200-yard performance, this horse becomes less and less dark and more and more of a contender. Right now the mix looks to be a raft of Big 12 quarterbacks, with it likely coming to Chase Daniels (Missouri) and Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) in a race for the national title and Heisman all in one fell swoop. Mix in defending winner Tim Tebow, whose hopes took a huge hit with Florida's loss to Ole Miss. And if Ringer can get one monster game against a good opponent, he can jump squarely in the middle of that group.

The way the season is shaping up it looks highly probable a one-loss team can make it to the national championship game, and perhaps once again both teams will have at least one blemish. However my view is that the one-loss teams (Ohio State for our purposes here) still have to be considered "off the books" until November. There's no guarantees, and what's more, they just need to worry about stringing together a collection of wins before peeking out at the rankings again.

Here's a brief summary of what's going on around the country. Since none of the leagues, save the SEC, are any further into conference play then the Big Ten, everyone has a shot at their league championship, but this post is focused mainly on teams with aspirations for something more--

Big East: The preseason pick here was South Florida, and the Bulls are off to a 5-0 start. So is UConn, which has looked very impressive. West Virginia played itself out of contention quickly with losses to East Carolina & Colorado. So right now we're just seeing how long the Bulls & Huskies can stay perfect. They don't meet until November 23.

ACC: Everyone's played themselves out quickly. Virginia Tech may have a chance to scramble back in after their win at Nebraska. But in a balanced league that looks almost impossible. More then likely, you have an exciting conference race centering around the Hokies, North Carolina, Maryland and Wake Forest, but with no impact beyond the confines of Tobacco Road.

SEC: LSU & Alabama are the story right now, with their huge road wins at Auburn & Georgia respectively. And Florida has put itself behind the eight-ball. The odds that any team can come out of here unbeaten are long indeed, but the odds also heavily favor a one-loss SEC champ to get a shot in Miami come January. LSU and 'Bama meet on November 8. Even if one (or both) have lost a game that will still probably decide the West Division champ and who stays in contention for the whole ball of wax.

Big 12: Just as the Big Ten states are the battleground for Obama & McCain, the Big 12 states are the battleground in college football. It's not the best league top-to-bottom, but it's the most interesting at the top. In addition to five Heisman-caliber quarterbacks (Daniels, Bradford, Colt McCoy, Graham Harrell & Todd Reesing), they've got four teams in the Top 10 (OU, Mizzou, Texas & Texas Tech), and six in the Top 25 (add Kansas and Oklahoma State). Texas and Oklahoma play on October 11, the battle will start the winnowing out process.

Pac-10: USC remains the only contender. Say what you will about Oregon State, but Penn State out of the much-maligned Big Ten buried the Beavers, who in turn embarassed the Trojans. USC just can't keep focused week-in and week-out. Nonetheless, the love affair the public has with them, combined with how early their loss came, means if they run the table, they have a huge edge to making it to Miami.

BCS Busters: Keep an eye on Utah & Ball State. Both at 5-0, they are the ones who might crash the party and take away one of the four at-large bids to BCS games. This will have particular consequences for the Big Ten, whose second-place team will be on the bubble for an invitation.

Best Guess: I picked USC & Oklahoma to play for the national title, and I guess there's no reason to change now. Although if I could pick generically, the SEC champ vs. the Big 12 champ would be a pretty strong bet. But between USC, the SEC and the Big 12, you can pick the championship game participants out of that hat. Penn State is solid, but I think the defense is not yet championship-caliber, and it will need to be to win at both Wisconsin & Ohio State.

And to wrap up this overview post, it's time to send some baseball congratulations out there. Kudos to the fans in the Windy City, whose hopes for an all-Chicago World Series were kept alive by John Danks and Jim Thome last night. Hate to jinx the Cubbies, but they're my pick to win it all right now. And further congrats to my old hometown of Milwaukee, who made a huge recovery to get into the playoffs. And let's not forget the small-market Twins, who again showed everyone how to build a contending team on a low payroll and fought beyond the regular season before finally suffering elimination. Everybody enjoy Octoberfest!