Oct. 17--My thought on last week's Indiana-Penn State game went like this: Sure, the Nittany Lions are at home and have a nasty defense, but the Hoosiers have quarterback Nate Sudfeld and ...
Oh, wait. Sudfeld didn't take a snap because of a bum ankle. Four days before kickoff, coach Kevin Wilson implied that Sudfeld would be OK. He wasn't. And the replacement quarterbacks were hopeless.
Moral to the story: Given that college football has no universal injury report, some games are even more of a crapshoot than a coin flip. Or vice versa.
On to the games:
Purdue (plus 23.5) at Wisconsin: Wisconsin has been the dog and Purdue the hydrant in this series, with the Badgers winning nine straight by an average of 28.7 points. On Wisconsin.
Iowa (minus 1) at Northwestern: This is a double bounce-back game for an NU team that got pantsed by Michigan last week and Iowa last season. Take the Wildcats.
Nebraska (plus 3) at Minnesota: Coach Mike Riley appropriately called the Cornhuskers' latest last-second loss a "broken record." The 2-4 record stinks, and this team might be broken. Go with the Gophers.
Michigan State (plus 7) at Michigan: The last time Michigan's defense gave up a point, gas cost 49 cents a gallon and everyone was doing the twist. OK, slight exaggeration. But I'm thinking the Spartans score enough to keep it close.
Rutgers (plus 5.5) at Indiana: Tribune exclusive: Sudfeld either will or won't play. After getting burned last week, I'll take Rutgers and the points.
Penn State (plus 17.5) at Ohio State: I'm digging J.T. Barrett in the red zone. Next up perhaps the other-colored zones. Bank on the Buckeyes.
Last week: 2-5.
Season: 24-33-1.
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
