Oct. 23--My best bet of the week?
It's that Michigan punter Blake O'Neill will recover from the "Big House Blunder" aka "Michigan State Miracle" aka "Shocked Punt" aka "Block Sparty."
Yes, an ending that crazy deserves a host of nicknames. And a player such as O'Neill, who handled his sudden infamy with honesty and humor, deserves a ton of respect.
"You pick yourself up, you dust yourself off and go again," he told reporters. "That's the beauty of sport."
Coach Jim Harbaugh could have killed more time by running sweeps on first, second and third down. He could have ordered a better protection scheme. He could have instructed the Australian-born O'Neill to fall on a bobbled snap.
But it was O'Neill who took the heat from moronic "fans" on Twitter. Glad he was smart enough to ignore them.
On to the games:
Indiana (plus 16.5) at Michigan State: We know Indiana can move the ball. And we suspect a Michigan State letdown. So take the Hoosiers and the points.
Northwestern (plus 7) at Nebraska: Hard to have faith in the slumping Wildcats, but history says they're a good road 'dog (see Notre Dame, 2014) and Nebraska is so-o-o-o erratic.
Wisconsin (minus 6) at Illinois: Badgers tailback Corey Clement has the right attitude regarding whether he has recovered enough from sports hernia surgery to play: "That can only be determined when I wake up Saturday morning." Sweet dreams, Corey. Lay the points.
Penn State (minus 6.5) vs. Maryland in Baltimore: Maryland's captains set an ugly tone last year by declining a pregame handshake. Karma + Saquon Barkley = a Nittany Lions selection.
Ohio State (minus 21) at Rutgers: Props to Rutgers for rallying from a boatload down to win in Bloomington, but Indiana ain't Ohio State. With J.T. Barrett at the helm, the Buckeyes should knock out just enough points to cover.
Last week: 3-3.
Season: 27-36-1.
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
