Scoops' Picks: Yippe Kay-Yeah!

[EDITOR'S NOTE: NO THURSDAY THROWDOWN CHAT THIS WEEK DUE TO THE TEXAS STATE FAIR CURRENTLY GOING ON]

I was cruising through my picks last Saturday, impressed by what I had pulled off. Outright win & correct prediction on what Illinois would do to Michigan, knowing that Northern Illinois would cover at Tennessee, and knowing enough about the Mountain West to make money on the ridiculous outfit known as the Wyoming Cowboys was enough to make me a bit giddy.

However, my lead pipe lock of the week was looking dicey. Wisconsin was hanging tough and took a 4th quarter lead. I didn’t want to be 8-2 with a loss on the LPLOTW. I’d rather be 2-8 and keep my integrity.

Suddenly, Ohio State moved down the field like a hot knife through butter which was then prompted by Allan Everidge promptly throwing a tight spiral directly into the middle of the #2 on Malcolm Jenkins’ jersey. I was vindicated. My reputation saved. 2-0 on Lead Pipe locks to go along with a 9-1 week. Not since Biff Tannen’s 18th birthday at the Hill Valley Racetrack had such efficiency been cranked out.

Last Week: 9-1
Weekly Take: + $81.50
Overall: 39-26
Overall Take: + $133.50

ILLINOIS (-12.5) over Minnesota: The one team that absolutely embarrassed Minnesota last year from game start to game end was Illinois. The Illini put on an absolute clinic, amassing 600+ yards of total offense, including most of the Illini studs sitting out the 4th quarter. Minnesota completely bottled up Kellen Lewis, which is showing that Minnesota is getting better and becoming a defense that can play in space. But I think this is too much. And the reason is I think Minnesota’s offense can’t keep up, although the Illini defense isn’t exactly the Baltimore Ravens right now. The line was tough to call, but I saw either Illinois covering or Minnesota winning outright. I went with the more logical choice:
SCOOPS’ PICK: ILLINOIS 31, MINNESOTA 17

Minnesota (+425) over ILLINOIS: Along with that, I’m going to try to steal it and with the improvement that is being shown by the Minnesota defense, with a +425 on the board, that’s simply too good to pass up, so I’m tossing it on there as well.

INDIANA (+200) over Iowa: The bottom line is that Iowa isn’t good enough that they should be favored in any Big Ten road game right now. They shutdown Ringer pretty well last week, but Kellen Lewis absolutely killed Iowa last year, and I see them taking it outright, making it 3 in a row for the Hoosiers over Iowa.
SCOOPS’ PICK: INDIANA 27, IOWA 20

Toledo (+16.5) over MICHIGAN: Talk about a team that is killing gamblers this year. Michigan has covered the spread only once. The offense still isn’t good enough to blow anybody out, and the defense is showing some signs of weakness. That adds up to 16 points being way too many.
SCOOPS’ PICK: MICHIGAN 27, TOLEDO 17

Michigan State (-1.5) over NORTHWESTERN: Northwestern finally plays a team that has a pulse. MSU has cranked out 5 wins since their opening week loss at Cal. Look for the talked about Northwestern defense to be brought back to earth and reminded what they truly are: a bunch of kids that chose Northwestern over Harvard & Yale because of the importance of football.
SCOOPS’ PICK: MICHIGAN STATE 34, NORTHWESTERN 20

OHIO STATE (-18) over Purdue: 18 is a lot of points, but I guess all I can do is use logic. Penn State controlled Purdue with a 14 point win at Purdue. Insert Ohio State & changed venue and 18 points is doable.
SCOOPS’ PICK: OHIO STATE 38, PURDUE 13

Penn State (-6) over WISCONSIN: A heartbreaking loss to Michigan two weeks ago being followed up by a last minute loss at home to Ohio State leaves a team vulnerable. Penn State travels to Madison to give one more kick in the groin to those that were thinking Rose Bowl before the season.
SCOOPS’ PICK: PENN STATE 31, WISCONSIN 23

Louisiana State (+200) over Florida: Percy Harvin’s inability to practice this week concerns me, especially with a bunch of angry idiots that run really fast coming to town. I can seen this one going each way, but the line is my influence on this one. 2 to 1 odds with the defending national champion and gunslinger Les Miles at the helm? Count me in!
SCOOPS’ PICK: LSU 24, FLORIDA 20

Bowling Green (PK) over Akron: I love MAC games because I get to see them play so often against Big Ten teams in September, so I feel like I know a bit about them. And this one should actually be an entertaining game. The type of game that if I was just a random football fan living in Wooster, OH, I’d probably drive over to the Rubber Bowl to take in some entertainment.
SCOOPS’ PICK: BOWLING GREEN 35, AKRON 31

GEORGIA (-11.5) over Tennessee: My hatred for Georgia WR’s is well documented, but you’re telling me that a Tennessee team that hung on to beat Northern Illinois is going to keep it within 14 at Georgia, especially an angry Georgia team that knows it needs to run the table to get another potential shot at Alabama or LSU?
SCOOPS’ PICK: GEORGIA 27, TENNESSEE 10

Oklahoma (-7) over Texas: During my research, I learned something interesting about this series: No game between these two has had a margin of 7 points or less since 1999. That’s kind of amazing if you think about it with the heavyweight power of both of these programs. And I think Texas is a legit team this year and is one of the best 6 teams in the country. But knowing that stat, the 7 point spread was tossed out for me and I went with a simple question: Do you really f-ing want to bet against Oklahoma right now?
SCOOPS’ PICK: OKLAHOMA 31, TEXAS 20