It's the most wonderful time of the year! College football is just over a week away. The ring in the new season, I'm going to run down each conference and give a few quick predictions on how the season will pan out, while also hopefully identifying a couple of futures that are worth investing in. The first conference I'll look into is the Big Ten. I won't spend the next paragraph discussing why the Big Ten is so down and how they are so outclassed with the speed of the SEC. That issue has been beat to death and probably doesn't mean anything in terms of success this season for the Big Ten.
Here's how I think the Big Ten will finish up:
Team | Record | Notes |
PSU | 11-1 | I see them losing at Illini. All other tough games are at home. I worry a little about their O line, but the core of skill players is very strong. |
OSU | 11-1 | I think they'll beat USC, but lose at PSU. I don't think we know how good Pryor is going to be yet, but I do think we'll find out quickly. |
Wisc | 9-3 | Masters of the cupcake schedule. Talent wise, I think they're probably the 6th best team in the conf. All I know is, the AXE is going to look good in the new stadium. |
Illinois | 8-4 | The QB play is still too shaky to be trusted on the road. I see L's at OSU, MN, PSU, and Cinci. They have the best offensive player in the Conf in Benn, but Juice just doesn't leave me with a good feeling. |
Iowa | 8-4 | They closed the season strong last year, but lost their best player. L's at MSU, Wisc and OSU. Not impossible for them to be unbeaten up until Nov 14. They are always strong along the lines and that tends to lead to good seasons. |
MSU | 7-5 | Tough road schedule. L's at Notre Dame, Wisc, Illini, Min and PSU. If they beat ND in week three, they could roll the momentum past Wisc. Lose that game, and the wheels could come off. |
Minny | 7-5 | Best Gopher squad in awhile; too bad the schedule is the strongest since Lou Holtz was in town. I'm worried sick about AF opening TCF Bank stadium. I see L's vs Cal, @NW, @PSU, @OSU and @Iowa. I worried about what the new offense will do to our recruiting efforts. It's been difficult to get good receivers, and I don't think a 'balanced' offense will change that too much. |
Northwestern | 7-5 | This team won 9 games last year. 4 cupcakes and 3 wins vs Indiana, Purdue and Minny. |
Michigan | 6-6 | Bowl Game for the Wolverines as long as the beat ND at home. Still young and learning a new scheme, but RichRod has his guys in even if they are young. Year 2 is when his teams improve. |
Purdue | 3-9 | They used to be good. |
Indiana | 3-9 | They've always sucked. |
Possible Wagers
Not much money to be made betting on PSU or OSU to win the conf. They are +140 and +160 respectively. I guess if you had a hunch, you could put some money on Illinois at +540 or Iowa at +460. I'm going to stay away.
In terms of wins per team, not much to get worked up about. Here is the break down
Team | Wins | Odds Over | Odds Under |
PSU | 9 | -220 | +170 |
OSU | 9.5 | -130 | Even |
Iowa | 8 | -130 | Even |
Illinois | 7.5 | -145 | +115 |
Mich | 6 | -195 | +155 |
MSU | 8 | +135 | -175 |
Wisc | 8 | -115 | -115 |
I'm not sure who thinks PSU or OSU loses more than 2 games this year, but I don't think those odds are good enough to bet. My favorite bet, and the only one I'll place in this conference is Michigan under 8 wins. I think that is where they'll end up, but there is a good chance they lose to ND, MSU, Iowa, PSU, Illinois, Wisc and OSU. The other 5 are E/W Michigan, Delaware St., Indiana and Purdue. Not exactly world beaters, so I feel like I'm betting on the outcome of 2 games (MSU and ND). If MSU was at the big house, I'd go the other way, but it's on the road. ND has the talent to wipe the field with Michigan and MSU will have the edge at home.
First bet of the year is Michigan to win 6 at +155 for $10.
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