Picking Big Ten Bowl Season

Bowl season has been going on for a week now, but the Big Ten begins to dip their toe into the pool of fun starting today. This is the first time in about ten years where the Big Ten has a very positive perception as a conference heading into bowl season and therefore expectations are high. How do I think the conference will fare? Lets find out

Indiana Vs Duke: Pick: Indiana
UCLA Vs Nebraska: Pick: UCLA
Central Michigan Vs Minnesota: Pick: Minnesota
USC Vs Wisconsin: Pick: Wisconsin
Michigan St Vs Alabama: Pick: Michigan St
Northwestern Vs Tennessee: Pick: Northwestern
Michigan Vs Florida: Pick: Michigan
Notre Dame Vs Ohio St: Pick: Ohio St
Stanford Vs Iowa: Pick: Stanford
Penn St Vs Georgia: Pick: Georgia

My overall Big Ten prediction is 7-3, which would be an incredible bowl season, especially if at least two of those seven wins come in the New Years Six Bowls (Michigan St, Ohio St, Iowa.) One more prediction post this year when the National Championship game arrives.

NCAA Week Fourteen Picks

Another fun and wild college football regular season comes to an end this Saturday. It always goes by way too fast, as it is no secret the three months that accompany the college football season is my favorite time of the year. Its hard to believe I have been doing this on this blog now for four seasons. So anyway, lets get to previewing the final weekend. I finished out the Big Ten season in style, going 7-0, and 4-2 outside the Big Ten. I finished the year at 44-12 in the Big Ten and 26-16 outside of it. Here are the Conference championship picks

Iowa Vs Michigan St: Pick: Iowa
Florida Vs Alabama: Pick: Alabama
Stanford Vs USC: Pick: Stanford
Clemson Vs North Carolina: Pick: Clemson

This will leave us with a four team playoff of
1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. Iowa

Finally, lets take a look at the final Big Ten standings
East
1. Michigan St: 7-1
2. Ohio St: 7-1
3. Michigan: 6-2
4. Penn St: 4-4
5. Indiana: 2-6
6. Maryland: 1-7
7. Rutgers: 1-7

West
1. Iowa: 8-0
2. Northwestern: 6-2
3. Wisconsin: 6-2
4. Nebraska: 3-5
5. Illinois: 2-6
6. Minnesota: 2-6
7. Purdue: 1-7

NCAA Week Thirteen Picks

Not one, not two, but three of the five undefeated teams went down yesterday. It was the type of Saturday that makes you love College Football even more. Only two undefeated teams remain now, Iowa and Clemson. Just two weeks left before we determine the four teams in the playoff and this upcoming week promises to be a good one with lots of upset potential. Why so? Because nearly every single team in the playoff discussion has a tough road game against either a good team or in a venue historically difficult to play in. Clemson goes to South Carolina, Alabama to Auburn, Ohio St to Michigan, Iowa to Nebraska, Notre Dame to Stanford, Oklahoma to Oklahoma St, and Baylor to TCU. The only team in the playoff discussion playing at home this week is Florida, and they still play a tough opponent in the Seminoles. Add in that those are all rivalry games and get ready for a wild crazy week. Cant wait. I went 3-3 in picking Big Ten games this week and 2-1 outside it, now standing at 37-12 and 22-14 respectively.

Big Ten
Iowa @ Nebraska: Pick: Iowa
Wisconsin @ Minnesota: Pick: Wisconsin
Ohio St @ Michigan: Pick: Ohio St
Indiana @ Purdue: Pick: Indiana
Maryland @ Rutgers: Pick: Maryland
Penn St @ Michigan St: Pick: Michigan St
Northwestern @ Illinois: Pick: Northwestern

Outside the Big Ten
Traditionally I double my outside the Big Ten picks from 3-6 for rivalry weekend
Baylor @ TCU: Pick: Baylor
UCLA @ USC: Pick: USC
Florida St @ Florida: Pick: Florida
Notre Dame @ Stanford: Pick: Stanford
Oklahoma @ Oklahoma St: Pick: Oklahoma
Alabama @ Auburn: Pick: Alabama

Big Ten Standings: Iowa has officially clinched its spot in the Big Ten title game. Michigan St is in a win and in situation. If Michigan St somehow loses, the winner of Ohio St-Michigan is the division champion.

West
1. Iowa: 7-0
2. Northwestern: 5-2
3. Wisconsin: 5-2
4. Nebraska: 3-4
5. Minnesota: 2-5
6. Illinois: 2-5
7. Purdue: 1-6

East
1. Michigan St: 6-1
2. Ohio St: 6-1
3. Michigan: 6-1
4. Penn St: 4-3
5. Rutgers: 1-6
6. Indiana: 1-6
7. Maryland: 0-7

NCAA Week Twelve Picks

Three weeks left. Thats all that stands between us and figuring out who the final four will be. This week didn't shake up the playoff picture as much as last week, but a couple major developments did occur. Another undefeated went down in Baylor, they are a team that needed an undefeated season to get in so they have now bowed out. Stanford and Utah also both lost leaving every single Pac-12 team with at least two losses and virtually putting them out of the playoff picture. The much anticipated Baylor-TCU matchup now will mean very little while the Oklahoma-Oklahoma St rivalry game may mean more than ever. LSU also suffered a second straight loss and are now done as well. One more thing I have to say is that I have been watching College Football religiously for 11 years now and never has the SEC been as unimpressive as this year. With LSU now having back to back losses they will fall out of the top 12 and Mississippi States loss should drop them out of the top 25, leaving the SEC with only 3 teams in the top 25 (The Big Ten has 6.) People whine and moan about how terrible Iowa's offense is (when it really isn't, they just put up 33 points on Minnesota) but somehow Florida gets off the hook for having an equally as bad offense against lesser defenses. Iowa has received a lot of slack for their easy schedule but Iowa has two wins against teams currently ranked in the top 25, Florida has 0. SEC bias at its finest. They scored 9 points against Vanderbilt and nobody batted an eyelash. It seems I was exactly right when I said that College Football switching from the BCS format to a playoff format would hurt the SEC and bring them to the level of the other conferences. The fact is the BCS system was an unfair system that heavily benefited the SEC, but the playoff system benefits no conference over the other and the SEC is starting to reap the consequences of that. Anyyyyyway, I went 6-0 in picking Big Ten games last week and 2-1 outside the Big Ten, putting me 34-9 and 20-13 respectively.

Big Ten
Northwestern @ Wisconsin: Pick: Wisconsin
Indiana @ Maryland: Pick: Maryland
Michigan @ Penn St: Pick: Michigan
Illinois @ Minnesota: Pick: Minnesota
Rutgers @ Army: Pick: Rutgers
Purdue @ Iowa: Pick: Iowa
Michigan St @ Ohio St: Pick: Ohio St

Outside the Big Ten
Baylor @ Oklahoma St: Pick: Baylor
TCU @ Oklahoma: Pick: Oklahoma
UCLA @ Utah: Pick: Utah

Big Ten Standings
Iowa looks to lock up a division title with a win over Purdue this week. Meanwhile in the other division, this is what we've been waiting for, Michigan St/Ohio St. An Ohio St win paired with a Michigan win over Penn St means the game between Ohio St and Michigan next week is a division title game. An Ohio St win paired with a Michigan loss to Penn St earns Ohio St a division title. A Michigan St win means they would control their destiny with one game left to play. All four teams still have playoff hopes. Buckle Up.

West
1. Iowa: 6-0
2. Wisconsin: 5-1
3. Northwestern: 4-2
4. Nebraska: 3-4
5. Illinois: 2-4
6. Minnesota: 1-5
7. Purdue: 1-5

East
1. Ohio St: 6-0
2. Michigan St: 5-1
3. Michigan: 5-1
4. Penn St: 4-2
5. Rutgers: 1-6
6. Indiana: 0-6
7. Maryland: 0-6

NCAA Week Eleven Picks

Holy cow what a week! The playoff picture really cleared up a bit this week as a lot of undefeated teams went down. TCU, LSU, Memphis, Michigan St, and Toledo all saw their perfect seasons shattered to pieces. Michigan St lost in a complete thriller. All those teams going down has opened the door for a lot of one loss teams to keep hopes alive, particularly Michigan, Oklahoma, Stanford and Utah were all teams who may have thought they were out of it but now all of a sudden have some life. (Other one loss teams such as Notre Dame, Florida, and Alabama were always very much in the race.) The question is can any of the teams who just lost their first game crawl back into the picture? TCU and Michigan St still have a legitimate shot at a conference title but it may be lights out for LSU who now have to hope for a team to upset Bama to have a shot, not likely. Losses by Ole Miss and Florida St have totally eliminated those teams from the conversation. What a week it was. I went 6-1 in Big Ten games and 1-2 outside it. 28-9 now in the Big Ten, 18-12 outside it.

Big Ten Picks
Ohio St @ Illinois: Pick: Ohio St
Maryland @ Michigan St: Pick: Michigan St
Purdue @ Northwestern: Pick: Northwestern
Nebraska @ Rutgers: Pick: Nebraska
Michigan @ Indiana: Pick: Michigan
Minnesota @ Iowa: Pick: Iowa

Outside the Big Ten: Unfortunately after a fantastic week, there's only a couple of really appetizing games this week
Oklahoma @ Baylor: Pick: Baylor
Alabama @ Mississippi St: Pick: Alabama
Memphis @ Houston: Pick: Houston

Big Ten Standings
Iowa continues their undefeated march, the Badgers stay alive hoping for Iowa to drop 2 of their last 3. Even with the loss Michigan St still controls their destiny for a division title and remain on a collision course with Ohio St, but this has creaked the door back open for Michigan. Now if Ohio St beats Michigan St the Michigan-Ohio St game becomes a division title game.

East
1. Ohio St: 5-0
2. Michigan St: 4-1
3. Michigan: 4-1
4. Penn St: 4-2
5. Rutgers: 1-5
6. Indiana: 0-5
7. Maryland: 0-5

West
1. Iowa: 5-0
2. Wisconsin: 5-1
3. Northwestern: 3-2
4. Illinois: 2-3
5. Nebraska: 2-4
6. Minnesota: 1-4
7. Purdue: 1-4

NCAA Week Ten Picks

The calendar flips to November, fall breathes its last breath, and the College football season enters its final stretch. Where does the time go? I went 4-1 picking Big Ten games and 2-1 outside it, putting me at 17-10 outside the Big Ten and 22-8 within it

Big Ten
Penn St @ Northwestern: Pick: Northwestern
Illinois @ Purdue: Pick: Illinois
Iowa @ Indiana: Pick: Iowa
Rutgers @ Michigan: Pick: Michigan
Michigan St @ Nebraska: Pick: Michigan St
Minnesota @ Ohio St: Pick: Ohio St
Wisconsin @ Maryland: Pick: Wisconsin

Outside the Big Ten
Florida St @ Clemson: Pick: Clemson
LSU @ Alabama: Pick: LSU
TCU @ Oklahoma St: Pick: TCU

Big Ten standings: Another week, another week of status quo. Iowa beats another weak opponent and their win over Wisconsin continues to give them a huge edge for the division title. Michigan St and Ohio St remain undefeated and on track for a collision course at the end of November.

East
1. Michigan St: 4-0
2. Ohio St: 4-0
3. Penn St: 4-1
4. Michigan: 3-1
5. Rutgers: 1-4
6. Indiana: 0-4
7. Maryland: 0-4

West
1. Iowa: 4-0
2. Wisconsin: 4-1
3. Northwestern: 2-2
4. Minnesota: 1-3
5. Illinois: 1-3
6. Purdue: 1-3
7. Nebraska: 1-4

Big Ten Week Nine Picks

The final college football Saturday in October. While the season is fun up until this point, things really start to ratchet up when the calendar flips to November. I went 4-1 picking Big Ten games and 3-0 outside of it for a second straight week. With a boring slate this week we weren't going to find out much, but we at least got one thrilling finish out of it with Georgie Tech upending Florida St, and a second undefeated went down as well as Utah fell to USC. We now stand with 12 undefeated teams, 4 of which reside outside the power five. Now 15-9 outside the Big Ten and 18-7 within in.

Big Ten
Rutgers @ Wisconsin: Pick: Wisconsin
Illinois @ Penn St: Pick: Penn St
Nebraska @ Purdue: Pick: Nebraska
Maryland @ Iowa: Pick: Iowa
Michigan @ Minnesota: Pick: Michigan

Outside the Big Ten
Unfortunately this weeks slate of games is only slightly better than last week. Thankfully things get much better in November
Florida Vs Georgia: Pick: Georgia
Notre Dame @ Temple: Pick: Notre Dame
Ole Miss @ Auburn: Pick: Ole Miss

Big Ten Standings: Michigan St and Ohio St remain on a collision course for a division title game between each other. Iowa continues to stand alone atop its division and with its easy schedule it seems a good bet they will remain there.

West
1. Iowa: 3-0
2. Wisconsin: 3-1
3. Northwestern: 2-2
4. Illinois: 1-2
5. Minnesota: 1-2
6. Nebraska: 1-3
7. Purdue: 0-3

East
1. Ohio St: 4-0
2. Michigan St: 4-0
3. Penn St: 3-1
4. Michigan: 2-1
5. Rutgers: 1-3
6. Maryland: 0-3
7. Indiana: 0-4

NCAA Week Eight Picks

The college football season is over halfway over already, which gives me two questions.
1. Where does the time go? Every year my favorite time of the year just flies by and as it once again draws near to ending I wonder where all the time went.
2. Why dont we know more? The playoff picture is more muddy now than it was when the season started. Turns out Ole Miss isnt that good, and Utah is, maybe? Baylor and TCU are both offensive juggernauts that leave much to be desire on defense, will that be enough? Oklahoma is getting embarrassed by Texas one week and then shellacks a quality opponent 55-0 the next. Iowa is the most under the radar undefeated major conference team ever. Michigan St, Ohio St, and Florida St continue to underwhelm but are still undefeated. At the end of the day, in this mans humble opinion, there are two teams this year who have separated themselves with wins against quality opponents, as well as beating up on their weaker opponents without playing down to them: Clemson and LSU. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out.

I went a very poor 2-4 in the Big Ten last week, but a perfect 3-0 outside of it. now 12-9 outside Big Ten and 14-6 in the Big Ten

Northwestern @ Nebraska: Pick: Nebraska
Wisconsin @ Illinois: Pick:Wisconsin
Penn St @ Maryland: Pick: Penn St
Indiana @ Michigan St: Pick: Michigan St
Ohio St @ Rutgers: Pick: Ohio St

Outside the Big Ten: What an awful slate of games this week. 1 matchup between top 25 teams, what a snoozefest
Clemson @ Miami: Pick: Clemson
Texas A&M @ Ole Miss: Pick: Ole Miss
Utah @ USC: Pick: USC

Big Ten Standings: Iowa big win over Northwestern gives them a clear path to a division title, while Michigan States win over Michigan makes their game against Ohio St a de facto division title game.

East
1. Michigan St: 3-0
2. Ohio St: 3-0
3. Michigan: 2-1
4. Penn St: 2-1
5. Rutgers: 1-2
6. Maryland: 0-2
7. Indiana: 0-3

West
1. Iowa: 3-0
2. Wisconsin: 2-1
3. Illinois: 1-1
4. Northwestern: 1-2
5. Minnesota: 1-2
6. Nebraska: 1-2
7. Purdue: 0-3

NCAA Week Seven Picks

I went a perfect 7-0 in picking Big Ten games this week, but a paltry 1-2 outside of it, now just 9-9 there, 12-2 in picking Big Ten games

Iowa @ Northwestern: Pick: Northwestern
Purdue @ Wisconsin: Pick: Wisconsin
Rutgers @ Indiana: Pick: Indiana
Michigan St @ Michigan: Pick: Michigan
Nebraska @ Minnesota: Pick: Minnesota
Penn St @ Ohio St: Pick: Ohio St

Outside the Big Ten
USC @ Notre Dame: Pick: Notre Dame
Florida @ LSU: Pick: LSU
Alabama @ Texas A&M: Pick: Alabama

Big Ten Standings: Wisconsin saved their season by eking out a win over Nebraska. Nebraska has now pretty much bowed out of the Big Ten race, but Wisconsin stays alive for now, though if Iowa beats Northwestern they have a pretty straightforward path at this point. On the other side, Michigan continues to impress, and are now favored against a Michigan St team that continues to unimpress. Ohio St continues to sleep their way through their season before their big two games to end the year against Sparty and Michigan.

East
1. Michigan St: 2-0
2. Ohio St: 2-0
3. Michigan: 2-0
4. Penn St: 2-0
5. Indiana: 0-2
6. Rutgers: 0-2
7. Maryland: 0-2

West
1. Iowa: 2-0
2. Northwestern: 1-1
3. Minnesota: 1-1
4. Wisconsin: 1-1
5. Illinois: 1-1
6. Nebraska: 0-2
7. Purdue: 0-2

Big Ten Week Six Picks

I went 5-2 in picking Big Ten games last week and 4-2 in interconference games putting me at 51-11 in Big Ten games and 5-2 in interconference games. I went 2-1 outside the Big Ten so am 8-7 outside of it.

Maryland @ Ohio St: Pick: Ohio St
Indiana @ Penn St: Pick: Penn St
Illinois @ Iowa: Pick: Iowa
Northwestern @ Michigan: Pick: Michigan
Wisconsin @ Nebraska: Pick: Wisconsin
Minnesota @ Purdue: Pick: Minnesota
Michigan St @ Rutgers: Pick: Michigan St

Outside the Big Ten
Georgia @ Tennessee: Pick: Georgia
California @ Utah: Pick: Utah
Oklahoma St @ West Virginia: Pick: West Virginia

Well just one week into the Big Ten season and already from what weve seen there is going to be lots of surprises from what we expected. Iowa, Northwestern, and Michigan are all much better than anticipated while Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Minnesota are all pretty big dssapointments so far. Everyone thought the Big Ten west was going to belong to the Badgers but now it doesnt seem out of the realm of possibility they could finish as low as 5th in their division. Meanwhile Michigan St and Ohio St have struggled against far inferior opponents leading some to believe maybe Michigan could contend already for a Big Ten title. Not much can be solidly determined in the standings after just one week but here is what we have

West
1. Northwestern: 1-0
2. Iowa: 1-0
3. Illinois: 1-0
4. Wisconsin: 0-1
5. Minnesota: 0-1
6. Nebraska: 0-1
7. Purdue: 0-1

East
1. Michigan St: 1-0
2. Ohio St: 1-0
3. Michigan: 1-0
4. Penn St: 1-0
5. Indiana: 0-1
6. Rutgers: 0-1
7. Maryland: 0-1

Big Ten Week Five Picks

I went 12-2 in Picking Big Ten games last week, and 1-2 outside of it, putting me at 46-9 and 6-6 through the first four weeks of the season. Of course picking non conference games is pretty easy, as most games are against cupcakes. Now the challenge begins this week, as the Conference Slate begins.

Army @ Penn St: Pick: Penn St
Purdue @ Michigan St: Pick: Michigan St
Minnesota @ Northwestern: Pick: Northwestern
Iowa @ Wisconsin: Pick: Wisconsin
Nebraska @ Illinois: Pick: Nebraska
Ohio St @ Indiana: Pick: Ohio St
Michigan @ Maryland: Pick: Michigan

Outside the Big Ten
Alabama @ Georgia: Pick: Georgia
Notre Dame @ Clemson: Pick: Clemson
West Virginia @ Oklahoma: Pick: Oklahoma

NCAA Week Four Picks

I went 11-2 in Picking Big Ten games this year, and started off the year 1-0 in inner conference games. I went 1-2 outside the Big Ten. I stand 34-7 in picking Big Ten games and 5-4 outside of it.

Kansas @ Rutgers: Pick: Rutgers
BYU @ Michigan: Pick: BYU
Central Michigan @ Michigan St: Pick: Michigan St
Southern Mississippi St @ Nebraska: Pick: Nebraska
Bowling Green @ Purdue: Pick: Bowling Green
Indiana @ Wake Forest: Pick: Indiana
Maryland @ West Virginia: Pick: West Virginia
North Texas @ Iowa: Pick: Iowa
Ohio @ Minnesota: Pick: Minnesota
Western Michigan @ Ohio St: Pick: Ohio St
San Diego St @ Penn St: Pick: Penn St
Middle Tennessee @ Illinois: Pick: Middle Tennessee
Ball St @ Northwestern: Pick: Northwestern
Hawaii @ Wisconsin: Pick: Wisconsin

Outside the Big Ten
UCLA @ Arizona: Pick: UCLA
Utah @ Oregon: Pick: Oregon
USC @ Arizona St: Pick: Arizona St

NCAA Week Three Picks

I went 12-2 picking big ten games and 2-1 outside it this past week, putting me at 23-5 in the big ten and 4-2 outside it after two weeks.

Illinois @ North Carolina: Pick: North Carolina
South Florida @ Maryland: Pick: Maryland
UNLV @ Michigan: Pick: Michigan
Air Force @ Michigan St: Pick: Michigan St
Kent St @ Minnesota: Pick: Minnesota
Northwestern @ Duke: Pick: Northwestern
Nebraska @ Miami: Pick: Nebraska
Northern Illinois @ Ohio St: Pick: Ohio St
Troy @ Wisconsin: Pick: Wisconsin
Virginia Tech @ Purdue: Pick: Virginia Tech
Western Kentucky @ Indiana: Pick: Western Kentucky
Rutgers @ Penn St: Pick: Penn St
Pittsburgh @ Iowa: Pick: Iowa

Outside the Big Ten
Auburn @ LSU: Pick: LSU
Georgia Tech @ Notre Dame: Pick: Georgia Tech
Ole Miss @ Alabama: Pick: Alabama

NCAA Week Two Picks

How good was it to have a college football Saturday last week? Even if there werent any really great games, besides the amazing finish between Nebraska and BYU, it was still fun to have an old friend back. I went 11-3 in picking big ten games last week, and 2-1 outside the Big Ten. Week two brings us the potential nonconference game of the year in Michigan St-Oregon. Lets get to it.

Miami (OH) @ Wisconsin: Pick: Wisconsin
Oregon St @ Michigan: Pick: Michigan
Western Illinois @ Illinois: Pick: Illinois
Bowling Green @ Maryland: Pick: Maryland
Buffalo @ Penn St: Pick: Penn St
Indiana St @ Purdue: Pick: Purdue
Hawaii @ Ohio St: Pick: Ohio St
Washington St @ Rutgers: Pick: Rutgers
Minnesota @ Colorado St: Pick: Minnesota
Eastern Illinois @ Northwestern: Pick: Northwestern
Iowa @ Iowa St: Pick: Iowa
Oregon @ Michigan St: Pick: Michigan St
South Alabama @ Nebraska: Pick: Nebraska
Florida International @ Indiana: Pick: Indiana

Outside the Big Ten
Oklahoma @ Tennessee: Pick: Oklahoma
LSU @ Mississippi St: Pick: LSU
Boise St @ BYU: Pick: Boise St

Remembering the beginning of the two year Anniversary of a magic Red Sox run.

9/3-913 2013. 11 Days. 10 Games. An 8-2 record with all 8 wins coming in spectacular fashion. There is something special about the day to day machinations of baseball that make it different than any other sport. When your team plays every single day it can turn a string of games into one long magical ride, compared to others sports where games are spread out more making each game its own unique identity completely independent of one another. When a baseball team goes on a five game winning streak, it goes so fast it feels like all the games blended together and it adds an extra dose of fun to it. When a hockey team goes on a five game winning streak its spread out over a 10-14 day course, and when a football team goes on a five game winning streak its spread out over more than a month. The point is baseball is different, and two years ago, over an 11 day span the Red Sox played a ten game stretch that will likely never be duplicated. Harry Potter himself couldnt produce as many magical moments as the Sox produced over those 11 days.

The run started September 3rd, two years ago today. The Sox came into the game with a small 3.5 game division lead over Tampa, still very much a tight race. That night the Sox were going up against Max Scherzer, who touted a historic 21-1 record so far on the season. Will Middlebrooks laced a two run single in the sixth inning of a great pitchers duel and the Sox handed Scherzer just his second  loss of the season in a 2-1 win. The run began

Night Two: An offensive barrage rarely ever seen occurred in which the Sox scored 20 runs and belted out 8 home runs, including David Ortiz's 2000th career hit.

Night Three: Ninth inning magic as Mike Napoli tied the game for the Sox with two outs in the 9th inning against the great Mariano Rivera, and Shane Victorino gave the Sox the lead in the 10th inning in a wild 10-9 victory. 10 runs gave the Sox 32 runs scored in two games.

Night Four: Trailing 6-0 the Sox came storming back including a grand slam from Mike Napoli that literally went over the fence by an inch. The Sox would end up winning 12-8, making it 44 runs in 3 games

Night Five: Just another offensive barrage, including the first career home run from future superstar Xander Bogaerts in a 13-9 win against the Yankees. This gave the Sox 57 runs in 4 games, and 37 in 3 games against the Yankees, an all time record for the Sox in a 3 game stretch against the Yankees, a history that includes over 2,000 games!

Night Six and Seven: Night Six was one of the two losses during this run, a walk off win for the Yankees. Day Seven was the lone off day.

Night Eight: Resume the magic. Facing another nearly unbeatable ace in David Price the Sox grinded through another pitchers duel in a heartstopping 2-1 win.

Night Nine: With a tie game in the 10th inning Mike Carp belted a two out grand slam to give the Sox another incredible late inning victory.

Night Ten: The second loss in this stretch.

Night Eleven: With a tie game in the 8th inning, yet another Sox grand slam, this time from Jarrod Saltalamacchia, to defeat the Yankees.

The Sox would end up winning the next two night as well, but they way they won was mundane compared to this stretch of thrilling games. By the end of this run the Red Sox lead in the division had swelled to 8.5 games, insurmountable, and of course propelled them to a world Series victory.

NCAA Week One Picks

Its the most wonderful time of the year! This will be my 4th year making college football picks on this blog and whenever I get to making week one picks I always mention how this is far and away my favorite two month span of the year. I literally feel like the other ten months are just filler for the incredible months of September and October. Footballs back, pumpkin flavored foods line the shelves, cooler weather finally starts to creep in, and of course, HHN is back! Horror movies are a nightly staple, and the long days of summer give way to earlier beautiful fall sunsets. Is there anything that isnt perfect about this time of year? I just love picking college football games as well, which is what this blog is for. As every year, I will pick every Big Ten game and the top 3 non big ten games of the week. A fresh slate, 0-0 record presents endless opportunity. My playoff pick for the year is

Ohio State, Arizona State, LSU, and TCU. Lets get to it!

Big Ten Picks
Michigan @ Utah: Pick: Utah
TCU @ Minnesota: Pick: TCU
Michigan St @ Western Michigan: Pick: Michigan St
Kent State @ Illinois: Pick: Illinois
Wisconsin Vs Alabama: Pick: Alabama
Stanford @ Northwestern: Pick: Stanford
Illinois State @ Iowa: Pick: Iowa
Richmond @ Maryland: Pick: Maryland
Norfolk State @ Rutgers: Pick: Rutgers
Penn St @ Temple: Pick: Penn St
BYU @ Nebraska: Pick: Nebraska
Southern Illinois @ Indiana: Pick: Indiana
Purdue @ Marshall: Pick: Marshall
Ohio St @ Virginia Tech: Pick: Ohio St

Outside the Big Ten
Louisville Vs Auburn: Pick: Auburn
Arizona St Vs Texas A&M: Pick: Arizona St
Texas @ Notre Dame: Pick: Notre Dame

Game on!!!

Go Bolts!

This video is beautiful, and I have to admit I teared up a little bit watching it. It reminded me of how much this team has meant to me over the past 15 years of my life. I became a Lightning fan basically by accident as my dad took me to a game randomly and out of that grew a deep love for the Bolts. Over those 15 years since then I have been to more Lightning games than all my other teams combined. Win or lose in the finals this year I don't think I have ever been more excited about the future of one of my teams. General Manager Steve Yzerman and owner Jeff Vikik both came in in 2011 and have turned this franchise around into one of the best in all of professional sports that looks like it will be competing for championships every year for the next 5+ years. I plan on watching this video many more times over the next couple weeks, Go Bolts! Bring the cup to Tampa!

http://video.lightning.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=1050&id=826621&lang=en

Game Six Memories

Tonight the Bolts will take their third crack at winning their series with the Canadiens and move onto the Eastern Conference Finals. This will be the 17th time one of my teams (Lightning, Magic, Red Sox) will play a game six and my 3 teams are a very impressive 12-4 record in those previous sixteen game 6's. In honor of the big game tonight I thought I'd count down the top five moments in game sixes from my teams.


 5. 2013 World Series: Shane Victorinos bases clearing double.
the Red Sox headed into game six with a 3-2 lead looking to win their 3rd world series in ten years, but their first at Fenway in 95 years. A scoreless game early Victorino stepped up with the bases loaded and hit a double off the wall to blow open an early 3-0 lead for the Sox. In a low scoring series a 3-0 appeared to maybe be all the Sox would need and it would prove to be as the Sox ended up winning 6-2 to clinch the world series.

4. 2003 First Round: Martin St Louis Triple OT gives Bolts first series win in Franchise history.
 The 2003 playoffs was just the 2nd time in Franchise history the Lightning made the playoffs, and the first time they had home ice advantage. The series began disastrously however, as the Caps won the first two games in Tampa. The Lightning responded by winning the next two in Washington, then took a 3-2 series lead back home. Game six would go to Triple OT before St Louis finally roofed one past goalie Olaf Kolzig to give the Lightning their first series win in team history. They would lose in the second round to the eventual cup champion devils and the next year of course would go on to win the cup themselves.

3. 2009 Eastern Conference Finals: Magic drub Cavs to move onto NBA Finals
The Magic were huge underdogs going into this series against Lebron James and the cavs, but thanks to a string of close wins had a chance to win the series in game six on home court. The game was a blowout from start to finish, as the Magic won by a final score of 103-87, advancing to their second NBA finals in franchise hitory.

2. 2013 ALCS: Victorinos Grand Slam
The Red Sox had a 3-2 lead on the Tigers looking to advance to the World series but trailed Game Six 2-1 in the seventh inning. The Sox loaded the bases and up to the plate went Victorino, who pounded one over the green monster sending fenway into pandemonium. Victorino pounding his chest and jumping up and down like a little kid as he ran the bases is one of those iconic moments that make being a sports fan so much fun.

1. 2004 Stanley Cup Finals: St Louis Double OT Goal forces a game seven.
After a soul crushing loss in game five the Lightning would need to go into Calgary and win a game six to keep the series alive, a very tall task. in a crazy game St Louis finally ended it 33 seconds into Double overtime to force a game seven, which the Lightning won 2-1 to win the Stanley Cup. The best game six moment of my life.

Bolts Beat Wings in Game Seven, move on to face Habs

What a year 2015 has been in sports for me already just four months in. So far in 2015 the following incredible wins have happened

1. Badgers win Outback bowl for first bowl win in 5 years
2. Packers win nailbiter in playoffs against Cowboys
3. Baders shock undefeated Kentucky
4. Bolts get huge comeback in game 4 down 2-0 with five minutes left
5. Bolts win game seven

But it has also given these gut wrenching losses
1. Packers collapse NFC Championship
2. Badgers lose national championship

Crazy year full of ups and downs so far. Last nights game was a perfect example of why I love sports and hockey. Crazy intensity, nail biting every second for 2.5 hours, I couldnt sit down and was screaming at the TV nonstop all night and was emotionally exhausted by the time it was all over. Its time to jump right into round 2 however, as the Bolts will head to Montreal to face the Canadiens tomorrow night. How do they matchup?

The Bolts got a little lucky as the Habs were up 3-0 in their first round series and had a chance to sweep. if they had succeeded they would be way more rested than Tampa. But Montreal struggled to close out their first round, losing two in a row and ended up taking six games to win so they are now not that much more rested.

Montreal is a one man show, but that one man is often enough to win. Carey Price is by far the best goaltender in the world, but this year the Lightning has been his kryptonite. in 70 games against teams not named the Lightning Carey Price allowed 2.10 goals per game. in 5 games against the Lightning he has given up 4.25 goals per game. That's a problem because Montreal has a weak offense so they need to win games 2-1 or even 1-0 sometimes. Of the 8 teams remaining in the playoffs Montreal is last in goals per game in the playoffs as they averaged just 2.00 goals per game in the 1st round.

Of the 8 teams remaining n the playoffs the Bolts are 7th in power play percentage as they were 2 for 30 in the 1st round or 6.7%. The only team worse? Montreal who went 1 for 20 or 5.0%.

This is a very weird series in that both teams have revenge on their mind, The Bolts looking for revenge for losing to the Habs in the playoffs last year, and the Habs looking for revenge for going 0-5 against the Bolts in the regular season. My biased prediction: Bolts in 4, my legitimate prediction: Bolts in 6.

And on the seventh game Lord Stanley said....

"Let there be Lightning!!!!"

Go Bolts!!!

Game Two Recap: That's More Like it: Bolts dominate again, but with different result, 5-1

Rather than trying to change things up after a tough loss in game one, the Bolts simply stayed the course and played to their game, assuming their work would pay off and the dam would break eventually, and they were right. Petr Mrazek is an average goalie at best, and the Bolts knew if they kept getting their shots eventually they'd start going in.

Another electric crowd filed into the arena in what was likely a must win game. The Bolts got things started early just three minutes into the game as an early power play got them on the board 1-0. The score stayed that way until halfway through the second period when after 90 minutes of play in the series the Lightning finally broke open the flood gates. The Bolts scored three times in the final 10 minutes of the second and opened up a 4-0 lead after two periods. Detroit would go with back up goalie Jimmy Howard in the 3rd and both teams tallied a goal in that period, though the Bolts easily could have scored a couple more.

This was the type of game that Game one should have been. The shots on goal disparity wasnt nearly as much as in game one, as the Bolts outshot Detroit 30-24 today, but they still controlled the tempo and pace for most of the 60 minutes in play. Goalie Ben Bishop was also much more solid today, making up for his lackluster play in game one. As long as the Lightning play the way they have the first two games they will have no problem moving onto the 2nd round.

The series will now shift to Detroit though for games 3 and 4 and the Bolts for some reason were way less impressive on the road than at home this season so we will have to see if they can maintain that play. Game 3 is Tuesday at 7:00. Go Bolts!

Game One Recap: Lightning lose game they absolutely dominate, 3-2

The wounds are still fresh in the heads of players and fans alike. After a terrific regular season last year the Bolts were promptly trashed and swept in the first round by the Montreal Canadiens. This year was dubbed as the redemption tour, as the team was determined to put that ugly performance behind them and come out swinging in this years playoffs. Unfortunately winning a playoff game for this group will have to wait until Saturday as the Bolts lot game one at home 3-2 despite absolutely dominating the Detroit Red Wings.

It wasn't supposed to go this way. The team that went 32-9 at home this season isn't supposed to immediately lose their first playoff game in front of a raucous crowd. The Lightning came out firing to begin the game outshooting Detroit 6-0 in the first seven minutes, but as fate would have it, despite being dominated the first seven minutes Detroit would score on their first shot of the game. Shot were 7-1 Lightning but the score was 1-0 Red Wings. The Bolts would even the score at 1 on a shorthanded breakaway from Brian Boyle. The score would remain tied at 1 after a period.

It didnt take long into the second for the Wings to regain the lead, as just 8 seconds into the period Pavel Datsyuk scored and gave them the two to one edge. The rest of the period would again be dominated by the Bolts but Wings goalie Petr Mrazek held strong and the score was 2-1 heading to the 3rd.

Six minutes into the 3rd Detroit would add a shorthanded goal of their own, the game winning goal to put them up 3-1. It was an inexcusable goal for Bolts goalie Ben Bishop to let in, as it should have been an easy save. After this goal the air was let out of the building and all went quiet. The Bolts got back within one and mounted a furious rally the final ten minutes, but couldn't find the net to tie the game.

Just how much was this game dominated by the Lightning. The final shots on goal are as followed

Lightning: 46
Red Wings: 14

That is not a typo. The Lightning outshot the Wings by 32 and still lost. This one can simply be chalked up to bad luck. I have no doubt the Bolts will rebound and win game two and this series. Game two is Saturday at 3PM.

I have said it often and will say it again. There is absolutely nothing like being at an NHL playoff game in person. I have been to Lambeau Field, Fenway Park, MLB playoff games and NBA playoff games, but nothing else compares. The passion, intensity, and atmosphere is unmatched. Even though yesterday was a loss it was great to be back at a Bolts playoff game and I am already looking forward to being back Next Saturday for Game 5. 

Lightning Season Review/Playoff Preview

The Tampa Bay Lighnings 82 game regular season concluded yesterday, and as everyone expected they were one of the top teams in the entire NHL and enter the playoffs as one of the favorites to take home the Stanley Cup. Let's quickly review some numbers from the Lightnings regular season.

The Lightning finished the season with a 32-9 home record, far and away the best in the NHL. The second best home record in the league was Nashville who went 28-13, a healthy four wins less. Unfortunately their road record was much worse, as the Bolts only went 18-23 on the road, which is the worst road record among the 16 playoff teams. Overall the Bolts 50-32 record was good for the 5th best record in the NHL out of the 30 teams. The Bolts also went 14-1 (WOW) in home games against division opponents, the best record in division home games in NHL history!

The Lightning didn't build up their great record just by beating weak teams either. The Bolts were at their best against their best opponents. As I said, the Bolts finished with the 5th best record in the NHL. Their record against the 4 teams that finished ahead of them? 10-2. The Rangers finished with the best record in the NHL but the Bolts dominated them all year long going 3-0 against them by a combined score of 15-7. The Canadiens barely edged out the Bolts for the division title, but its not because they could beat the Bolts, as Tampa finished 5-0 against the division winning Canadiens by a combined score 21-8.

The Bolts finished the season with 259 goals, or 3.16 Goals Per game, best in the NHL. Only two other teams average 3.00 goals per game. The Bolts allowed 2.51 goals Per Game, which was 12th in the NHL. The Bolts average a whopping 3.39 Goals per game at home, again number one in the NHL.

The Lightnings first round opponent will be the Red Wings, another team they faced very well against in the regular season. Tampa managed a 3-1 record against Detroit by a combined score of 12-9. The Bolts won their two home games against Detroit by a combined score of 8-2. My Prediction: Bolts in 5

Go Bolts!

Orlando Soccer

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-city-lions/os-orlando-city-soccer-begins-mike-bianchi-0308-20150308-column.html

 http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-city-lions/os-orlando-city-kaka-first-mls-game-0309-20150308-story.html

Final Big 10 Standings

The Big Ten regular season is officially over and just as was predicted on this blog and by many people back in December, Wisconsin dominated the conference from start to finish. In thisfinal week I went 11-3, which had me finish at 93-33 for the season. Here is a look at the final standings which shows what the seeding will be for the Big Ten Tournament. Official tournament predictions will go up tomorrow.

1. Wisconsin: 16-2
2. Maryland: 14-4
3. Michigan St: 12-6
4. Iowa: 12-6
5. Purdue: 12-6
6. Ohio St: 11-7
7. Illinois: 9-9
8. Indiana: 9-9
9. Michigan: 8-10
10. Northwestern: 6-12
11. Minnesota: 6-12
12. Nebraska: 5-13
13. Penn St: 4-14
14. Rutgers: 2-16

The biggest surprise definitely goes to Purdue. I didnt see anyone having them finish above 8th before the season started, and most had them around 10th. For them to end up 5th is a big accomplishment. Honorable mention goes to Northwestern. 6 wins and a 10th place finish is a pretty good finish for that program. Biggest disappointment goes to Nebraska. After finishing 3rd last year, they took a huge step back to 12th. Honorable mention goes to Michigan, as almost everyone expected a top 5 finish, but they ended up 9th.

Big Ten Week 10 Picks

March madness has finally arrived!! The Big Ten tourney will take place next weekend, and with one week to go in the Big Ten season all teams are looking to improve their seeding for the tournament as well as get some quality wins for their NCAA tourney resume. I went 7-4 last week, putting me at 82-30 through nine weeks.

Tuesday
Iowa @ Indiana: Pick: Indiana
Maryland @ Rutgers: Pick: Maryland
Michigan @ Northwestern: Pick: Michigan

Wednesday
Ohio St @ Penn St: Pick: Ohio St
Purdue @ Michigan St: Pick: Michigan St
Nebraska @ Illinois: Pick: Illinois

Thursday
Wisconsin @ Minnesota: Pick: Wisconsin

Saturday
Northwestern @ Iowa: Pick: Iowa
Michigan St @ Indiana: Pick: Michigan St
Rutgers @ Michigan: Pick: Michigan
Illinois @ Purdue: Pick: Purdue

Sunday
Penn St @ Minnesota: Pick: Minnesota
Wisconsin @ Ohio St: Pick: Wisconsin
Maryland @ Nebraska: Pick: Maryland

Big Ten Standings: The one seed hasn't officially been clinched by the Badgers, but one more win will do it. Maryland is basically locked into the 2 seed as well. The 3-7 spots are still a jumble with the 4-6 spots a dead lock tie. Whoever ends up as the 3 and 4 seeds will be huge as they get double byes in the big ten tourney

1. Wisconsin: 14-2
2. Maryland: 12-4
3. Purdue: 11-5
4. Ohio St: 10-6
5 Michigan St: 10-6
6. Iowa: 10-6
7. Indiana: 9-7
8. Illinois: 8-8
9. Michigan: 7-9
10. Minnesota: 6-10
11. Northwestern: 5-11
12. Nebraska: 5-11
13. Penn St: 3-13
14. Rutgers: 2-14

Big Ten Week 9 Picks

Just two weeks left in the Big Ten race as all teams jockey for Big Ten tourney seeding and look to improve their NCAA tourney resume. I went 8-4 last week putting me at 75-26 through eight weeks.

Tuesday
Wisconsin @ Maryland: Pick: Wisconsin

Wednesday
Indiana @ Northwestern: Pick: Indiana
Illinois @ Iowa: Pick: Iowa

Thursday
Minnesota @ Michigan St: Pick: Michigan St
Nebraska @ Ohio St: Pick: Ohio St
Rutgers @ Purdue: Pick: Purdue

Saturday
Michigan @ Maryland: Pick: Maryland
Iowa @ Penn St: Pick: Penn St
Northwestern @ Illinois: Pick: Illinois

Sunday
Michigan St @ Wisconsin: Pick: Wisconsin
Purdue @ Ohio St: Pick: Ohio St

Standings: The key at the top this week is the Maryland Vs Wisconsin game, the first game of the week. If Wisconsin wins, they will clinch the Big Ten title with 12 whole days to go, if Maryland wins, they keep themselves alive, though Wisconsin would still have a pretty overwhelming lead. In other news, the cluster that has inhabited the 2-8 slots all season has FINALLY cleared up a little bit as the 2-4 slots have separated themselves through the 5-8 slots. Remember, the top 4 seeds get a double bye in the big ten tourney, while the 5-8 seeds get a 1st round bye.

1. Wisconsin: 13-1
2. Maryland: 10-4
3. Michigan St: 10-4
4. Purdue: 10-4
5. Indiana: 9-6
6. Ohio St: 8-6
7. Iowa: 8-6
8. Illinois: 7-7
9. Michigan: 7-8
10. Minnesota: 5-10
11. Nebraska: 5-10
12. Northwestern: 4-10
13. Penn St: 3-12
14. Rutgers: 2-13

Big Ten Week Eight Picks

The home stretch, just three weeks left in the Big Ten regular season. I went 11-2 last week, putting me at 67-22 through seven weeks

Tuesday
Michigan St @ Michigan: Pick: Michigan St

Wednesday
Wisconsin @ Penn St: Pick: Wisconsin
Northwestern @ Minnesota: Pick: Minnesota

Thursday
Purdue @ Indiana: Pick: Indiana
Nebraska @ Maryland: Pick: Maryland
Rutgers @ Iowa: Pick: Iowa

Saturday
Minnesota @ Wisconsin: Pick: Wisconsin
Penn St @ Northwestern: Pick: Northwestern

Sunday
Ohio St @ Michigan: Pick: Michigan
Iowa @ Nebraska: Pick: Nebraska
Indiana @ Rutgers: Pick: Indiana
Michigan St @ Illinois: Pick: Illinois

Big Ten Standings
Another 2-0 week for mighty Wisconsin who continues to run away with the Big Ten title. Is that cluster from 2-8 clearing up? Slightly a bit as there is now two games between 2nd and 8th place but thats still pretty darn close. Michigan  lurking in the 9th spot as well within striking distance of the top 8. Securing a spot in the top 8 is important to earn a first round bye in the Big Ten Tournament. The top 4 seeds earn a double bye.

1. Wisconsin: 11-1
2. Maryland: 9-4
3. Purdue: 9-4
4. Michigan St: 8-4
5. Ohio St: 8-5
6. Indiana: 8-5
7. Illinois: 7-6
8. Iowa: 6-6
9. Michigan: 6-7
10. Minnesota: 5-8
11. Nebraska: 5-8
12. Penn St: 3-10
13. Northwestern: 2-10
14. Rutgers: 2-11

Big Ten Week Seven Picks

Four weeks to go in the Big Ten season, are things clearing up in the standings? hardly. I went 9-4 in last week picking games, putting me at 56-20 through six weeks.

Tuesday
Wisconsin @ Nebraska: Pick: Wisconsin
Michigan St @ Northwestern: Pick: Michigan St

Wednesday
Penn St @ Ohio St: Pick: Ohio St
Indiana @ Maryland: Pick: Maryland

Thursday
Minnesota @ Iowa: Pick: Iowa
Purdue @ Rutgers: Pick: Purdue
Michigan @ Illinois: Pick: Illinois

Saturday
Ohio St @ Michigan St: Pick: Michigan St
Maryland @ Penn St: Pick: Maryland

Sunday
Illinois @ Wisconsin: Pick: Wisconsin
Iowa @ Northwestern: Pick: Iowa
Nebraska @ Purdue: Pick: Purdue
Minnesota @ Indiana: Pick: Indiana

Standings
The Badgers two game lead last week has now increased to a three game lead over everyone else. The cluster from 2-8 remains firmly in place.

1. Wisconsin: 9-1
2. Maryland: 7-4
3. Ohio St: 7-4
4. Indiana: 7-4
5. Purdue: 7-4
6. Iowa: 6-4
7. Michigan St: 6-4
8. Illinois: 6-5
9. Michigan: 6-6
10. Nebraska: 5-6
11. Minnesota: 4-7
12. Penn St: 3-8
13. Rutgers: 2-10
14. Northwestern: 1-9

Big Ten Week Six Picks

5 Weeks down, 5 to go in the regular season Big Ten race. I went 8-3 in picking Big Ten games this week, putting me at 47-16 through five weeks.

Tuesday
Indiana @ Wisconsin: Pick: Wisconsin
Northwestern @ Nebraska: Pick: Nebraska
Rutgers @ Illinois: Pick: Illinois

Wednesday
Ohio St @ Purdue: Pick: Purdue
Penn St @ Maryland: Pick:Maryland

Thursday
Iowa @ Michigan: Pick: Michigan

Saturday
Illinois @ Michigan St: Pick: Michigan St
Purdue @ Minnesota: Pick: Minnesota
Nebraska @ Penn St: Pick: Nebraska
Northwestern @ Wisconsin: Pick: Wisconsin

Sunday
Michigan @ Indiana: Pick: Indiana
Maryland @ Iowa: Pick: Maryland
Ohio St @ Rutgers: Pick: Ohio St

Big Ten Standings
Through five weeks its starting to look like what we expected all along, Wisconsin should easily win the Big Ten. They have opened up a full two game lead in the standings, which is practically unheard of most years for a team to open up a multi game lead over everyone else. After Wisconsin though, there is virtually no separation between 2nd place and 8th place. It will be a crazy race to see where those teams end up in the standings, as the top 4 teams get a double bye in the Big Ten tournament. Here are the standings as they stand today

1. Wisconsin; 7-1
2. Maryland: 6-3
3. Ohio St: 6-3
4. Indiana: 6-3
5. Michigan St: 6-3
6.  Purdue: 6-3
7. Michigan: 6-4
8. Iowa: 4-4
9. Illinois: 4-5
10. Nebraska: 4-5
11. Minnesota: 3-7
12. Penn St: 2-7
13. Rutgers: 2-8
14. Northwestern: 1-7

Big Ten Week Five Picks

I went a red hot 13-1 in picking Big Ten games in week four, putting me at 39-13 through four weeks. The Big Ten race is starting to heat up as we near the halfway point, the standings after the picks.

Tuesday
Nebraska @ Michigan: Pick: Michigan
Michigan St @ Rutgers: Pick: Michigan St

Wednesday
Minnesota @ Penn St: Pick: Minnesota
Indiana @ Purdue: Pick: Purdue

Thursday
Maryland @ Ohio St: Pick: Ohio St

Saturday
Wisconsin @ Iowa: Pick: Wisconsin
Penn St @ Illinois: Pick: Illinois
Rutgers @ Indiana: Pick: Indiana
Nebraska @ Minnesota: Pick: Nebraska
Purdue @ Northwestern: Pick: Northwestern

Standings
After two weeks having to share the perch, Wisconsin has restored its spot as the sole leader of the Big Ten thanks to losses this week from Indiana, Iowa and Maryland. Two from Iowa in fact. The top two in the conference should separate  itself as Maryland and Wisconsin. The truly exciting race will be who takes the 3-8 spots as Ohio St, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan St, Nebraska, and Michigan are all very equal in terms of talent. They all have flashes of brilliance and stages where they look bad. The race between those five teams will be fun to watch and should come right down to the last weekend.

1. Wisconsin: 6-1
2. Maryland: 6-2
3. Indiana: 5-2
4. Ohio St: 5-3
5. Michigan: 5-3
6. Michigan St: 4-3
7.  Iowa: 4-3
8. Nebraska: 4-3
9. Purdue: 4-3
10. Illinois: 3-5
11. Minnesota: 2-6
12. Rutgers: 2-6
13. Penn St: 1-6
14. Northwestern: 1-6

Big Ten Week Four Picks

I went 19-7 in the past two weeks, putting me at 26-12 through 3 weeks of the Big Ten Season.

Tuesday
Michigan @ Rutgers: Pick: Michigan
Iowa @ Wisconsin: Pick: Wisconsin
Minnesota @ Nebraska: Pick: Nebraska

Wednesday
Penn St @ Michigan St: Pick: Michigan St
Purdue @ Illinois: Pick: Illinois

Thursday
Ohio St @ Northwestern: Pick: Ohio St
Maryland @ Indiana: Pick: Indiana

Saturday
Iowa @ Purdue: Pick: Purdue
Rutgers @ Penn St: Pick: Penn St
Illinois @ Minnesota: Pick: Minnesota
Michigan St @ Nebraska: Pick: Michigan St
Wisconsin @ Michigan: Pick: Wisconsin

Big Ten Standings
1. Maryland: 5-1
2. Wisconsin: 4-1
3. Iowa: 4-1
4. Indiana: 4-1
5. Michigan: 4-2
6. Michigan St: 3-2
7. Purdue: 3-2
8. Ohio St: 3-3
9. Nebraska: 2-3
10. Illinois: 2-4
11. Rutgers: 2-4
12. Northwestern: 1-4
13. Minnesota: 1-5
14. Penn St: 0-5

Big Ten Week Two Picks

This is certainly shaping up to be an unpredictable Big Ten season. Aside from the clear top team in the Badgers, Maryland is separating itself as the clear second best team, but teams 3-9 have very thing separation and will be neck and neck all season. I went a pedestrian 7-5 in week one of Big Ten season so I hope to step up my game this week as I try to get a read on each teams true talent level.

Monday
Indiana @ Michigan St: Pick: Michigan St
Nebraska @ Iowa: Pick: Iowa

Tuesday
Michigan @ Penn St: Pick: Penn St
Ohio St @ Minnesota: Pick: Ohio St

Wednesday
Purdue @ Wisconsin: Pick: Wisconsin
Maryland @ Illinois: Pick: Maryland

Thursday
Michigan St @ Iowa: Pick: Iowa
Rutgers @ Nebraska: Pick: Nebraska

Saturday
Ohio St @ Indiana: Pick: Indiana
Minnesota @ Michigan: Pick: Michigan
Maryland @ Purdue: Pick: Maryland

Sunday
Wisconsin @ Rutgers: Pick: Wisconsin
Northwestern @ Michigan St: Pick: Michigan St
Illinois @ Nebraska: Pick: Nebraska

Big Ten Standings
1. Wisconsin: 2-0
2. Maryland: 2-0
3. Purdue: 2-0
4. Iowa: 1-0
5. Indiana: 1-0
6. Ohio St: 1-1
7. Michigan: 1-1
8. Northwestern: 1-1
9. Rutgers: 1-1
10. Michigan St: 0-1
11. Nebraska: 0-1
12. Minnesota: 0-2
13. Illinois: 0-2
14. Penn St: 0-2