Each week of the 2009 college football season, I will be examining all the games that a Big Ten team plays in. All kickoff times are ET and all poll numbers are from the coaches poll as provided by ESPN. All records are for conference play only. Week Six is as follows:
Overview of Week Five
Last week, the stupid Paul Bunyan rivalries threw me off. MSU beat UM and Minnesota lost to Wisconsin, both confusing me and destroying my picks. Likewise, Purdue startled me, as Purdue found out that it could be even worse than it already was. I went 3-3 for the horrible Week Five, and hope to turn that around this week.
Indiana (0-2) @ Virginia
At the beginning of the season, this would have seemed like an easy with for Virginia. However, after losing three games in a row (two to tiny, unranked teams), this game is now questionable for them. Indiana, on the other hand, has lost two games, but each to ranked teams. One of those, to Michigan, they should have won. Both teams have not been winning like they should have, but one team has been playing like they should. Indiana has the defense, and the offense, to put Virginia down. The Hoosiers have the power to run over, and the secondary to stop, anything the Cavaliers throw at them. Indiana 28, Virginia 17. The game will be at 3:30 P.M. on Saturday.
Michigan State (1-1) @ Illinois (0-2)
Michigan State has not been playing up to their preseason expectations. Having lost three games, they are looking to get back into the conversation. However, all three were close losses, and, they just beat their main rival (sorry Central Michigan, you no longer matter) in a trophy game, so they are fired up. Illinois, on the other hand, has lost three of their games in convincing fashion, and are just slumping this season. Not only are they slumping, but Illinois is having an issue with their defense. In the last game, they allowed 500+ yards, but only gained 400. MSU, however, allowed only 250 and gained 400+. In this game, we can expect to see plenty of yards gained, but the skills of MSU's secondary should prevail. MSU 35, Illinois 14. The game will be televised on BTN at 12 P.M. on Saturday.
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