What to Expect

Saine is back for OSU, Boom is still out, OL Boren will miss the game with an unspecified foot injury, and OL Adams is having knee surgery but may return later this season. OSU is a 39-44 point favorite in this game, depending on your choice of oddsmaker. NM State is last in the nation in offense and next to last in scoring offense. The key to the game this weekend for OSU is not just winning, but winning and getting more confidence on offense. OSU needs some confidence going into November with Penn State, Iowa, and Michigan remaining on the schedule. I don't expect OSU to score in the high 40's, so it may be difficult to cover the spread. I see OSU scoring in the low 40's and giving up 3-7 points. I expect OSU to get 200 on the ground and 200 in the air. NM State might get 100 on the ground and 100 in the air.

Scouting the Aggies

Offense
The Aggies use a two quarterback system, with Trevor Walls going 2-2 as a starter and Jeff Fleming going 1-3. Walls has thrown 51% for 339 yards and two touchdowns. Fleming has thrown 52% for 492 yards and two touchdowns. Fleming will also use his legs, having rushed for 140 yards and one touchdown this season. Seth Smith is the starting running back with an average of 87.9 yards/game. He has had to fill the void left by Marquell Colston, who was suspended after being charged with a third degree felony of battery against his girlfriend. At receiver is Marcus Anderson with 178 yards and 1 touchdown. Also catching the ball is Todd Lee with 208 yards and one touchdown. Anderson also returns punts and averages 11.4 yards/return.

Defense
Leading the secondary is Stephon Hatchett at safety. He is third on the team with 49 tackles, one tackle for loss, an interception, four pass break-ups, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble. Leading the team in tackles is linebacker Ross Conner with 70 tackles so far, with an average of 8.8/game. Defensive lineman Pierre Fils leads the team with six sacks.

New Mexico State So Far this Season

NM State is 3-5, 1-3 in the WAC. The Aggies have beat Prairie View A&M, New Mexico and Utah State. The team has losses against Idaho, UTEP, San Diego State, Louisiana Tech, and Fresno State. The team has struggled to score, only averaging 13.2/game, only getting 20 points or more in three games. The highest point total was 21 in a win against Prairie View. The Aggies tend to run the ball more than pass, with 150 yards/game on the ground and 103/game in the air. The defense for NM State gives up 28 points/game and 369 yards/game, with 186 yards on the ground and 182 yards in the air.

The Series

This will be the first game between New Mexico State and Ohio State in football. The teams have met in gymnastics, softball, men's tennis, and women's volleyball. OSU is 3-0 against current members of the Western Athletic Conference, with two wins over Fresno State and one win over San Jose State. NM State is 0-2 against the Big Ten with a loss at Wisconsin in 1962, 69-13, and a loss at Iowa in 1995, 59-21.

The Coaches

Jim Tressel
In his 10th season at OSU he is 89-21, with a career record of 224-78-2 in his 24th year of coaching.











DeWayne Walker
In his first year as a head coach he is 3-5. Walker first played at Pasadena City College and then played two years at Minnesota as a cornerback. He played three years professionally, one in the CFL and two in the USFL in the 1980's. He has been an assistant at Mt. San Antonia College, Utah State, BYU, Oklahoma State, and California, USC, and UCLA. He has also been assistant coach in the NFL with New England, San Francisco, New York Giants, and Washington.

Guest Panel-Week 9 Games and Standings

Standings: (REVISED)
1. Pat Head (38-10) (6-0 last week)
2. Buckeye Cock (37-11) (6-0 last week)
3. Batman (35-13) (6-0 last week)
4. Philly Cheese (34-14) (6-0 last week)
5. Old Bag of Man (33-15) (4-2 last week)
5. Andy Katzenmoyer's Professor (33-15) (6-0 last week)
5. Mel Kiper's Hair (33-15) (6-0 last week)
8. Hudy Delights (30-18) (3-3 last week)
9. Big Dog (29-19) (3-3 last week)
10. Dr. Funkenstein (28-20) (5-1 last week)
11. Spam Sandwichsan (27-21) (1-5 last week)
12. Yellow #5 (26-22) (4-2 last week)

Games for this week:
1. New Mexico State vs. Ohio State
2. Texas vs. Oklahoma State
3. USC vs. Oregon
4. West Virginia vs. South Florida (Friday)
5. Michigan State vs. Minnesota
And the oddball game this week is:
6. W. Kentucky vs. North Texas

What to Expect

Last week both teams had rough games, although OSU was favored in its game, and Minnesota was expected to lose at Penn State. OSU needs to establish the running game early and make some easy passes to establish some confidence on offense. The Minnesota defense gives up 164 yards each game on the ground and 228 in the air. Look for OSU to have 150-175 yards rushing and 125-150 yards passing. OSU won't light up the scoreboard this week, as Minnesota has some decent players at LB and in the secondary. Minnesota's starting QB Weber is getting some heat up in Minnesota, as the Minnesota offense has not been consistent. Sound familiar? The Gophers rely on the passing game, as they only rush for 103 yards/game and pass for 190/game. The Buckeyes need to put some pressure on Weber and shut down some receivers, because the rushing game for Minnesota will not likely be able to carry the load for the team. OSU should score in the high 20's or the low 30's, while Minnesota might get into the teens, but not the 20's.

Pryor is the QB

A lot has been said of Pryor's performance at Purdue. Pryor should be the quarterback now and for the rest of the season. Although that doesn't mean that he would not have benefited from a series on the bench to get his head cleared. I think too much is being made of comparing Pryor's performance this season to last year. The coaches made it pretty easy on Pryor last year, limiting the type of plays, dumbing down the offense, etc. Pryor was not on campus the spring before his first year, and he did not get the majority of snaps in the preseason. However this year he brings in experience from last season, spring training, and the majority of snaps in the preseason. The coaches have opened up the offense a bit, and Pryor is more exposed, which increases the possibility of turnovers. Pryor will be the QB next year, so be patient and let him work this out.

Minnesota So Far this Season

Minnesota is 4-3, 2-2 in the Big Ten, with wins against Syracuse, Air Force, Northwestern, and Purdue. They have losses against California, Wisconsin, and Penn State. Minnesota was shutout last week at Penn State, 20-0. The team was behind at one point in all four of the victories so far this season. In three of those wins, the Gophers were losing in the fourth quarter.

Scouting the Golden Gophers

Offense
Adam Weber returns as the QB, as a third year starter. He is the Minnesota career completions leader and currently has 619. This season Weber is 55% with six touchdowns and 189 yards/game. A favorite target is Eric Decker, who has 216 career receptions and also has the team record for receiving yardage with 3,092 yards through last week. Decker will be playing on Sundays in the near future. Decker has 731 yards this season with five touchdowns. Also catching the ball is Nick Tow-Arnett with 216 yards. At running back are Duane Bennett and DeLeon Eskridge. Bennett has 292 yards and five touchdowns, while Eskridge has 212 yards and three touchdowns.

Defense
The starters at linebacker are Nate Triplett, Lee Campbell, and Simoni Lawrence. Campbell leads the team with 45 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss. The leader on the defensive line is Eric Small with 17 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble so far this season. There are three returning starters in the secondary, with CB Marcus Sherels, CB Traye Simmons, and safety Kyle Theret.

The Series

This will be the 49th game between the Buckeyes and Gophers, with OSU leading 41-7 in the series, and 21-3 in Columbus. OSU has won the last six games against Minnesota. The two teams met last year, and OSU won 34-21 in Columbus. OSU had 279 yards on the ground, with Beanie Wells leading with 106 yards. Wells had just returned from his injury. OSU benefitted off Minnesota turnovers, scoring a field goal after an interception and a touchdown after a fumble in the first half.

The Coaches

Jim Tressel
In his 10th season at OSU he is 88-21, with a career record of 223-78-2 in his 24th year of coaching.












Tim Brewster
In his third season at Minnesota and as a head coach, Brewster is 12-20. Brewster has had some highly touted recruiting classes. Last season Minnesota was ranked as highly as 17th in the BCS at the end of October, and finished the season with a final record of 7-6, including a loss in the Insight Bowl. Brewster was an assistant for over 20 years, with time at the Denver Broncos, University of Texas, and North Carolina. Brewster was a tight end at Illinois, a part of the 1984 Rose Bowl team.

1 to 2 More Losses this Season?

Coming into this season I anticipated 1-2 loses between the USC, Penn State, and Michigan games. OSU got one of those losses in the USC game. As the season progressed I thought perhaps OSU could lose 1-2 in November (Penn State, Iowa, and Michigan) as Iowa was looking like a great team. I never anticipated Purdue beating OSU, although I have said that Purdue's record was deceiving and that they were a couple turnovers from having a winning record. So, with two losses already and the November games, it is possible OSU could end the regular season with 3-4 losses. The team can't look past Minnesota or New Mexico State, but the November games will have the biggest effect on the bowl game in December or January. Wins against those three teams in November would put OSU back into a decent bowl game. Winning the Big Ten, with only one conference loss, would likely put OSU into the Rose Bowl. OSU fans have come to expect BCS bowl game bids, and it is still possible, but OSU can't lose another game.

Guest Panel-Week 8 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well.

Standings:
1. Pat Head (32-10) (5-1 last week)
2. Buckeye Cock (31-11) (3-3 last week)
3. Old Bag of Man (29-13) (3-3 last week)
3. Batman (29-13) (3-3 last week)
5. Philly Cheese (28-14) (4-2 last week)
6. Mel Kiper's Hair (27-15) (3-3 last week)
6. Andy Katzenmoyer's Professor (27-15) (3-3 last week)
6. Hudy Delights (27-15) (4-2 last week)
9. Spam Sandwichsan (26-16) (3-3 last week)
9. Big Dog (26-16) (3-3 last week)
11. Dr. Funkenstein (23-19) (1-5 last week)
12. Yellow #5 (22-20) (2-4 last week)

Games for this week:
1. Minnesota vs. Ohio State
And the oddball games this week are:
2. Ball St. vs. Eastern Michigan
3. Maryland vs. Duke
4. Akron vs. Syracuse
5. UNLV vs. New Mexico
6. Florida Int. vs. Arkansas St.

What to Expect

Boom Herron will miss another game or two, so it will be up to Saine and Hall to carry the ball, although Hall did miss some practice this week with the flu. Defensive Tackle Larimore will miss a couple more games. OL Jim Cordle is back, but in a back-up role, after dealing with an ankle injury. OL Andrew Miller missed the last two weeks with the flu, so he will also limited to a back-up role this week.

After winning the first game against Toledo, Purdue has lost five straight. Four of those games were lost by an average of 4.5 points. Purdue lost the Oregon by two points, a touchdown to Northern Illinois, and two fourth-quarter loses to Notre Dame and Northwestern. Turnovers have been a big problem for Purdue, racking up 20 so far this season, which places them last in the Big Ten and next to last in FBS (Div I-A) in turnovers. The Purdue defense has allowed teams on average a score of 30.5 points, 379 offensive yards, with 167 yards on the ground. Look for Pryor to rack up some yards running. OSU may have an imbalanced offense, with a larger amount of rushing yards. The Buckeyes should have close to 200 on the ground with 150-200 in the air. The Boilermakers may get 200 yards in the air, but should be limited to 100 or less on the ground. Purdue will likely get 10-17 points and OSU should get over 35 points.

Scouting the Boilermakers

Offense
At QB is Joey Elliott, who is 60% for 1575 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He leads the Big Ten in average passing yardage, touchdown passes, total offense, and with a 132 QB efficiency rating. Leading the team in rushing is Ralph Bolden with 634 yards and four touchdowns. Second in rushing is QB Elliot with 194 yards and two rushing touchdowns. At receiving is Keith Smith with 585 yards and four touchdowns and Aaron Valentin with 356 yards and five touchdowns. Also catching the ball are Keith Carlos, Kyle Adams, and Ralph Bolden.

Defense
Linebacker Jason Werner leads the team with 50 tackles and in tackles for loss with 11. Defensive End Ryan Kerrigan leads the team with four sacks.

What is a Boilermaker?

After a 44-0 pounding of Wabash College in 1891, the local paper in nearby Crarfordsville criticized the Purdue football players with the following headline "Slaughter of Innocents. Wabash Snowed Completely Under by the Burly Boiler Makers from Purdue." The Lafayette papers picked up that nickname and used it in articles. As a landgrant school, like Ohio State, Purdue was characterized as teaching the children of the working class, and the students were considered socially below the more privileged students who attended liberal arts colleges such as Wabash. Also adding to that nickname was the fact in the same year, Purdue acquired a working railroad engine as a teaching device in the locomotive laboratory. Purdue has grown to be one of the world leaders in engineering teaching and research. A boilermaker is a trained craftsman who produces steel fabrications from plates and sections. A boilermaker can make boilers, but the work can also include bridges and blast furnaces. You will be reminded of the boilermaker nickname when you hear the train noise multiple times at a game, which can also be heard on TV. Purdue Pete roams on the sidelines and is fashioned after a boilermaker, but the official mascot is a replica of a working locomotive named Boilermaker Special.

The Series

This will be the 52nd game between the two teams, with OSU leading the series 37-12-1. OSU is 12-6 in games played at Purdue. OSU won the last two games, including last year in Columbus, 16-3. In that game OSU did not score an offensive touchdown (blocked punt returned for TD, and three FGs), and Purdue was limited to scoring on a 53-yard field goald. Purdue last won at home against the Buckeyes in 2004.

The Coaches

Jim Tressel
In his 10th season at OSU he is 88-20, with a career record of 223-77-2 in his 24th year of coaching.











Danny Hope
In his first season at Purdue he is 1-5. His career record is 36-27, in his sixth season. Prior to taking the head coaching position he was the associate head coach last season, focusing on the offensive line and recruiting. His promotion to head coach was planned and coordinated with the retirement of coach Joe Tiller. Hope first worked with Tiller at Wyoming in 1996. He was also an assistant coach under Tiller at Purdue from 1997-2001, coaching the offensive line. After leaving Purdue in 2002 he served as an assistant head coach at Louisville. Hope had previously been an assistant coach at Louisville from 1987-1994. His assistant coaching career also includes a brief stop at Oklahoma in 1995. He was a successful high school coach in Florida in the 80's, which is where he is from. He was a head coach at Eastern Kentucky from 2003-2007 with a record of 35-22. Hope played at Eastern Kentucky as an offensive guard.

Guest Panel-Week 7 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well.

Standings:
1. Buckeye Cock (28-8) (6-0 last week)
2. Pat Head (27-9) (6-0 last week)
3. Old Bag of Man (26-10) (6-0 last week)
3. Batman (26-10) (5-1 last week)
5. Philly Cheese (24-12) (4-2 last week)
5. Mel Kiper's Hair (24-12) (4-2 last week)
5. Andy Katzenmoyer's Professor (24-12) (5-1 last week)
8. Spam Sandwichsan (23-13) (3-3 last week)
8. Big Dog (23-13) (4-2 last week)
8. Hudy Delights (23-13) (6-0 last week)
11. Dr. Funkenstein (22-14) (3-3 last week)
12. Yellow #5 (20-16) (5-1 last week)

Games for this week:
1. Ohio State vs. Purdue
2. USC vs. Notre Dame
3. Oklahoma vs. Texas
4. Virginia Tech vs. Georgia Tech
5. Cincinnati vs. South Florida (Thursday)
And the oddball game this week is:
6. Florida Atl. vs. North Texas

What to Expect

OSU gets safety Kurt Coleman back after his Big Ten punishment last week. Herron could have played in the Indiana game, but he sat out. Look for him to play in the Wisconsin game, although Saine may get 50% or more of the touches. Unfortunately defensive tackle Dexter Larimore is out with a knee sprain and can play hurt, but he will likely miss a game or two. Last week OSU had more rushing yards than passing. Look for OSU to pass it more and have a more balanced offense, with OSU getting 150-200 yards in each category. The running game of Wisconsin will rack up some yards, possibly getting over 150 yards. Wisconsin could also score 14-21 points, but OSU should be in the high 30's or low 40's unless Wisconsin has a huge advantage in the possession clock.

Wisconsin So Far This Season

The Badgers may wonder why they are ranked 25th in the USA-Today/Coaches Poll and the Harris Poll, but are not ranked in the AP Poll. Well first of all the AP poll doesn't really have any significance, sorry press writers, as it is not in the BCS equation. One explanation could be that although Wisconsin is 5-0, they have only had one convincing win and that was against Wofford. Wofford hails from the state of South Carolina, plays in the FCS and has less than 1,500 students on campus. Oh and Wofford is 1-4 with the sole win against Charleston Southern. The other wins for Wisconsin were against Northern Illinois (28-20), Fresno State (34-31 2ot), Michigan State (38-30), and Minnesota (31-28). So if you take Wofford out, Wisconsin has won the other games by an average of 5.5 points. Wisconsin has won five games, but they have been close and it has taken some end of the game heroics. The O-Line has been solid, allowing the running game to develop and preventing sacks. The defense allows teams to score an average of 24.6 points/game (27.25 if you take out Wofford.) The offense has been balanced on average with 217 rushing yards/game and 216 passing yards/game, but as a whole Wisconsin runs the ball and has short passes.

Scouting the Badgers

Offense
QB Scott Tolzien leads the Big Ten and is 18th in the country in pass efficiency with 154.7. He has completed 65% this season. Wisconsin does not pass much, so he only has 41 attempts and a total of 340 yards. Running back John Clay leads the Big Ten and is fifth in the country with 116.4 yards/game. He had 184 yards against Minnesota. Leading in catches is Tight end Garrett Graham with 23 catches. The O-Line has not allowed a sack in four of the five games and has only allowed two sacks all season. The team is 18 of 22 in Red Zone attempts, with a 70% touchdown ratio.

Defense
The defense has forced 15 turnovers, which is the best in the Big Ten and fourth best in the country. Three of those turnovers were in the Minnesota game. The defense is second in the Big Ten with 14 sacks. The defense has had three game saving plays, safety Chris Marago broke up a fourth down pass attempt to seal a win against Northern Illinois. Maragos had an interception in the second overtime against Fresno State. Defensive end O'Brien Schofield and linebacker Blake Sorensen combined for a sack and forced fumble with 30 seconds remaining against Minnesota.

The Series

This will be the 75th game between the two schools. OSU leads the series 52-17-5 and leads in Columbus 24-10-2. OSU is 7-5-1 in the last 14 meetings, with wins in the last two games. Wisconsin has won two of the last four games in Columbus. The games have been close lately between the two teams, with seven of the last 13 being decided by a touchdown or less. In the last game in Columbus, the score was tied going into the fourth but the #1 Buckeyes took the lead scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter. Last year at Wisconsin, Pryor scored on an 11 yard run with 1:08 left in the game, with OSU winning 20-17. The loss snapped Wisconsin's 16-game home winning streak.

The Coaches

Jim Tressel
In his 10th season at OSU he is 87-20, with a career record of 222-77-2 in his 24th year of coaching.














Brett Bielema
In his 4th year as a head coach and at Wisconsin he is 33-11. After playing at Iowa he worked as a graduate assistant and then a Linebackers assistant coach at his alma mater. For two years he was an assistant defensive coordinator at Kansas State. Bielema joined Wisconsin as a defensive coordinator for two years prior to being named head coach.

Guest Panel-Week 6 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well.

Standings:
1. Buckeye Cock (22-8) (2-4 last week)
2. Batman (21-9) (3-3 last week)
2. Pat Head (21-9) (4-2 last week)
4. Philly Cheese (20-10) (3-3 last week)
4. Mel Kiper's Hair (20-10) (4-2 last week)
4. Spam Sandwichsan (20-10) (4-2 last week)
4. Old Bag of Man (20-10) (4-2 last week)
8. Big Dog (19-11) (4-2 last week)
8. Andy Katzenmoyer's Professor (19-11) (4-2 last week)
8. Dr. Funkenstein (19-11) (5-1 last week)
11. Hudy Delights (17-13) (3-3 last week)
12. Yellow #5 (15-15) (2-4 last week)

Games for this week:
1. Wisconsin vs. Ohio State
2. Nebraska vs. Missouri (Thursday)
3. Florida vs. LSU
4. Michigan vs. Iowa
5. Oregon vs. UCLA
And the oddball game this week is:
6. Louisiana Tech vs. Nevada (Friday)

What to Expect

The OSU running game will likely be missing Boom Herron, who injured his ankle last week in the Illinois game. Brandon Saine will get his first start, and true freshman Jordan Hall should get a decent number of touches backing up Saine. Herron may play, but there may not be a need to use him much as OSU should be able to move the ball against Indiana without him. The other true freshman, Jaamal Berry is still out this week with a hamstring injury. Indiana scores 28.2 points/game while the defense gives up 22.2 points/game. I think this weekend OSU should have a more balanced offense, building on the running game from last week while improving the passing game. The young receivers will have plenty of opportunities to make some catches. It is questionable how the Big Ten handled the Kurt Coleman situation, but if he had to miss a game this was the one. Indiana almost had a big win last week at Michigan, but Michigan is still a work in progress, especially the defense. Look for OSU to come away with another dominating win over Indiana, winning by 20-25 points. It is possible to get another shut-out, but I think Indiana will get 7-13 points this week.

Scouting the Hoosiers

Offense
Leading the offense at QB is Ben Chappell, who is 64% for 944 yards, 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He runs the pistol offense, which as you may guess is a variation of the shotgun. In the pistol, the running back is behind the QB. He took the place of Kellen Lewis, who was suspended and injured in 2008 and then later dismissed from the team. At RB the team is led by Demetrius McCray and Darius Willis. McCray has 236 yards and one touchdown. Willis has 229 yards and three touchdowns. At receiver are Tandon Doss with 374 yards, Damario Belcher with 222 yards, Terrance Turner with 135 yards, and Mitchell Evans with 116 yards.

Defense
The D-line has experience at the defensive ends with 2007 All American senior Greg Middleton and senior Jammie Kirlew. There is a lack of experience at defensive tackle with both Larry Black and Adam Replogle earning their first starts this season. At linebacker Will Paterston returns for his fourth year as a starter and so far this season he has 22 tackles. Richard Council is in his second year as a starter at cornerback, while senior Ray Fisher switched to cornerback for the first time since high school. Fisher is also a bit undersized at 5'9". At safety are fifth year seniors Nick Polk and Austin Thomas.

The Series

OSU leads the series 65-12-5 and OSU has won 14 straight against Indiana. The teams first met in 1901. Due to the Big Ten schedule rotation the teams did not play in the last two years. The teams last met in 2006 and OSU won 44-3.

The Coaches

Jim Tressel
In his 10th season at OSU he is 86-20, with a career record of 221-77-2 in his 24th year of coaching.











Bill Lynch
In his 3rd season at Indiana he is 13-16, with a career record of 94-83-3 in his 17th year of coaching. Before Indiana he was headcoach at the other Indiana schools of Butler, Ball State, and DePauw. In his first year at Indiana he led the team to a bowl game and seven win season.