The theme of the week is Home Underdogs. It’s a little less overdone than Shark Week and not as creative as American Legion Week. If there were a letter of the week by God, the optimist in me says “W.”

“L” need not apply.

A theme permeates through both picks today in the respect that the home teams aren’t generating much respect. In one case the home team subsisted on a faulty diet of home cooking, the gut-wrenching version of the Atkin’s, to come out to an 0-3 record at home to start the year.

In the other case there’s the slightest claim of disrespect in the number attached to the host. It may be miniscule, could be the smallest perceived slight of all time, but you know, a little bit, little bit insulting. Goes a long way to stir up some animosity.  

So dust of your trousers and your double-knits, because if you’ve got trousers on, they’re accompanied by double-kints, and get it together. Time to reclaim the glory of home.

(All lines taken from mybookie.ag)

Author’s note: Lines may have shifted from when I pulled the number for the column. Lighten up gang.

Boston College vs. Purdue +7 o/u 66

The Pick: Purdue AND the Over

Illogical Reasoning: The pick has more to do with the dire circumstances Purdue finds itself. The chiq program from last year found some pre-season exposure on The Big Ten Network and head coach Jeff Brohm’s rumored dismissal of other jobs to stay in West Lafayette.

No program in the B1G began the year with such an optimistic vibe. Four games at home, one in conference, an other from a Power 5 program and there was a chance Purdue raised its profile going into the big bite of conference play.

Outscored by a total of eight points in three losses, there’s a good chance someone might think Purdue was 2-1 after losing a shootout against Missouri, but beating Eastern Michigan and Northwestern. Instead, it’s the anticipatory terror of the business end of a 0-4 start staring back at the Boilermakers.

Purdue is averaging the second most yards per game in conference after Ohio State, but the attack yielded only nine touchdowns. They reached the end zone nine times? Nine times.

Something has to give. Can’t this week be considered the ultimate backed into the corner/last dance, last chance for love (I have a stronger contingent of Donna Summers fans in my readership than one would think) for Purdue? Yes.

Expect Brohm to get quirky and crazy, taking chances to reach the endzone. Purdue is too talented to end up 0-4, and way too talented to end up 1-3 against the spread. Take the seven points in a game that reveals the Boilermakers talent on offense and lack of talent on defense.

Wisconsin vs. Iowa +3.5 o/u 43

The Pick: Iowa

Illogical Reasoning: The 11 am ESPN crew who called a majority of Wisconsin games in the 2017 season championed quarterback Alex Hornibrook and the 15 interceptions he threw in comparison to the 25 interceptions. The steadiness of Wisconsin’s offensive line and the excellence of running back Jonathan Taylor made Hornibrook kind of a neat accoutrement to the offense. If the Badgers got something out of him great, but don’t ask him to convert more than a handful of third downs.

The same sort of Hornibrook exists this year, with a 3:2 touchdown to interception ratio and a passer rating just a tick lower than last year. Hornibrook will be the reason Iowa covers.

The Hawkeyes will dare Hornibrook to beat them, force the Badgers to grind out long drives running the ball or make their quarterback win a conference game on the road. In the nighttime environment at Kinnick Stadium I can’t see Wisconsin covering the number.

Overall record: 4-5

Main Event Status: After a humbling 1-2 last week I moved down a few spots on the card before the intermission and mixed into a few squash matches against midcard terrors like Cowboy Bob Orton and Kamala. No one competes for titles with an overall record under 500.

Here’s to staying home and covering the numbers.