Five bold predictions for the B1G in Week 4

There has to come a point when I learn my lesson.

Each week I’ve made a few predictions that are closer to dumb than bold. And yet, I can’t find a way to help myself. At least it gives us something to talk about at the end of the week.

This week, there doesn’t seem to be many of those tempting situations that are more likely to appear in cinema than come to fruition in reality. Instead, I’ve kept the bold predictions relatively bland and fairly realistic. I guess we’ll find out the final verdict at the end of the day Saturday.

Here are the B1G bold predictions for Week 4.

The B1G goes 4-0 in non-conference games

I made a similar prediction a few weeks ago and it didn’t work out too well. But in Week 4, the matchups set up well for B1G teams. Here are the four non-conference games that’ll take place on Saturday:

• UNLV vs. Ohio State
• Georgia Southern vs. Indiana
• UCF vs. Maryland
• Notre Dame vs. Michigan State

Notre Dame will pose some problems for Michigan State and UCF will challenge Maryland, but Ohio State and Indiana should be able to cruise to victories. All four B1G teams have the benefit of playing in front of a home crowd. I think the conference has the better team in all four games. Hopefully this one doesn’t end as poorly as my Week 2 prediction.

Rutgers RB Gus Edwards has a career day vs. Nebraska

Edwards is proving to be a good fit in Jerry Kill’s offense and has shown the ability to turn short runs into big gains. Nebraska’s defense has stopped the run fairly well through the first three weeks but, due to offensive inconsistency, has been on the field too much. Edwards is the type of back who can wear down defenses with his powerful style of play. His single-game high is 115 yards, which he hit while at Miami. Look for Edwards to surpass that total in Lincoln.

Michigan scores touchdowns in the red zone vs. Purdue

Michigan’s red zone woes through the first three weeks have been well documented. My guess is Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines are tired of hearing about it. Water will find its level this week. Wilton Speight will find ways to punch the ball across the goal line this week when the Wolverines get into scoring position.

Indiana shuts out Georgia Southern

The last time the Hoosiers pitched a shutout? 1993. Yeah, it’s been awhile since Indiana’s defense has been talented enough to completely shut down an opponent. But this Saturday might be the best chance the program has had in quite some time. Georgia Southern has scored just 19 points in two games this year and is averaging just 202 yards per game. Considering how talented Indiana’s defense is, the Eagles are going to struggle to put any points on the scoreboard this weekend

Penn State forces four turnovers vs. Iowa

Nobody in the B1G has forced more turnovers than Penn State. The Hawkeyes have had trouble hanging on to the football and are one of the most turnover-prone teams in the conference. And let’s not forget, this will be by far the toughest game that Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley has played. The Nittany Lions defense could have a huge impact in Kinnick Stadium on Saturday night.