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The biggest key to making predictions is finding that sweet spot between bold and stupid. Anything too obvious doesn’t warrant much credit. Anything too ridiculous and you’re just another yahoo looking for attention.
Hopefully I’ve found that happy medium.
The B1G enters the second week of the college football season on a high note. The league went 10-2 against non-conference foes in Week 1 and scored two victories over top 25 opponents. The conference can make another huge statement this week, especially with so many games against Power Five opponents.
We could talk all day about how we think Saturday will play out, but we’ve decided to give you a few things to keep an eye on instead. Here are this week’s bold predictions for the B1G.
Penn State will hold Pitt under 17 points
September 2014 was the last time Pitt didn’t hit the 17-point mark. But if Week 1 was any indication, the Panthers are going to have a lot of trouble hitting that point total against Penn State. Saquon Barkley and the Lions offense got most of the credit in the 52-0 win over Akron, but the defense looked much better than a season ago. Pitt’s going to have a hard time scoring in Happy Valley on Saturday.
Akrum Wadley and James Butler will each rush for 100 yards vs. Iowa State
The Cyclones were dreadful against the run last season and the Hawkeyes have a pair of pretty good ball-carriers occupying the backfield. Wadley rushed for 116 yards against Wyoming while Butler earned just 47 yards. Brian Ferentz may incorporate a few more offensive looks this weekend, though, and Butler might get a few more carries. With two talented backs led by a strong offensive line, the Hawkeyes should have no trouble running the ball this week.
One B1G team will lose to a MAC opponent
The MAC has scored at least one win over a B1G team each of the last 11 years. That streak could easily get pushed to 12 as three B1G teams entertain MAC schools this weekend. In case you didn’t know, those three games are:
- Ohio vs. Purdue
- Western Michigan vs. Michigan State
- Eastern Michigan vs. Rutgers
Can you really trust any of those teams to escape Saturday with a win? At least one B1G team will fall in Week 2, but it wouldn’t be too surprising if the MAC came away with a couple major victories.
Oklahoma-Ohio State will be decided by a field goal or less
Last year, Ohio State clobbered Oklahoma 45-24 in Norman. Vegas has the Buckeyes labeled as a 7.5-point at home. Everything points to the scarlet and gray getting a signature win over the Sooners early in the season. This game could turn into a shootout as both offenses have some serious firepower. This won’t be a three-possession game like it was a year ago, it’ll be a back-and-forth contest all night.
The B1G goes 7-0 vs. Power Five conferences
Yes, you read that correctly. It’s not because the B1G has already proven to be college football’s supreme conference, it just benefits from some extremely favorable matchups.
Here are the seven B1G games that feature Power Five opponents:
- Iowa vs. Iowa State
- Northwestern vs. Duke
- Pitt vs. No. 4 Penn State
- Indiana vs. Virginia
- Nebraska vs. Oregon
- No. 5 Oklahoma vs. No. 2 Ohio State
- Minnesota vs. Oregon State
The Nebraska-Oregon game is probably the B1G’s least favorable matchup. Indiana-Virginia, Minnesota-Oregon State and Oklahoma-Ohio State are all toss-up games. There isn’t a game on that list where a B1G team is a heavy underdog with an unrealistic shot to win. So why can’t the conference escape with a 7-0 mark against other Power Five conferences? If that happens, it’ll go a long way in proving the B1G actually might be the best conference in college football.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB