Week 7: Links links links (MSU-Michigan week edition)

We know you're busy. We're busy too. So we'll not waste your time and get right into the links portion of your week here at TNG.

People who wear green hate people who wear blue, and vice versa.

Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden is ancient by college football standards, but old man football is looking to put another beatdown on UT this year.

After a sluggish start, USC left it all on the field in San Francisco and demolished the Cal Bears tonight.

The Gators get to tangle with a Honey Badger in the Bayou this weekend. Nobody is excited about this in Gainsville.

Carder-Harnish may be the best quarterback matchup of the weekend when WMU takes on NIU.

Oregon is going into this weekend's battle with Arizona State with a clipped wing after LaMichael James went down last week. Or are they?

Everyone is waiting to see when Clemson (3-0 ACC) will inevitably f--- up. Not going to be this weekend, Maryland fans.

SPECIAL BONUS LINK: Finally, Stephen Garcia said he was "flabbergasted" when he got kicked off the South Carolina football team. Really?

Week 7: It's MSU - Michigan Week along with MAC, Big East, ACC, and Sun Belt lines and previews

B1G-

Michigan State -2 vs. Michigan
Penn State -11.5 vs. Purdue
Wisconsin -40 vs. Indiana
Illinois -3.5 vs. Ohio State
Iowa -6.5 vs. Northwestern


BIG EAST-

Cincinnati -16.5 vs. Louisville
Rutgers -4 vs. Navy
UConn +7.5 vs. South Florida

MAC-

Bowling Green +7 vs. Toledo
Temple -21 vs. Buffalo
Central Michigan -13 vs. Eastern Michigan
Ohio -14 vs. Ball State
Northern Illinois +1.5 vs. Western MichiganKent State +3.5 vs. Miami (OH)

ACC-

North Carolina -3 vs. Miami (FL)
Duke +13.5 vs. Florida State
Virginia vs. Georgia TechWake Forest +7 vs. Virginia Tech
Maryland +8 vs. Clemson

SUN BELT-

Florida Atlantic -3 vs. Western Kentucky
LA-Lafayette -9 vs. North Texas
Troy -9 vs. LA-Monroe

Marcus says...

Michigan State -2 vs. Michigan

Sparty is riding a 3 game series winning streak into this one against their bitter rival Michigan. A win for MSU would mark the first 4 game winning streak against Michigan since our parents were little kids. Both teams are ranked in the Top 25 and the game pits one of the nations top defenses against Michigan's potent offense. Last week, Denard Robinson and the Wolverines came back from a halftime deficit against Northwestern, while the Spartans rested during their bye week. The MSU defense is giving up 10.2 points per game while UM is scoring 38 on average. All eyes will be on the MSU offense, who has been struggling as of late. The MSU defense will keep them in the game, but my early feeling is Michigan will get the W in East Lansing.

Northern Illinois +1.5 vs. Western Michigan

Two of the MACs best QBs face off in Dekalb on Saturday in NIUs Chandler Harnish and WMUs Alex Carder. The Broncos beat up on Bowling Green last week and come into the game on top of the MAC West. Northern dominated an awful Kent State team. WMUs running game came to life last week, rushing for 351 yards. The Huskies have to be concerned about stopping the potent Bronco offense, as they have had their struggles on defense so far this year. NIU has to hope the Broncos make some early mistakes and Harnish can control the ball, if they are going to stay in the game. I see a Bronco route on the road.

Virginia +7 vs. Georgia Tech

The 'Jackets continue to roll, knocking off Maryland last week (did you play TNGs pick). The GT rushing attack led by QB Washington and RB Smith led the way last week, scoring all 3 TDs. While the defense forced 2 key turnovers. The Yellow Jackets hit the road as they continue their quest for the ACC title and a BCS bid. The Cavaliers have been less then impressive so far this year, including needing OT to knock off Idaho last week. Tech covers.

Maryland +8 vs. Clemson

Reports out of Clemson are that QB Tajh Boyd is 100% coming into this matchup with the Terps, which is good news for the Tigers who are setting the pace in the ACC Atlantic division at 6-0. Maryland's offense woke up in the 2nd half last week against Georgia Tech, but still came up short. The Terps have had a disappointing season so far, holding a record of 2-3. Gut says that Maryland's QB controversy will continue to linger and Clemson will be focused and covers.

Week 7: Sprinting into the second half of the season with the Pac 12, Big 12, SEC, WAC and MWC

Welcome to Week 7 Nitty Griddy Nation. We're dubbing this week Ron Burgundy Week at TNG, because we're going to find out who's the balls. We've got big battles in a couple of leagues that should go a long way in telling how this year will shape up. On to the picks!

Big 12

Oklahoma St. -7.5 @ Texas

Baylor @ Texas A & M -9.5

Iowa St. @ Mizzou -15.5

Kansas St. @ Texas Tech -3

Oklahoma -33.5 @ Kansas

Pac 12

USC -3 @ Cal

Utah @ Pitt -7

Colorado @ Washington -14.5

BYU @ Oregon St. -1.5

Stanford -21 @ Washington St.

Arizona State @ Oregon -16

SEC

S. Carolina -3 @ Miss. St.

LSU -16 @ Tennessee

Alabama -25 @ Ole Miss

Florida -1.5 @ Auburn

Georgia -11 @ Vanderbilt

MWC

SDSU @ Air Force -6

UNLV @ Wyoming -11

New Mexico @ Nevada -29.5

Boise St. -32 @ Colorado St.

WAC

Hawaii -6.5 @ San Jose St.

Idaho @ NMSU -1.5

Utah St. -3.5 @ Fresno St.

Kyle says...

Oklahoma St. -7.5 @ Texas

Things are now looking like they might get worse before they get better in Austin. The Horns had a problem getting anything going through the air to anyone not named Shipley last week, and while OK Lite's defense is a lot softer than Oklahoma's (The Pokes give up 12 more ppg than OU), UT showed almost no ground game to keep a D honest. Fozzy Whittacker averaged more than 7 yards per carry last week but inexplicably got only a handful of rushes. Compare that against the OSU offense, which, led by Brandon Weeden (automatic points for being older than me), is leading the nation in scoring. Weeden has 15 touchdowns himself, better than all of Texas' QBs combined. It'll be a good night to hit Sixth Street early, as OSU comes into ATX and covers.

USC -3 @ Cal

Who do you hate more, West Coast residents? USC kids in those damned Harry Potter scarves and Knockaround shades, or Berkeley trustafarians in Birks shitting out of trees? A lot of A-holes are getting together in San Francisco Thursday night. SC QB Matt Barkley is starting to look downright dominant, directing a stable of standout wideouts and the running game, which includes a healthy Marc Tyler, to 38-plus points in their last three outings. Cal's defense is charitably described as terrible against real competition, and QB Zach Maynard has looked lost in consecutive defeats at the hands a competent defense in Oregon and a "defense" in the loosest sense of the word in Washington. Still, SC stumbled in its only road game so far at Arizona State, so this one doesn't get too wild, but the Trojans cover.

BYU @ Oregon St. -1.5

This game is going to be a pillow fight, but BYU is on a tear and Oregon St. got a lucky one in on Arizona last week. Cougars beat the spread on the strength of their offense, which is slowly catching fire behind QB Jake Heaps.

LSU -16 @ Tennessee

The Vols blew their chance at a home win last week in an ugly loss to a rickety Georgia squad. The Bulldogs exposed a weak rushing attack for UT—ranked 114th in the nation—and teams can freely drop back 7 or even 8 on QB Tyler Bray and his talented receiving corps. Contrast that with the all-everything Bayou Bengals, who have shut down two of the most prolific passing games in the country going into their games with LSU—Oregon and Florida—and it's going to be a long day on Rocky Top Saturday. LSU covers.

Florida -1.5 @ Auburn

Was I the only person who looked at this line and went "huh?" True enough, Auburn is having a hell of a time trying to pass the ball with first year QB Barrett Trotter, but RB Michael Dyer is producing at a high level and Florida hasn't stopped the run in three weeks now. Without regular starting QB John Brantley, the Gators' passing attack has also gone into the toilet, putting up less than 100 yards last week against LSU in the Bayou. Auburn finds a way to keep the Florida D on the field for just long enough, and the Tigers beat the spread.

Week 6: We're pickin' and a grinnin'

The picks are in, The picks are in...

We're getting ready for a big weekend of conference matchups here at The Nitty Griddy. We've had some requests for changes to the site, so let us know what you think, and if there's anything you'd like to see, or anything you'd like to see presented differently. On to the picks!

Marcus says...

Northwestern +7.5 vs. Michigan
Northwestern had a big lead at Illinois last week, only to let it slip away. Michigan’s offense is more explosive than the Illini’s and the defense has been playing well. Dan Persa and the ‘Cats will score some points, but in the end Michigan covers.

Nebraska -11 vs. Ohio St
Taylor Martinez and the Huskers have something to prove after their dismantling at the hands of Wisconsin last week. Ohio State gets 3 starters back, but still needs to shake out their QB situation. I want to make my OSU talent argument here, but just can’t do it. Nebraska wins by 2 TDs and covers.

Western Michigan -10 vs. Bowling Green
The money is coming in on Bowling Green as the line has moved to 10. It’s important game for the Broncos and their quest for their first MAC title since ‘88. Kalamazoo will be jacked for the game and their should be a good Homecoming crowd at Waldo. WMU covers in the win.

Georgia Tech -14 vs. Maryland
The Georgia Tech offense has been the talk of the town, while Maryland has become an afterthought since they knocked off Miami in Week 1. The Tech offense will try to run and gun, while Davey O’Brien and Maryland will try to slow the pace. I like Georgia Tech to win here, but take Maryland and the points.


Kyle says...

Oklahoma -10.5 vs. Texas

The Horns and Oklahoma get together in Dallas for the Red River Rivalry as the second biggest game in town tomorrow (Thanks Tigers!) But, that doesn't mean the game won't provide some fireworks. Texas' slows it down and controls the ball with its running game, maybe not enough to win, but enough to beat the spread.

Florida @ LSU -13

The Gators have picked a bad week and a very bad year to head to the Bayou a week after getting pummeled by 'Bama in the Swamp. LSU continues to assault opposing defenses with a balanced attack and Florida is going to have a hard time keeping its D off the field. Look for LSU to cover.

Iowa St. @ Baylor -15.5

The bad breaks keep coming for the Cyclones as RGIII lines up across from them this week. Iowa St. QB Steel Jantz may keep them in the game early, but look for Baylor to come on strong in the second and cover easily.

Georgia -2 @ Tennessee

Are you sold on Georgia? Me neither. Facing the prolific Volunteers offense isn't going to be easy for an inconsistent Bulldog defense. Tyler Bray does what he likes against the UGA defensive backfield, and Tennessee beats the spread.

Season Standings:

Marcus - 11-9-0
Kyle - 10-9-1

Week 6: Hitting the Links

Former high school national player of the year Garrett Gilbert is transferring from Texas.  This is definitely not the way Longhorn fan saw this going.

ND defense is no longer porous says Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Brady Hoke looking for improved play on Special Teams says Mark Snyder of the Freep.

Rivalry week in Nevada.  UNLV: where they are developing 'winners'?  Chris Murray has some thoughts on that from Reno.

Love to see WMU beat writer Graham Couch paying attention to the lines.  Maybe he'll start to follow TNG.

Can Clemson keep up their torrid pace on offense?

College Gameday will be in Dallas for the Red River Rivalry.  UT may be young, but they have talent.

Will Shelton of Rocky Top Talk says Georgia-Tennessee is at DEFCON 3.

Georgia Tech's #1 recruit will not take a visit to Georgia says Michael Carvell of the AJC.

Annual LSU-Florida game may become a casualty of conference realignment.

Ohio State is getting 3 suspended players back for this weeks game in Lincoln, but as Rusty Miller puts it, too bad none of them play QB.

Picks will be up tomorrow, enjoy Cal-Oregon tonight!

P.S. - Go Detroit Tigers! (we follow other sports too)

Week 6: Pac 12, Big 12, SEC, WAC, MWC

Hello Nitty Griddy readers. Sorry for the delay—moving to Nevada has been distracting to this half of TNG's staff—but we're back. This week we're breaking down the Red River Rivalry, the Battle in the Bayou, and Nevada's battle over which state school has the loosest... slots. On to the picks!

Pac 12
Cal @ Oregon -24
Arizona -2 @ Oregon St.
Arizona St. -4 @ Utah
Colo. @ Stanford -29.5
WSU @ UCLA -3.5

Big 12
Oklahoma -9.5 vs. Texas (Dallas)
Kansas @ Oklahoma St. -29.5
Mizzou -3 @ KSU
Iowa St. @ Baylor -15.5
Texas A&M -9 @ Texas Tech

SEC
Miss St. -17 @ UAB
Kentucky @ South Carolina -21
Florida @ LSU -14
Auburn @ Arkansas -10
Vanderbilt @ Alabama -29.5
UGA -1 @ Tenn.

Mountain West
Boise St. -21 @ Fresno St.
UNLV @ Nevada -21
La. Tech -4 @ Idaho
Wyoming @ Utah St. -11
SJSU @ BYU -12.5

WAC
Air Force @ Notre Dame -14.5
TCU -4 @ SDSU

Kyle says...

UNLV @ Nevada -21
Boy did the Rebels pick the wrong year to come north. Nevada is coming off a few ugly losses to much better competition than UNLV can muster in Texas Tech and Boise State. And, despite just plain stinking on defense, the Pack rolls out a top-15 rushing attack led by Junior RB Mike Ball, who is going to roll through a Reb's defense ranked nearly dead last in D1 play. There's no way Rebs RB Tim Cornett, no slouch in his own right, gets enough touches to make a difference. Look for the Pack running game to buy whoever is quarterbacking the air attack enough time to pick apart UNLV's porous secondary for at least a few scores. Nevada takes out its frustration on the boys from down south and covers at home.

Georgia -1 @ Tennessee
The Bulldogs have looked good in their last three games—including a beating of Mississippi State—which may be lending Vegas an edge in confidence in this line. But, do not underestimate these young Vols, led by QB Tyler Bray and his monster year so far. Bray has more weapons, and the homefield advantage on Georgia's Aaron Murray, who hasn't had any problem finding the end zone this year. Look for Tennessee to beat the spread in a shootout.

Florida @ LSU -14
If Alabama exposed Florida last week, LSU is going in for the kill this week. With starting QB John Brantley out, the Gators turn to one of a trio of freshman to lead them against one of the top defenses in the country in LSU. LSU is giving up the ninth fewest points in the country, and manhandled a senior-laden offense in Oregon in week 1. The Tigers will continue to hammer away on defense and maximize their big play potential on offense. Look for an easy win and LSU to cover in the Bayou.

Oklahoma -9.5 vs. Texas
When has there ever been less hype going into this game with both teams undefeated? Oklahoma is getting no love, partly as a function of a soft schedule that's really only featured a drooping Florida State squad, and partly because Alabama and LSU are on freaking fire. Coach Bob Stoops knows he'll have to make a statement in this Texas game to fend off the haters (and maybe Boise St. in the rankings.) That makes me scared for the Horns, BUT, UT is having almost no problem scoring points despite a pathetic QB situation, which tells me Fozzy Whittacker and Malcolm Brown are holding Texas in games. Look for UT to keep it on the ground and keep it tight. Oklahoma will win, but the Horns beat the spread.

Week 6: Big Ten, Big East, ACC MAC, and Sun Belt. Conference play heats up. Homecoming in Kalamazoo. Can the Huskers bounce back? How good is Georgia Tech?

We're back TNG Nation! It's been a busy week but here's the first installment of our Week 6 Previews. Conference play heats up as teams are jockeying for position in the conference standings. Michigan coach Brady Hoke doesn't think his team is as good as their ranking at #12, but the Wolverines have a chance to pick up a W in their first road game. The Nebraska Corn Huskers open their home Big Ten schedule with the spiraling Ohio State Buckeyes. Western Michigan is feeling pretty good about themselves after knocking off last years Big East Champion and does this year's Georgia Tech team remind of the 1990 squad? Yeah we don't remember that team either. Onto the Previews...

B1G-

Purdue -10.5 vs. Minnesota
Indiana +15 vs. Illinois
Penn St -3.5 vs. Iowa
Northwestern +7.5 vs. Michigan
Nebraska -11 vs. Ohio St


BIG EAST-

West Virginia -20 vs. UConn
Rutgers +7 vs. Pitt
Syracuse -10 @ Tulane

MAC-

Miami (OH) +2 vs. Army
Western Michigan -11 vs. Bowling Green
Ball St +8.5 vs. Temple
Toledo -21 vs. Eastern Michigan
Central Michigan +10.5 @ NC State
Buffalo +8.5 vs. Ohio
Northern Illinois -17 vs. Kent St

SUN BELT-

Middle Tennessee St -11.5 vs. Western Kentucky
FIU -19 @ Akron
LA-Lafayette +6.5 vs. Troy
LA-Monroe +2 vs. Arkansas St
North Texas -4 vs. Florida Atlantic

ACC-

Georgia Tech -14 vs. Maryland
North Carolina -14 vs. Louisville
Wake Forest +10.5 vs. Florida St
Clemson -21 vs. Boston College
Virginia Tech -7.5 vs. Miami (FL)

Marcus says...

Northwestern +7.5 vs. Michigan
The Wolverines enter the game Saturday night at Ryan Field at 5-0 and rapidly climbing in the polls after an absolute dismantling of Minnesota last week.  Northwestern hosts Michigan trying to shake off a tough loss at Illinois last week.  The Wildcats led by 4 with 1:15 to play, only to watch Illinois march down the filed and win the game.  Michigan’s Denard Robinson continues to pile up the stats with 14 total TDs and leading the Big Ten in rushing with 603 yards.  The Wolverine defense continues to be the most improved part of the team.  Northwestern got their Senior QB Dan Persa back last week and he threw 4 TDs in his first game back from an achilles injury suffered last year.  However, Persa wasn’t able to run on the Illini defense and I imagine he’ll have the same troubles against the Wolverines.  Early feeling is Michigan covers.

Nebraska -11 vs. Ohio St
How different does this game feel after last weeks results?  Nebraska was embarrassed by Russell Wilson and the Badgers in Madison while the Buckeyes couldn’t get anything going against the Michigan State defense.  Ohio State QB Braxton Miller was pulled for the 37 year old Joe Bauserman after he couldn’t move the ball and turned it over.  The word is Coach Fickell is going back to Miller for this game, which shows how desperate they are for him to be the future.  Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez, who was hyped by TNG last week, threw 3 picks while the “Blackshirts” are still giving up yards to Wiscy’s offense.   Both teams need to bounce back and the Huskers appear to be more poised to do that, especially at home.  Leaning Nebraska covering.

Western Michigan -11 vs. Bowling Green
This game has ‘trap’ written all over it for the Broncos.  WMU is 3-2 after getting a big road win at UConn last week.  TNG’s favorite dynamic duo of Carder and White were unstoppable as White had 173 yds and 2 scores.  Alex Carder placed himself in the national spotlight as one of the country’s best QBs with a 479 yard, 5 TD and 0 INT performance.  WMU’s defense got the job done, forcing a fumble late that sealed the victory.  Bowling Green is also 3-2 and is coming off a beat down at the hands of West Virginia.  BG’s defense couldn’t stop the high powered Mountaineer attack and QB Schilz threw 3 INTs.  The Falcons will regroup and Coach Clawson hopes to have RB Samuel and WR Cooper back for the game.  It’s homecoming in Kalamazoo and expect there to be a good crowd at Waldo Stadium. 11 is a big number, but I like WMU to focus and beat BG by 2 TDs.  

Georgia Tech -14 vs. Maryland
The Yellow Jackets are 5-0 for the first time in 1990, when they shared the National Title with Colorado under the direction of Coach Bobby Ross.  The Georgia Tech rushing attack is #1 in the country averaging 378.2 yards per game, led by Junior RB Orwin Smith.  QB Tevin Washington has been efficient with 10 TDs against only 1 INT.  Maryland comes into the game at 2-2 and no one cares anymore about their uniforms.  The Terps face a tall task in Atlanta, as their defense is giving up 412.5 yards per game, a conference worst.  I see GT covering in a big win.