Black Shoe Degenerates: Week 3

The blowouts of last week were delicious. And, with the exception of Ohio State, everyone preformed as expected of them. Iowa won another game with defense, FCS teams looked overmatched against Big Ten counterparts, and MACrifices were plentiful!

This week, we have a bigger sampling of Big Ten vs Power 5 (or, in the case of Indiana, just plain old “ranked”) matchups, and they all provide varying levels of intrigue depending on what the game is.

Maryland (-7.5) at Illinois

After three games, the question of whether Nebraska is that bad or Illinois just happened to get their huge upset out of the way early starts to make sense. The Fighting Illini have looked nothing like what they did against the Huskers in week zero. Meanwhile, Maryland is still in early season form. This one’s easy.

Dylan: Maryland 38, Illinois 16
Clay: Maryland 34, Illinois 20
Lando: Maryland 31, Illinois 21
Jared: Maryland 30, Illinois 17
Tim: Maryland 35, Illinois 17
Eli: Maryland 34, Illinois 10

Nebraska at No. 3 Oklahoma (-22)

Nebraska has looked a little better after the debacle in weak zero, and their defense has gone unnoticed given the slates in the past two weeks. We know Oklahoma can score, and we also know teams can score on Oklahoma. Will Nebraska take advantage and keep this one close throughout? 22 points feels like the perfect trap here.

Dylan: Oklahoma 48, Nebraska 24
Clay: Oklahoma 48, Nebraska 20
Lando: Oklahoma 42, Nebraska 14
Jared: Oklahoma 52, Nebraska 21
Tim: Oklahoma 45, Nebraska 21
Eli: Nebraska 35, Oklahoma 31

No. 8 Cincinnati (-4) at Indiana

This is where it gets real for both of these teams. If Cincinnati wants to be seriously considered for the playoff, they can’t lose this game. If Indiana wants people to think 2020 wasn’t a fluke, they can’t lose this game. Both teams are in can’t lose mode if they want to make sure their seasons turn out the way they want, but only one of them can win.

Dylan: Cincinnati 27, Indiana 20
Clay: Cincinnati 27, Indiana 17
Lando: Cincinnati 35, Indiana 28
Jared: Cincinnati 34, Indiana 27
Tim: Cincinnati 24, Indiana 20
Eli: Cincinnati 21, Indiana 20

Michigan State at No. 24 Miami (-6.5)

Alabama makes everyone look like a high school team, and Appalachian State gives everyone a heart attack. Meanwhile, we still don’t know much about how good Michigan State really is given who both Northwestern and the Spartans played last week. Six and a half points sound about right.

Dylan: Michigan State 24, Miami 23
Clay: Miami 28, Michigan State 20
Lando: Miami 38, Michigan State 27
Jared: Michigan State 24, Miami 21
Tim: Michigan State 31, Miami 28
Eli: Michigan State 28, Miami 21

Northern Illinois at No. 25 Michigan (-27)

Northern Illinois looks to be improved over their winless outing last season. Then again, they literally couldn’t be worse than winless. Michigan seems to be having an easy time dispatching of opponents on the ground, however, so this one should be out of hand quickly.

Dylan: Michigan 49, Northern Illinois 13
Clay: Michigan 38, Northern Illinois 13
Lando: Michigan 42, Northern Illinois 7
Jared: Michigan 41, Northern Illinois 14
Tim: Michigan 42, Northern Illinois 7
Eli: Michigan 45, Northern Illinois 7

Minnesota at Colorado (-2.5)

Minnesota had to adjust to life without Mohamed Ibrahim last week, but Ibrahim plays on offense. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in this game after Colorado gave Texas A&M everything it could handle.

Dylan: Colorado 27 -Minnesota 24
Clay: Minnesota 27, Colorado 20
Lando: Minnesota 34, Colorado 31
Jared: Minnesota 35, Colorado 31
Tim: Minnesota 28, Colorado 21
Eli: Minnesota 17, Colorado 13

Purdue at No. 12 Notre Dame (-7.5)

Notre Dame has allowed 38 and 29 points, respectively. Purdue has scored 31 and 49. Can the Boilermakers actually keep up with the Irish the way Toledo and Florida State could? If they can, maybe it’s time to panic in South Bend. The over seems like a lock here, but that ain’t the game we’re playing today, is it?

Dylan: Notre Dame 38, Purdue 17
Clay: Notre Dame 30, Purdue 20
Lando: Notre Dame 24, Purdue 21
Jared: Notre Dame 27, Purdue 20
Tim: Notre Dame 28, Purdue 24
Eli: Purdue 45, Notre Dame 38

Kent State at No. 5 Iowa (-22.5)

Iowa gets a reprieve this week to work on their offense! We know what the defense brings to the table, it’s now time to find out if the offense can match. The Hawkeyes have easily covered the last two games, but something tells me that 22 and a half is a ton, even against a MAC team.

Dylan: Iowa 28 - Kent St 10
Clay: Iowa 34, Kent State 10
Lando: Iowa 28, Kent State 7
Jared: Iowa 41, Kent State 20
Tim: Iowa 38, Kent State 10
Eli: Iowa 31, Kent State 17

Tulsa at No. 9 Ohio State (-24.5)

Tulsa played Oklahoma State close, and now aims to make it a game against another OSU. The Buckeyes will want to use this game as proof that they can and will fix their defense. Like Notre Dame, above, it Tulsa manages to move the ball well against Ohio State, it’s time to panic in Columbus.

Dylan: Ohio State 56, Tulsa 27
Clay: Ohio State 48, Tulane 14
Lando: Ohio State 38, Tulsa 7
Jared: Ohio State 56, Tulsa 10
Tim: Ohio State 52, Tulsa 14
Eli: Ohio State 45, Tulsa 21

Delaware at Rutgers (TBD)

Delaware is one of the better FCS teams as of late, but Rutgers should still win with ease.

Dylan: Rutgers 27, Delaware 21
Clay: Rutgers 38, Delaware 13
Lando: Rutgers 31, Delaware 10
Jared: Rutgers 28, Delaware 10
Tim: Rutgers 38, Delaware 10
Eli: Rutgers 45, Delaware 17

Northwestern (-3) at Duke

Duke hasn’t looked like world beaters as of late, but the last time Northwestern ventured into Durham, they left the owners of a beatdown of epic proportions. Can the Wildcats avoid a repeat? It’s still September, and the college football season doesn’t start till October out in Evanston, so don’t be surprised if Duke wins outright.

Dylan: Northwestern 17, Duke 13
Clay: Northwestern 23, Duke 14
Lando: Duke 21, Northwestern 17
Jared: Northwestern 20, Duke 13
Tim: Northwestern 24, Duke 21
Eli: Northwestern 17, Duke 10

No. 22 Auburn at No. 10 Penn State (-6)

You’re well aware by now how Auburn fans feel about this game. Let’s not regurgitate that. Let’s instead talk about how incredibly awesome the Whiteout is going to be after a year off. Beaver Stadium sounded loud last week, and that was against Ball State. I can’t begin to imagine how crazy things will be on Saturday. And also yeah Auburn is going to get run out of the building.

Dylan: Penn State 34, Auburn 24
Clay: Penn State 27, Auburn 17
Lando: Penn State 28, Auburn 24
Jared: Penn State 24, Auburn 17
Tim: Penn State 27, Auburn 20
Eli: Penn State 56, Auburn 17

Looking for standings?

Do not fear my dear reader! Those will release on Tuesdays, so be on the lookout for the first of such updates next week!*

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*Yes, I said this last week, but I got busy. Please bear with me.