Week 8: MotSaG B1G Pick ‘em and Tidbits

By: Phil Schoch, Twitter me @osuphil95

Each week in this spot, we look at college football’s point spreads and match-ups and predict each B1G game as well as a few national spotlight games.

WOW! What a finish! Sparty… YES! The euphoria and ensuing celebration of a monumental Michigan loss has become a sweet once a decade event. I wasn’t around when Kennedy was shot, but I remember exactly where I was for these three days of infamy.

September 24, 1994 – Colorado

Kordell Stewart to Michael Westbrook. I watched it live at the next door neighbor’s apartment at 94 West Lane Avenue.

September 1, 2007 – Appalachian State

Armanti Edwards led then-FCS power Appalachian State to a roller coaster victory over #5 Michigan. I watched it live at the JerryGate Tailgate party on Woodruff Avenue.

October 17, 2015 – Michigan State

The botched punt. I watched it live from the neighbor’s house down the street. Because the group was wildly urging Jalen Watts-Jackson into the end zone, we missed hearing Sean McDonough go full Peter Brady on the final play. A classic.

Last week Pick ‘em & Tidbits made a serious move toward the .500 threshold with a 6-2 mark versus the spread and 6-2 straight up. In back-to-back weeks, my PM Stukenborg Fearless Prediction aka wishful thinking (Texas A&M over Bama) did not cover as the Aggies tossed out Pick 6’s like Trick or Treat candy. After seven weeks, I am 45-46 (49.5%) against the spread and 69-22 (75.8%) straight up.

Week 8 is a clunker on-paper – perhaps a high profile upset or two lurks.

Disclaimer: Warning! Do not wager your money or possessions based upon anything gleaned from this article. Full disclosure – In my side dabbling last week, I liked Kansas State to bounce back (from their loss to TCU) better than Oklahoma (from their loss to Texas). I liked Kansas State +4.5. Kansas State lost to Oklahoma, 55-0.

Around the B1G…

Saturday, October 24

Northwestern is on the slide again. The offense has abandoned them (10 total points in the past two weeks) and the defense has gotten leaky (78 total points given up the past two weeks). Last week Nebraska punched Goldy Gopher in the teeth 48 times.

Pick ’em says… Each team has momentum, ride it. Huskers, 39-5.

Old Style has always been linked to Chicago (Chicago’s Beer since 1902), but it is actually brewed by the G. Heileman Brewing Company in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

Pick ’em says… Pick ’em & Tidbits readers, You’ve Got Style! Old Style. Grab a 6-er of Old Style, now available in Columbus at The Anderson’s General Store & in Cincinnatuh at Jungle Jim’s! Badgers, 23-13.

Poor Penn State. They were so lonely out there as the Eastern outpost of the B1G. Thank goodness the B1G grabbed all of those DC/Baltimore/Rutgers eyeballs for cable rights cash. Maybe this will become a decent rivalry down the road, but for now any mention of Maryland or Rutgers football aggravates me (except last year when these behemoths both beat Michigan).

Pick ’em says… In my day, the Big 10 had ten schools. That’s the way it was and we liked it!  https://youtu.be/BbU4Cb4A4-o

Momentum. Indiana has lost three straight including a 55-52 collapse last week versus Rutgers. The hurtin’ Hoosiers were outscored 22-0 in the 4th quarter. Ouch. Sparty, thank you for that Pure Michigan moment last week.

Pick ’em says… Sparty, 34-20.

Great! Ohio State now gets to play Rutgers every freaking year. We’ll get to see Northwestern, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois, you know, Big 10 schools – not B1G schools, every-so-often. But we get to see Maryland and Rutgers every-GD-year! Thanks a lot Obama Delany!

Pick ’em says… JT puts the offense in high gear, finally! For the 5th week out of 7, I’ll call for the Buckeyes to hit 50+. 52-17.

Two hyper-hypo-obnoxious fan bases. Please Tennessee?

Pick ’em says… Bama 27-20. 

From 1966 – 2012, legendary Minster (Ohio) resident, Paul ‘P.M.’ Stukenborg (pictured above) posted his weekly sports predictions in the hometown paper, The Community Post. Each week, Pick ’em will make a P.M. Stukenborg Fearless Prediction and call for an underdog to to knock off the favorite.

Pick ’em says… PM needs to get back into the win column. This has the too-good-too-be-true Kiss of Death written all over it. Utes, 31-28.

ENJOY YOUR BYE WEEK MICHIGAN FANS!