Week 11: MotSaG B1G Pick ‘em and Tidbits

By: Phil Schoch, Twitter me @osuphil95

Each week Pick ’em & Tidbits peeks through the knothole at the college football storylines, point spreads and match-ups and predicts each B1G game as well as a few national spotlight games.

Week 10 was another crap week as Pick ’em & Tidbits dropped two more games off the pace with a 4-6 record against the spread and an even more miserable 5-5 straight up. Yech! The season tally stands at 55-60 (47.8%) ATS and 84-31 (73.0%) SU. I’m still within striking distance of my goals of 50% and 75%. My PM Stukenborg Fearless Prediction of Penn State (+3) over Northwestern covered, but lost on a last second field goal.

Bert the Massive

This column has poked a bit of fun at former B1G Public Enemy #1, Bert Bielema, and the woeful season his Arkansas Razorbacks have endured. I’ve greedily rooted for his demise in Fayetteville, so he would come crawling back to the B1G – hashtag karma. After the Hogs wild overtime victory over Ole Miss last week, Arkansas sits at 5-4 and travels to LSU this Saturday to battle the Tigers for the Golden Boot trophy. They are likely to reach bowl eligibility (they still have to play Mizzou) and BB will be anchored in Arkansas for another year. Sigh.

On a heavier note, what the hell happened to Bert? He’s massive! He must
be eating chicken fried steaks with a gallon jug of white gravy as a lite snack. The button-up mu-mu and modified infield tarp have become his go-to outfits. Just more of him to love to hate, I guess. Bert is one big Pig!

JT and the Outrage Crowd.

After suspended Buckeye QB, JT Barrett, was spotted in the coach’s box Saturday night for the Gopher game and after it became public that he spoke to/encouraged/urged on his teammates at halftime (context completely unknown) the fresh and hot takers and media outrage crowd took aim at the QB, Coach Meyer and Buckeye program for another round. Remember all the trouble Florida State QB, Jameis Winston, was involved in? Shady sexual assault investigation, seafood theft, public exhibition of lewd and profane speech? Remember all that nonsense? He was suspended a grand total of one game (Clemson) and during that game he ran around the sidelines putting on a show for the ABC cameras. Have some perspective, please.

On Tuesday, JT walked into court and took his medicine. Plead guilty. Accepted responsibility. Learn. Improve. Move forward.

How ’bout some football games?

Disclaimer: Warning! Do not wager your money or possessions based upon anything gleaned from this article.

Around the B1G…

Saturday, November 14

Throw the records out the window when the Illibuck Trophy is up for grabs! Remember in 2007 when The Zooker hooked his career on the star of Juice Williams (not to be confused with Oran “Juice” Jones) and the Illini (and a crooked ref who whipped his step-kids with coax-cables) walked into The ‘Shoe and beat Jim Tressel and #1 ranked Ohio State? I still can’t believe what I just typed actually happened.

Pick ’em says… Buckeyes, 48-17.

Silly rabbit. Trix are for kids! It’s Oran “Juice” Jones – The Rain

SPARTY! Nooooo! Everyone knows the phantom force out was a garbage call, but no one really feels sorry for you because you put yourself in position to get B1G’d by the refs. What a shame. Could have been a battle of the unbeaten’s next week.

Pick ’em says… Sparty, 31-14.

Photo depicts actual home crowd for Purdue games this season. Darrell Hazell and the Boilers scored 55 and beat Nebraska in Week 9, then get wood shed’ed by 34 against Illinois. Not good for job security.

Pick ’em says… The North-Siders, 27-14.

Lil’ Red will haunt your dreams.

Pick ’em says… Huskers kick around the bloated corpse of Rutgers, 34-20.

Michigan is right back in the B1G East title hunt after Sparty’s folly in Lincoln. Indiana fans wish it was 1985 all over again. They still have the clothes and hairstyles to seamlessly transition back in time.

Pick ’em says… Michigan continues to roll toward The Game, 37-17.

The battle for the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy. Floyd, the bronze pig, weighs 98 pounds – the average yearly poundage of bacon consumed by each man, woman and child in Minnesota and Iowa.

Pick ’em says… mmm… bacon… Iowa, 24-17.

 National Spotlight Games…

The college football gods (ESPN) are smiling again as all is right in their universe – because Bama is back, baby! Will the Tide have a hangover this week in Starkville? Pleeeease, Cousin Eddie! Make it happen!

Pick ’em says… Bama slides by 24-21.

Can the Ducks turn the tables on the Dancing Trees? Stanford’s ultra-intelligent, smash mouth style has given Oregon fits over the years and has ruined a few of the Duck’s runs to a National Title game (and certain defeat).

Pick ’em says… 10 is a big number in this match-up. Stanford, 31-24.

From 1966 – 2012, legendary Minster (Ohio) resident, Paul ‘P.M.’ Stukenborg (pictured) posted his weekly sports predictions in my 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.

Oklahoma has destroyed the meek of the Big XII after its inexplicable loss to  Texas. Baylor looked vulnerable against Kansas State last week and held on to win by 7. This is a Final 4 elimination game.

Pick ’em says… Boomer Sooner, 48-44.

*Author’s note- My laptop keyoard has a malfunctioning ‘B’ utton. Let me tell you, it was a real itch typing this much nonsense and having to grind to a halt to slam the ‘B’ key each time. So if there are numerous typos with missing  ” ‘s” – I’m sorry. Thanks for reading or not reading each week – I get paid the same either way.