Week 9 B1G projected scores

JJ finally throws for 400 and four TDs

Three more TDs on the ground

Add a defensive TD.

Thorne gets injured and knocked out of the game.

56–3. 

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I can't believe SP+ only has Ohio +12. I'm actually thinking upset for PSU, but that's because I predict with my heart, not my head.

IL 38 - 17 NE 

NW 3 - 2 Iowa 

Rutger 14 - 24 Minny

An Ohio state 47 - 21 PSU

MSU pain - a lot Michigan

Ohio St hasn't won by more than 13 in Happy Valley since 2009, despite only losing there once.  Penn State's defense usually seems to match up better against pass-heavy teams.  Would be cool if they could steal a win a la 2016 -- a 3-way tie scenario would be good insurance and favor Michigan, as west-opponent records are the tiebreaker.

Fun fact, I thought no way is anyone going to punt every two minutes, so I looked up the record. In 1939, there was a game with 77 punts, and 33 total plays on offense. Texas Tech had 1,318 punt yards and -1 yards of offense. The third and fourth quarters saw 22 consecutive first down punts.

I found this description and it sure sounds like it was a wild ride.

There were two field-goal attempts in the game, but the conditions made kicking near-impossible. Centenary’s attempt from the 11-yard line missed. On the last play of the game, Texas Tech lined up for the game-winner from the 18-yard line. The kick traveled just 12 yards, rolling to a stop on the six-yard line.

Suck it, KirkBrian Ferentz!

I’m nervous about this game … I’m not sure why but something has me on edge

MSU @ MI; I have sparty with 16 pts and the good guys for 41, Vegas and SP+ picks look good.

Ill @ NE: Could be close, I like the 7 pt margin for the Illni.

Rut @ Minny will tell us a little about the current state of the Rutgers program upcoing for MI next Saturday.

OSU @ PSU: I'll call it good if Penn State can hold the buckeyes under 40 and keep it within 10.

How in the world would Iowa get to 29 points? 

Defense scores 2 TDs, 1 safety and sets up offense on a short field for 2 FGs, and the Offense chips in 1 TD on a broken play to outperform expectations?

Minnesota may not be out of it on record, but I think they're out of it because they own 2 losses to the likely other top finishers in the division (Purdue and Illinois)

NW O outscores IA O 6 - 3, but IA D scores 2 TDs to win 17-6.

Illinois wins in Lincoln.

Iowa's D outscores their O, and the Hawks chalk up another W.

Rutgers is riding high after last weekend, but it's not enough to stop the Gophers as they row their boat to another win.

The Bucks win, but don't cover, and struggle rushing the ball.

42 - 27.

I could be wrong but hasn’t OSU beaten the spread every week so far? 

I do think Michigan will win, but I think MSU covers. They get some players back, and this is their Super Bowl. They win this, and whatever happened before now, everything that happens after, is irrelevant. 

They're going to sell out to stop the run, and I do think they'll have some early success in doing so, but things will open up more for Corum as the game goes along. Still, I think these will be the hardest yards he has to get this year. Only question I have on offense is will Harbaugh decide to take advantage of them loading up the box and give McCarthy free reign to attack? Or is Harbaugh going to "stick with what got them here" and try to keep throwing body blows until MSU wears down? I hope its closer to the former. Come out slinging and get an early lead so you can open up the run game. 

This game is going to be annoying for a little while. Thorne is going to drop some dimes and Reed is going to come down with some balls that a lot of receivers would not catch. But Thorne will likely make some bad decisions too, and hopefully Michigan is there to capitalize on it. 

My guess on a final score: 41-24 or 41-28, but its tight at the half. Something like 17-13 Michigan. MSU will be playing on pure emotion in that first half and it'll show, but that only gets you so far. Michigan is simply better in every aspect of the game, and short of Michigan playing its worst game of the year, committing multiple turnovers and Thorne playing a relatively clean game, its hard to envision MSU winning.

Covering? Absolutely. But winning? There's a path to do it, but an extremely narrow one that requires near perfect maneuvering. 

• Vegas is consistently expecting more points out of OSU than SP+ does. This is the first time since 2009 that OSU’s trip to Happy Valley was not a white-out night game.* If not for a blocked FG in 2016, OSU would be going for its 11th straight win in the series.

I feel obligated to point out that if OSU hadn't been the recipient of some awful officiating to their benefit (has OSU lost a game due to bad officiating in recent memory?) in the 2014 game at PSU they wouldn't have gone to the CFP nor won an undeserved National Championship.

Per the ESPN recap from that game (in case any OSU fans have forgotten) :

Penn State was hampered by two calls by officials that went against the Nittany Lions.

In the first quarter, the officials ruled that Ohio State's Vonn Bell intercepted Hackenberg's pass at the Penn State 39. The play was reviewed and the call was upheld.

After the game, however, head referee John O'Neill said the play wasn't thoroughly reviewed.

"The play, technically, was not thoroughly reviewed due to some technical difficulties with the equipment," he said.

And, despite the fact that several replays on the Beaver Stadium video boards showed that the ball hit the ground, the referees were powerless to review them.

"The feeds that the replay team looks at are the feeds that you get at home. We can't deviate," O'Neill said. "We can't create our own rules. The replay rules are clear that we have to use the equipment provided."

Another play that loomed large was Ohio State's 49-yard field goal. Again, TV replays showed the clock with zeros for at least two or three seconds before Sean Nuernberger kicked the ball.

O'Neill said the officials didn't see that. And, as it turns out, that play isn't reviewable.

63-10 blue.