B1G East race
At the beginning of the season the predominate expectation was that there would be a 3-team battle for the B1G East Division title between Michigan, PSU, & OSU. That means that there are 3 quasi-division title games. One, of course, on Nov. 25, the other two involving PSU when they play Michigan & OSU in consecutive weeks, today being the first of those 3 quasi-division title games. How PSU performs tonight and next week will go a long way in determining where they finish in the division standings.
With MSU's surprising play thus far, are they going to emerge to make it a 4-team race? I don't think any one of us is yet convinced that they are for real as a division contender. But we do have to acknowledge that they don't yet have a conference loss, which keeps them in the race whether or not we want to admit it. Sparty could lose to Indiana and they could lose @ Northwestern. But they're also capable of winning both of those games and if they do win them they will be 5-0 when they host PSU.
If MSU does stay in the race, the 4 teams have a combined 6 games against one another. Only 1 of those 6 games has been played. We're entereing an exciting portion of the schedule because, beginning with today's games, each of the next 4 Saturdays feature a matchup between 2 of those 4 teams. PSU plays Michigan, OSU, & MSU in consecutive weeks and then OSU plays MSU. Two weeks later is Nov. 25. Also, the week prior to The Game, as you know, is Michigan's game @ Wisconsin.
Therefore, each of the next 6 Saturdays feature a game that will play a major role in the outcome of the East Division race:
Oct 21: Michigan @ PSU
Oct 28: PSU @ OSU
Nov 4: PSU @ MSU
Nov 11: MSU @ OSU
Nov 18: Michigan @ Wisconsin
Nov 25: The Game
BUCKLE UP! This should be an exciting ride!
October 21st, 2017 at 12:47 PM ^
11W called they want their bucnut back
October 21st, 2017 at 1:03 PM ^
I'm waiting for a recall of bucknut too.
October 21st, 2017 at 12:48 PM ^
I'm gonna get drunk tonight. Fuck Penn State.
October 21st, 2017 at 12:50 PM ^
I'm sure you struggle with counting, but this is over 200 words, which means it should be a diary.
October 21st, 2017 at 1:00 PM ^
I also struggle with speallign. I was not aware of the 200-word criterion. I never expected that I would be diary worthy. I'm sure I'm not.
October 21st, 2017 at 1:16 PM ^
Some of us enjoy getting some rational outside perspective on this site
October 21st, 2017 at 12:50 PM ^
Use more words.
October 21st, 2017 at 1:01 PM ^
Would you rather pictures? I know reading is not too difficult for a lawyer.
October 21st, 2017 at 12:51 PM ^
The Big Ten East is the best, most exciting division in all of college football and it's not even close.
B1G! B1G! B1G!
I still hate you guys though.
October 21st, 2017 at 6:07 PM ^
I'm so glad that we can just say it, nod our heads in agreement, and move along. Unlike the inbreds of the South that feel the need to chant S-EC after a 6-6 Kentucky team knocks off Middle Tennessee St in a bowl game.
October 21st, 2017 at 12:53 PM ^
Go down in flames tonight.....
October 21st, 2017 at 12:57 PM ^
Unfortunately, Mich is the one that has to prove it can stay in the race, not MSU.
October 21st, 2017 at 1:39 PM ^
Your realism isn't impressing anyone.
October 21st, 2017 at 3:17 PM ^
Don't be a dick, Richard.
October 21st, 2017 at 1:02 PM ^
DILLY DILLY!!
October 21st, 2017 at 1:27 PM ^
Dilly dilly!
October 21st, 2017 at 1:57 PM ^
frigg off with that shit
October 21st, 2017 at 2:52 PM ^
lol. this is simultaneously annoying and made me laugh
October 21st, 2017 at 1:03 PM ^
Considering MSU is 3-0 in the Big Ten, I'd say they are a contender.
More than we are at this point. The Spartans aren't losing to Maryland or Rutgers, and they probably won't lose to Indiana or Northwestern either. They're likely to be 7-2 or better in the conference.
MSU-OSU once again will likely be more important to the Big Ten race than The Game.
October 21st, 2017 at 1:09 PM ^
They tried really hard to lose to Minnesota last week. Indiana and Maryland are both better than Minnesota. I think you have to take it week by week with MSU. They don't have much talent, especially on O. They're well coached. That's a recipe for a lot of close games that could go either way at the end. That could mean 7-2 in conference or it could mean 5-4.
October 21st, 2017 at 1:15 PM ^
I agree that can lose to a team like Indiana. But the chances of that happening, in my opinion, are at least as good as the chances they beat Penn State in East Lansing.
Odds cancel out. 7-2 is my expectation for MSU at this point. Maybe 6-3, exceedingly unlikely they'd do worse than that. And 8-1 is also possible.
They also beat Iowa and Michigan and both of those teams are better than Northwestern, Indiana and Maryland, so your logic has to go both ways.
October 21st, 2017 at 2:18 PM ^
I agree that the logic would go both ways, but I guess what I’m getting at (and you alluded to) is that I don’t think this is an MSU team that you can expect consistency or logical outcomes from. We are certainly a better team than Minny but they played MSU to a closer score than we did. Like you said, I think this is an MSU game that could win 8 games in conference, but I also think they could win only 4. It really seems like a week to week team.
October 21st, 2017 at 6:08 PM ^
might want to check the Indiana score right about now.
October 21st, 2017 at 1:57 PM ^
College football is about matchups and Indy matches up very well with what msu does. Particularly regarding Indy's offense verse MSU defense. Msu has done well with OSU because OSU largely wants to power run right at them, which plays right into msu defensive philosophy. Teams that can spread them out and use the vertical passing game have hurt MSU, and Indy has a pretty good vertical passing game.
Not to say Indy will win, but they have a good shot to do so.
October 21st, 2017 at 1:10 PM ^
you have a cooler to poop in or a sister to impregnate or something?
I don't consider Michigan in that race right now. If we get a win tonight than ok, we are in the race but as it stands right now I don't think so.
October 21st, 2017 at 1:28 PM ^
So doesn't that mean we're still in the race?
October 21st, 2017 at 2:15 PM ^
as much as Rutgers was in the race before the season yes
October 21st, 2017 at 3:20 PM ^
Fuck off, troll.
October 21st, 2017 at 1:11 PM ^
Calm down folks. It's pretty unusual to find a Buckeye fan who isn't a total scumbag, bottom feeding loser with an IQ less than 60. This one probably has all his teeth too. Maybe we shouldn't run him off?
October 21st, 2017 at 1:34 PM ^
if they have a different opinion (however rational) they must be a terrible person, right? i think thats usually how it goes
October 21st, 2017 at 2:38 PM ^
I actually did have a tooth extracted earlier this year. Tooth #3, so it's in the back and you'd never know unless I showed it to you.
October 21st, 2017 at 2:45 PM ^
they have the best IQ, okay? people are saying it’s very high, and it’s beautiful. a lot of people are saying that, believe me.
October 21st, 2017 at 1:25 PM ^
You change your that name of yours!
October 21st, 2017 at 3:09 PM ^
Okay, Joined 3/24/17, I'll change that name of mine.
Sincerely,
Joined 11/20/2011
October 21st, 2017 at 1:46 PM ^
Didn’t know Buckeyes had the capability of using language to communicate.
October 21st, 2017 at 2:26 PM ^
Buckeye Chuck is my favorite online buckeye
October 21st, 2017 at 1:50 PM ^
M wins out. Easy.
October 21st, 2017 at 1:52 PM ^
But I think I'd like to see OSU beat Penn State.
October 21st, 2017 at 2:03 PM ^
So would I, and I think the OP's point - or part of it - was that Penn State has this grinding stretch ahead of it starting tonight with us. Even if we don't ultimately win, we drain them a bit, and then they get play a physcial game against OSU and MSU in consecutive weeks too. I am sure they slip somewhere in the next couple weeks, maybe tonight even if we are fortunate somehow.
October 21st, 2017 at 2:51 PM ^
umm, no. who cares about this scenario where at least we "wear them down". NO MORAL VICTORIES
October 21st, 2017 at 3:26 PM ^
I applaud your ability to read into that things which were never said. That's a special ability and I think you should foster it....not here, but somewhere.
October 21st, 2017 at 1:56 PM ^
Careful, MGOPeeps: this Buckeye posts better than 2/3rds of us.
October 21st, 2017 at 2:20 PM ^
More like almost all of us
October 21st, 2017 at 3:16 PM ^
Two turds... in your cooler.
October 21st, 2017 at 1:57 PM ^
MSU is not terrible but they had a close game with Iowa where Iowa turned it over twice in scoring position and we turned it over 5 times with a monsoon. They beat Minny by 3. They'll come back to the pack and win 8 or so games like us.
October 21st, 2017 at 2:30 PM ^
Barring a huge turnaround against PSU tonight, this is only a three game race.
MSU may not get by PSU or OSU, but it won’t surprise me to see them go 7-2 in conference.
October 21st, 2017 at 2:41 PM ^
I for one welcome his contributions to this site.
October 21st, 2017 at 3:01 PM ^
Dominant
Predominant
October 21st, 2017 at 3:24 PM ^
And than, then