Adding . . .
Northwestern(+13) over Wisconsin (1*)
- - Wisconsin under HC Alvarez has found Northwestern to be a pesky nemesis (NW I believe is 6-1 ATS vs. Wisc, and NW also 7-2 after a bye). A veteran, well-coached and tested Northwestern squad with a strong OL could not be catching Wisconsin under much better circumstances (a bye from the Big Ten Wars vs. dinged after a grueling Ohio State and Purdue road trip) - excepting maybe the weather, but that could even add to the danger if Wisky is the least bit flat here.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/campus/cst-spt-nu23.html
Minnesota(-17)(-108) over Illinois (1*)
- - After one bad game by Minnesota in a bad spot after a deflating loss to Michigan, back on the road and in some raw weather, this spot looks much more inviting for Minnesota to get back on track - and in a big way (Illini 10th in total defense and last in rushing defense in the conference) - than it does for the visitor to finally get on track (From the Chicago Sun-Times: "(Illinois HC) Turner has benched quarterback Jon Beutjer, who threw three interceptions last week in a loss to Michigan. A game-time decision is expected on which backup -- Brad Bower, Chris Pazan or Tim Brasic -- will start against the Gophers.").
North Texas(-8)(-108) over New Mexico State (1*)
There is substabntial danger in any play I make involving teams I know little about and have not been tracking through the clenches of their conference wars. But I can be persuaded to see when an opportunity exists, and I can accept that a shaky Aggies squad is visiting the wrong opponent this week.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/artman/publish/article_10202.shtml
Memphis(-6)(-108) over Cicinnati (1*)
- - This is a significant staging of a rivalry that the Memphis players believe will be a "yards-after-contact" game . . . From the Memphis Commercial Appeal: "The University of Memphis and the University of Cincinnati have built a football rivalry that has followed the programs through three conference affiliations and several stretches as a 1-A independent. But when the final horn sounds tonight, the Bearcats will be one snap closer to participating in the Big East, which UC joins next fall after being, along with Memphis, a founding member of Conference USA eight years ago . . . Memphis will remain in Conference USA, leaving behind an edge in the series (the Tigers own an 18-11 advantage) and four decades of memories, among them a recent stretch of painful ones. The Bearcats have been particularly troublesome for Tiger coach Tommy West, who is 1-3 against them (1-2 as a head coach, 0-1 as U of M defensive coordinator) . . . Cincinnati ended the Tigers' bowl dreams in 2001, pinned West with the most lopsided loss of his Tiger career in 2002 and ended standout running back DeAngelo Williams's season in 2003 (with Memphis rallying for a 21-16 win).
- - Rookie Cincinnati HC Mark Dantonio tries to rally the Bearcats to clip an ambitious rival . . . From the Cincinnati Enquirer: "A UC program that long has striven for national attention found itself in the unwelcome glare of the spotlight after the Black Knights ended their 19-game losing streak against the Bearcats with a 48-29 blowout victory . . . "We were really disappointed," said offensive guard Kyle Takavitz. "There's no getting around that. It was bad. But this (week) it'll make it all better again." . . . After a week off, UC (2-4, 1-2 Conference USA) returns to action at 7 p.m. today at Nippert Stadium against Memphis (5-1, 2-1) . . ."Despite a "Take a Kid to the Game" promotion in which kids 12 and under get in free with the purchase of a regular adult ticket, there could be a sparse crowd for this game, especially with the forecast for rain . . . "We talked about it to our players," UC coach Mark Dantonio said. "I don't care how many people are there. Your family and friends who care about you will be there. Those are the people you play for. We'd better circle the wagons and play hard, so that's what we're doing." . . . UC will have to play hard to stay with the Tigers, who own the league's second-ranked offense. With quarterback Danny Wimprine, the league's leading passer, and running back D'Angelo Williams, its leading rusher, Memphis rolls up 478 yards and nearly 40 points a game. Williams ranks seventh nationally with 147.3 yards a game and first in scoring with 13.0 points a game . . . "He's a great back," UC defensive end Trent Cole said. "He's a very hard runner. It's a combination of speed and how hard he runs." . . . Defensively, Memphis, whose only loss was to UAB, leads the conference against the run, allowing only 86 yards a game . . . But the Tigers employ a high-risk defense that sometimes allows opponents to strike for big plays . . . "It's fun to play against a team like that," Takavitz said, "because it's not the same every down. There's a possibility for some big plays with this offense." . . . The Bearcats haven't had much fun on the football field lately. And unless they vastly improve over the way they've been playing, tonight figures to be another downer . . . "Is the ship going to go down or are they going to keep trying to fight?" Dantonio asked. "I have the feeling that our players are going to continue to fight. We've talked to the players individually and in groups. Nobody likes to lose."
GL
