How's everyone doing on this fine October morning? There are many reasons to love this month, even outside of the sports world, and I always look forward to the movies that come out at this time of year.
The two that I've seen most recently—Looper and Argo—did not disappoint, so if you're in the mood for watching a thriller, or simply a good movie, then those two have my recommendation.
Last year's Purdue game was a bit of a thriller itself, albeit the kind that you demand your money back after it's over. Hopefully the rematch this Saturday brings far less angst, which seems like a good bet by virtue of it not taking place in the gypsy curse that is West Lafayette.
The depth chart for this week is out, and the official starter at middle linebacker is Zach Boren or Storm Klein, just as we all predicted before the season began. And although it's not reflected in the two-deep, Nathan Williams, who is expected to return to the lineup, could also see some playing time at linebacker.
MIDTERM GRADES. Now that we're in the second half of the season, both Athlon Sports and ESPN offered their midseason reviews for the Big Ten. They agreed on most categories, including Braxton Miller as the conference's offensive MVP and Penn State linebacker Michael Mauti as the defensive MVP. Athlon wrote about Braxton, "no player has been more valuable, more productive and more electric than the Buckeyes sophomore signal caller."
Penn State also received praise for being the biggest surprise team while Bill O'Brien was deemed the Coach of the Year (so far). Michigan State, however, was labeled as the B1G's biggest disappointment.
Athlon, who in the preseason pegged Ohio State as the nation's #6 team and the Big Ten's best1, also looked ahead to the rest of the season. Among their things to watch for are the Buckeyes' quest for an undefeated season and a Heisman invite for Braxton, as well as which non-Minnesota team will emerge as the Legends Division champion.
Two divisional matchups this weekend—Michigan State at Michigan2 and Nebraska at Northwestern—will directly impact which team heads to Indianapolis at the end of the season.
Right now, Ohio State and Michigan are considered to be the top two teams in the conference, respectively of course. So of Athlon's best three games left on the schedule, The Game is #1, just as it should be.
TIME AND CHANGE. Third on Athlon's list was the Ohio State-Penn State game, which will take place on October 27, the same day as their #2 pick, Michigan-Nebraska. Both are night games, though yesterday's announcement that OSU-PSU has been moved up half an hour to a 5:30 kickoff means it's more of an early evening contest.
It will air on ESPN, which asked for both teams' permission to push up the start, probably because they noticed Ohio State vs. Indiana finished around the same time as New Mexico at Hawaii.
BRAX ON THE RUN. When the B1G's most prolific passer this season has been Matt McGloin, it's safe to say that on offense, the strength of the conference is in the ground game.
But at the end of the season, only one player will lead the Big Ten in rushing yards and Adam Jacobi examined the six candidates: Braxton, Montee Ball, Le'Veon Bell, Venric Mark, Denard Robinson, and Mark Weisman.
Currently, Bell is the conference leader in total rushing yards, though Braxton is right on his heels. Denard has accumulated fewer yards than both, but Michigan has only played six games thus far, so his 134 yards/game is the highest average in the league. Bell (130.9) and Brax (130.3) are close behind.
A scrub is a guy that can't wear the #1 jerseyWhen it comes to big gains, however, Braxton tops everyone, not just in the Big Ten, but in the country. As Jeff Svoboda pointed out, he has rushed for 10 or more yards 31 times this season, more than anyone else in college football.
Meanwhile, AIRBHG seems to have claimed another one: Weisman is not listed on Iowa's depth chart this week. Something tells me the AIRBHG Piñata will be served quite the beatdown this weekend.
And then it will probably unleash a new horror unto the Hawkeyes.
ROCKIN' ROBY (TWEET TWEET TWEET). Last night, a bored Bradley Roby partook in an entertaining Q & A with fans on Twitter. And don't worry—he did not complain about having to attend class, and nothing he tweeted was objectionable, unless you happen to be a Michigan fan:
For those who are scared that the redshirt sophomore will leave after this season, Roby claimed that his goal while at Ohio State is to win a national championship, which isn't a blood oath that he'll be back next year but it is at least a promising sign.
Speaking of promise, despite Doran Grant's struggles against Indiana, Roby thinks that he and Michael Thomas are the two most underrated players on the team.
SETH DAVIS SPIES. On Friday, Seth Davis was granted access to Ohio State's basketball practice and while he seemed impressed with the team's versatility, his most noteworthy observation was this one:
If one practice is any indication, Craft's got his part handled and Amir is raw but has the skills to be able to contribute.
In other hoops news, Duke's Marshall Plumlee suffered a stress fracture in his foot. The 7-footer is expected to miss 6-8 weeks and Ohio State will take on Duke in...six weeks.
SLIM CLICKINGS. Purdue's Raheem Mostert is out for Saturday... Round One of the ultimate GIF duel... Really wish this guy hadn't been wearing an Ohio State shirt... Ty Willingham's latest gig... Geek on the prowl... Heroic dog receives reconstructive surgery... The 25 Most Powerful Shows of the Past 25 Years... 15 Classic Fall Movies.
- 1 Bet they didn't predict Boren's move to linebacker, though. ↑
- 2 They probably wouldn't admit it, but it must drive Michigan fans crazy that they've lost to Michigan State four years in a row. They really, really want that win on Saturday even while they try to act like they're too good for the rivalry. ↑
