WOW. Welcome back people! What a kickoff weekend that was, am I right?! I don’t know about you, but it was everything I expected and more, with great games every day of the weekend; safe to say I was nowhere near ready for my 8 AM class Tuesday morning. Anywho, it turns out what I thought I knew about a lot of teams was blatantly wrong, but I’m okay with that. So let’s take a look at a few things we now know as we head into week 2:
Wisconsin is A LOT Better Than We Thought
After being unranked to start the season, and quite frankly not even looked at as a legit contender in the Big Ten, the Badgers gave the ol’ double middle finger to their haters and upset #5 LSU on primetime TV. Not only did they just beat them, but they dominated possession time and held them to just 13 points. Before we get too ahead of ourselves, we should keep in mind that Wisconsin’s offense was pretty underwhelming with 3 turnovers and had they not had Gaglianone as their kicker their close win could have easily been a close loss. Some definite work needs to be done, but I don’t care if it’s only week 2, Wisconsin is a lot better than we thought and I think they have enough there to contend.
Michigan is Legit
Before I start this let me go grab a trash can in case I throw up while I write about scUM…I mean UM. Look, as much as it pains me to say it they massacred Hawaii and looked like they were trying to prove a point while they did it. Anytime you win by 60 points, it’s fair to say you took the opposing team to pound town. Their offense was impressive under new QB Wilton Speight, but it was the defense who held Hawaii to 3 points, with two “pick six’s” along the way. Michigan had about as good a start as it gets and showed us the talent that every analyst and their mother have been talking about for months (it gets real old in this state…). They might have a chance at actually winning the Big Ten for the first time since 2004(let that sink in. 12 years.). Hawaii is awful and Michigan will play away games against teams like OSU, Iowa, and MSU but I will admit they are legit.
Yes…Alabama is Back
Three words: Alabama. Is. Back. Once again, the Tide look to be more dangerous than an offensive lineman at an all you can eat buffet. USC, who I thought was actually pretty decent, looked all kinds of messed up on Saturday night, as Bama held them to a total of 6 points all night. I think everyone, with the exception of Alabama fans, is sick of the Tide at this point, but if it wasn’t already known to you by now, Bama is definitely a force to be reckoned with, AGAIN.
Nick Chubb is CRAZY Good
Can you believe this kid is coming off a season-ending knee injury? The dude ran for 200+ yards and 2 touchdowns. That is the definition of putting the team on your back. For real though, this kid is unbelievable and in my mind this makes Georgia one of the top teams in the country. Freshman Jacob Eason looked great when he came in for the Dawgs, so it should be mentioned they may have figured out the QB situation, but the real news here is Nick Chubb is back and he’s running just as good as Georgia fans had hoped for. If he keeps this pace up and stays healthy, there is no doubt in my mind he will be in the Heisman discussion.
Spartan Fans Shouldn’t Worry…..Yet
And last of all for shits and giggles I figured I’d give a little tidbit on my own school, the Michigan State Spartans. Now they didn’t look great Friday night but they took care of business. There was a lot of talk about first game jitters, and I agree with that. I also think it’s just they haven’t figured everything out on offense yet. Yes, that sounds scary but I think they will get things straightened out during their bye week before Notre Dame in week 3. If you remember, the Spartans had similar wins over mediocre teams like Purdue and Central Michigan last year, and didn’t they still make it to the CFP? *sips tea* The reality is if they don’t figure it out, it’s going to be a long season for us Spartan fans, but I believe they will.
And now, a few bonus B1G picks for the weekend:
Maryland puts the beatdown on FIU — You bet your ass DJ Durkin & Maryland cover this spread.
Iowa BIG over Iowa State –I assume that’s a very popular pick on this site.
Illinois over North Carolina — I lovie me some Lovie Smith at home. Fighting Illini upset NC.
Pittsburgh over Penn State — Sorry Erik, I love Pat Narduzzi and his defense in this renewed rivalry game; I think they keep Barkley in check and take home the W.
As always, remember to go hard on your liver this weekend and watch lots of football. Cheers!