I really try not to toot my own horn about stuff, but this is an all-timer for me. Penn State just finished up a win at Northwestern. The final score: 34-13.
And just what was my final score prediction in this week's game preview?
34-13!
The game story will be posted later tonight.
Every once in a while, I like to gloat about something so insignificant, it hardly makes sense to even bring it up. Well, here's one for today.
I can't believe I missed this. On Thursday, I predicted Penn State would allow six points to Temple.
Temple scored only six points two days later. Damn, I'm good.
In other news...
I'm going to host here at Zombie Nation this Saturday a free real-time chat, through the fantastic CoverItLive folks. So come on by and talk some football before, during and after the game. We'll have live updates, scores and polls, all part of more than 15 hours of Penn State game day coverage! No sign up is required. See you all Saturday, beginning at 9:45 a.m.
The summer months offer a plethora of predictions, previews and, well, bull crap. 
After all, what the hell else is there to do during the calmest of calms before the autumn storm. The Big Ten Bloggers usually gets together around this time of year to let loose with a heavy dose of "rabble! rabble! rabble!" quality, thoughtful preseason predictions for the coming Big Ten football season. As was the case last season, Lake the Posts was pegged to organize the voting. Today, albeit a little tardy, I give you the results -- including LTP's commentary -- of this year's round of voting, plus my own ballot. LTP is a glutton for punishment. Each year around this time the collective ad hoc group known as the Big Ten Bloggers send backchannel emails asking who will host the ballot box for preseason awards.* [*ZN: That would be yours truly!] LTP is the last one with the finger to the nose and thus gets stuck tabulating each blogger's tallies. I did it in year one thinking my backchannel lobbying would prop NU up a few notches. The theory seems to be working in the awards category. Today I reveal the 2009 Big Ten Bloggers' 2009 Predictions. I've also added the LTP ballot at the end for good measure.
I will go through each ballot question, quoting the results from LTP, followed up by my own submission.
2009 Big Ten Bloggers' Preseason Awards: Coach of the Year: Pat Fitzgerald
My pick: Ron Zook. Yeah yeah, make fun of the Zooker all you want, but I felt that his team is in the best position for significant improvement (record-wise) in 2009. The Illini went 5-7 last season. If Zook can get his team to win 9 or 10 games (especially 10), he'll be in the top three. Going from a losing season to a winning one will always make a coach a contender for "...of the year" honors.
We're off to a flying start as the host gets his wish on this one. Fitz edged Jim Tressel by two votes with only Joe Paterno and Michigan State's Mark Dantonio getting any other significant votes. The buzz for Fitz continues and when you consider the curmudgeony nature of this group, this is saying something.Heisman Hopeful: Terrelle Pryor
My pick: Evan Royster. Terrelle Pryor won't win the Heisman this year. Period. He won't even make the top five finalists. Just beating USC won't do it this year. Pryor would have to light them up like no one has in years.
Yes, I know, not much of a shock here. However, as BHGP so eloquently pointed out in his unsolicited essay responses, "This can only go to an offensive skill position player on a high-level team upon whom his team depends at a surreal rate. This necessarily excludes all players but two: Pryor and Royster." It is scary to think we all had the same thought and the ballot box was almost unanimously either Pryor or Penn State's Evan Royster. The only non-Royster/Pryor ballot came from Enlightened Spartan who cast a lot for Juice Williams.
Royster got my vote because he's already proven he can do his job, and do it at a Heisman-level. I would be surprised if Royster fails to reach 1,600 yards this season. And with games against Ohio State, Michigan State and Illinois, there will be plenty of opportunities to have that "Heisman Moment." Upset of the Year: Tie - Michigan State over Ohio State & Northwestern over Penn State
My pick: Michigan over Ohio State. Ok, so I went all hack-ish for this one. I was thiiiis close to picking Northwestern over Penn State. But I figured it would win anyway, so why not go out on a limb? I mean, come on, how many times can you lose to one team? Oh, wait...
Sparty was a popular pick to rebound from last year's buzzkill game in East Lansing. I'm not sure what voters saw in that absolute beatdown that gave them hope Sparty could pull off the feat in the 'Shoe. Then I realized I'd been duped by a string of voters - MSU doesn't even play Ohio State this year. This goes in the 'ol "I guarantee NU won't lose to Ohio State this year" bucket.
Surprisingly no love for the Illini who seem to always play the Bucks tough. Northwestern's Halloween match-up with Penn State was the other popular pick as the potential for puns in this one must have been too tough to pass up. Surprisingly LTP did not pick NU in this category and opted for Ohio State's September 12 win over USC as my upset special.Sleeper Team To Crack Big Ten Upper Tier: Minnesota
My pick: Michigan State. I was the only non-homer to pick MSU to place third in the Big Ten last season. So, yeah, I'm kinda proud of that pick. But this year could be a different kind of third-place Spartans. While Javon Ringer and Brian Hoyer were the main triggers on offense, their presence might not be missed as much as we think. The defense will keep getting better under Mark D'Antonio, and the offense will score just enough to get by.
Good-bye Mike Dunbar and the spread, hello top four? Wow. Here I was thinking I was original picking Brewster's Millions (and Millions) of Twitter exclamation points to help bust through the Big Ten's elite. Not so. The Gophers inaugural season at TCF Stadium has high hopes from most everyone around the league.
I'm not at all high on Minnesota this year. Last year's record was inflated by a remarkable turnover ratio (31-19), in which the defense frequently bailed out a pretty anemic offense (23 ppg). But then again, the defense wasn't nearly as good as advertised, either. Remember those last four losses? Pretty ugly. While I think Minnesota will be a better team this year, they won't have a better record than last season, especially with their schedule. Shonn Greene Award: Greg Jones, LB - Michigan State
My pick: Hasan Lipscomb (RB, Minnesota). How could I have picked him, after claiming MInnesota won't do too well? Easy, the offensive line will be very good, and the Adam Weber-to-Eric Decker combo will keep the defenses back. Lipscomb may not fall under the traditional "out of nowhere" label, because he's only a freshman. But I think he could surprise a lot of people this year, particularly with so many premier running backs departed from the Big Ten.
The Shonn Greene Award goes to the player most likely to be a household name in December that you don't know right now. Last year you'll remember most everyone including BHGP were joking about the projected ineptitude in the Iowa backfield at this point. Shonn (who?) Greene then promptly put up a Heisman-esque campaign and catapulted Iowa to a New Year's Day bowl harrumph. This category was by far the most wide open as there were a slew of one vote-getters ranging from Purdue's Ralph Bolden to Minnesota's Hasan Lipscomb. No Wildcat received a vote.Most Likely to John L. Smith: Rich Rodriguez - Michigan
My pick: Rich Rodriguez. I just have a funny feeling about DickRod. He's either going to turn out to be the calmest head coach we've ever seen, or the most obnoxious. I'm counting on the latter.
In case you missed the reference, this award pays homage to the Spartans' former head coach who just absolutely lost it at halftime of a game in his final season against Ohio State. It was the breaking point in a painful season that just signaled you knew he wasn't going to make it. This year's candidates essentially boiled down to a three dog race between RichRod, Minnesota's Tim Brewster and the Illini's Ron Zook. This is essentially a veiled award for coach on the hot seat, yet it has more of a twist. Indiana's Bill Lynch, the coach with the most job insecurity didn't even get a vote which shows you where Indiana football is in the minds of Big Ten Bloggers.Highest NFL Draft Pick: Arrelious Benn - Illinois
My pick: Arrelious Benn. I know, shame on me for not going homeristic by picking a Nittany Lion. But wide receivers go very high in the draft, especially one like Benn. Bowman and Lee will be lucky to go before No. 20 overall. Sorry.
This category was the biggest laugher of the group. Rejus nearly pulled in the unanimous vote. Sean Lee and Novorro Bowman cracked the list, but it was all Benn.Must See Game of the Year: Ohio State @ Penn State
My pick: Iowa @ Penn State.I went with the better story line. Yes, Ohio State @ Penn State is the mammoth showdown in the Big Ten (sorry Michigan, you're old news), but Iowa, in 2009, has more personal meaning to Penn State fans. And it should. Ohio State didn't ruin Penn State's national title hopes for 2008... IOWA DID. REMEMBER THAT.
Again a runaway winner. Iowa at Penn State got some serious consideration but the definitive #1 vs #2 by the Big Ten Bloggers (see below) was the one. A non-conference game of epic proportions - USC @ Ohio State only received three votes.Big Ten Predicted Order of Finish:
My predicted final standings:
1. Penn State
2. Ohio State
3. Iowa
4. Michigan State
5. TIE - Northwestern
5. TIE - Illinois
7. Wisconsin
8. Minnesota
9. Michigan
10. Purdue
11. Indiana
If this voting is any indication of the upcoming season's results, we're in for a helluva ride. The swing of votes after Penn State and Ohio State was like nothing I've seen. Take Iowa, Illinois and Northwestern, for example. Iowa received votes as high as #1 and at every slot through #7. Illinois had almost equilateral votes at every slot from #2 through #8. Northwestern received votes as high as #3 and as low as #10 and everything in between. Purdue and Indiana were consistently the cellar dwellars and Michigan was all over the map. Fun times for sure.
1)Penn State
2)Illinois
3)Ohio State
4)Iowa
5)Michigan
6)Michigan State
7)Wisconsin
8)Minnesota
9)Northwestern
10)Purdue
11)Indiana
I'm not sold on Ohio State this season. I know, I know. "They don't rebuild, they reload!" But there's a difference between reloading an M-16, and reloading a musket. The Buckeyes could "suffer" though another 10-2 kind of season, and depending on how well Illinois does (which is my bet for the positive), a 10-2 finish could land you anywhere from No. 1 to No. 4. Although I pegged Michigan State as the sleeper for an upper-tier finish, that doesn't mean I'm going to definitively say they'll finish up there. I'm also not sold on Iowa, Minnesota (as we discussed earlier), or Northwestern. That being said, the top three could also finish with the same conference record (say, 6-2), creating even more controversy around picking a true No. 1.
Ok, now I'm officially fired up for the season!
See also: Big Ten Bloggers '08 Preseason Picks
This one is way to good to let be. College Football Poll, a computers-only rankings site about as accurate as Phil Steele, is calling for Michigan State to not only win the Big Ten this season, but run the table doing it! Surely, this will get those Green and White crazies all ginned up. I know I would be. 
That's right Steroid Sparty, one of the best college football prediction factories says that your guys in green are going undefeated. Looking at the overall Big Ten predicted order of finish, though, would tell us that this potential 12-0 finish is mostly due to the Spartans missing out on Ohio State, and hosting Penn State in 2009.
I'm not saying that I believe for one second Michigan State will finish 12-0 (see: Purdue 2005), but for all CFP's misses, there have been just as many hits. I encourage you to go and look through the past picks for a bunch of teams, and you'll see that they're just as good as any human's picks, even Phil Steele.
This is the official homepage for all of Zombie Nation's 2009 predictions, Big Ten Bloggers posts, ZN's Top 25 rankings, game and season previews, etc. It will be anchored on the left sidebar, under "Season Archives" for easy reference. I'll try to keep it updated on a weekly basis during the season.
*Updated: 10/27/09
Past season archives
2008
2007
2009 Schedule/Results
2009 PSU Gameday Coverage:
Game 1 - Akron @ Penn State
Game 2 - Syracuse @ Penn State
Game 3 - Temple @ Penn State
Game 4 - Iowa @ Penn State
Game 5 - Penn State @ Illinois
Game 6 - Eastern Illinois (FCS) @ Penn State
Penn State Mid-Season Awards
Game 7 - Minnesota @ Penn State
Game 8 - Penn State @ Michigan
Game 9 - Penn State @ Northwestern
Game 10 - Ohio State @ Penn State
Game 11 - Indiana @ Penn State
Game 12 - Penn State @ Michigan State
Bowl Game - TBA
-Big Ten Bowl Overview
-Bowl Previews, Part 1
-Bowl Previews, Part 2
Other games:
(N/A)
Top 25 Rankings for 2009:
Early Preseason (01/19/09)
WEEK ONE/PRESEASON
WEEK TWO
WEEK THREE
WEEK FOUR
WEEK FIVE
WEEK SIX
WEEK SEVEN
WEEK EIGHT
WEEK NINE
WEEK TEN
WEEK ELEVEN
WEEK TWELVE
Off-season Blue White Roundtables
Spring Practice Wrap Up, 05/01/09
Big Ten Bloggers
Preseason Predictions 07/01/09
Recruiting class roundup 02/11/09
Signing Day 2009
Signing Day final thoughts and Recruiting Board
2009 Blue & White Game
Blue-White Preview
Offensive Backfield
Receivers & Tight Ends
Offensive Line
Defensive Line
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
Blue White Game Roster
-Blue-White Review
Initial Thoughts
Game Photos
Preseason Posts/Articles
Finalized Penn State football roster 08/25/09
Main Stream Media leaves much to be desired 08/25/09
Eight home games is not unprecedented 08/22/09
Mike Mauti tears ACL 08/16/09
Penn State enters Coaches' Poll at No. 8 08/07/09
Turnovers, the Upset's Main Ingredient 08/05/09
Lions' Secondary in a Familiar Place 08/04/09
Clark, Lee elected Captains 05/19/09
Official Spring Practice Roster 03/20/09
Defensive gaffes must stop 02/26/09
Heisman contenders 02/19/09
Projected depth chart 02/12/09
Toughest Home Stadiums 02/02/09
Top OOC Games 01/29/09
Top BigTen Games 01/22/09
First Look Series: 2009
Michigan State
Indiana Hoosiers
Ohio State Buckeyes
Northwestern Wildcats
Michigan Wolverines
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Eastern Illinois Panthers
Illinois Fighting Illini
Iowa Hawkeyes
Temple Owls
Syracuse Orange
Akron Zips
Reader Polls:
Indiana's 2009 win total 08/26/09
Ohio State's 2009 win total 08/24/09
Northwestern's 2009 win total 08/13/09
Michigan's 2009 win total 08/06/09
Minnesota's 2009 win total 07/30/09
Should PSU play FCS teams? 07/24/09
Illinois' 2009 win total 07/16/09
Iowa's 2009 win total 07/09/09
Temple's 2009 win total 07/03/09
Syracuse's 2009 win total 06/25/09
Akron record '09 06/18/09
The "new" JoePa 06/02/09
Blue White Game 05/06/09
Strong recruiting class 02/16/09
The Schedule Sucks 02/06/09
Newsome's role in '09 01/22/09
Email: ZombieNationPSU@gmail.com
No. 8 Penn State hosts Indiana No. 15 Michigan State this week , as we all try to cope with the Iowa loss for the Big Ten Championship. I thought some questions were appropriate.
The usually unusual suspects:
There is No Name on My Jersey
Tangled Up in White and Blue
Y. F. Yurasko
Happy Hour Valley
Black Shoe Diaries
The Nittany Line
We Want the Lion
Zombie Nation
Nittany Whiteout
1. So, are you freaking out this week? Did you honestly think Penn State would be in this position, going into the last week of the season? How about Michigan State? ZN: I pegged Penn State to finish (See this Post) tied with Ohio State for first place. I didn't think we would beat the Buckeyes, but I felt we would finish with the same conference record. As for Michigan State, (again, See this Post)if Penn State beats them, they will finish exactly where I predicted them to, third.
2. What would you like to see more of/less of this week? ZN: I want to see more Evan Royster. A LOT MORE. He hasn't had a 100-yard outing since the win over Michigan. That's inexcusable for this coaching staff. But I guess it all starts up front, so I could direct that request to the offensive line coaches. This was probably the best blocking line since 2002, but recently have looked more like the 2003 or 2004 lines. Contrary to popular belief, Michigan State can be pushed around. Penn State should be able to do that with this line. SO DO IT!
3. What are your feelings towards Derrick Williams' career as a Nittany Lion? Has he lived up to the hype? How? If not, who's to blame? ZN: This is something else I touched on previously. I wrote an entire post prior to last season, explaining why Derrick Williams has absolutely served his purpose at Penn State. I think people get too caught up in the on-field value of a player like Williams. This leads to the fan base quickly forgetting that he was the one responsible for recruiting Justin King, and giving this program the mental spark it needed after 2004. That's right, I think all this program needed was a jolt of energy to the head. We'd been bogged down with ourselves, thinking it would never end. Then Williams, the annointed savior, arrived.
4. The national media is back-pedaling on their summertime pro-SEC propaganda, now saying that conference in overrated. What gives? Haven't we (basically, everyone outside the SEC) been saying that the whole time? How would Penn State stack up against the top few SEC teams, like Alabama, Florida and Georgia, on a neutral field?
As for on-field production. You have to remember this, Williams showed up and freaked out the opposition. Other teams knew he was good, but didn't believe Penn State would use him in the kind of role we all saw. I do think the coaching staff has screwed up a bit with him. That can be seen at the tail-end of nearly every season he's been here. Note that his production always goes up during the final few games. That indicates to me that the coaching staff has taken more than half the season to figure out the best way to use Williams on that year's squad. Bad coaching.ZN: I just had to ask this question because I hate the love-fest that goes on with the SEC. They're not that fast, they're not that good top-to-bottom, and they aren't the NFL-lite. I would definitely take Penn State over any SEC team, except for maybe Alabama and Florida. Those are the two teams Penn State could lose to. But I just don't see it happening against Georgia, LSU or, well, that's really it for good teams in the SEC this year.
Bonus/Lightening/Whatever you want to call it, Round...
Daryll Clark throws a pick?
Nope.
Royster scores? How many times?
I'll go with Three TDs.
Did you go to any games this year? How many?
Just one, dammit!
*Ed.-coming this afternoon: Guest Blogger, The Enlightened Spartan!
Preview: No. 3 Penn State at Iowa
Kickoff: Sat., Nov. 8. 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN
Weather Forecast: Cold, breezy, light snow/rain mix.
Host: Iowa Hawkeyes
Record: 5-4 (2-3 Big Ten)
Last Game: Lost at Illinois, 27-24
Injuries: TE Tony Moeaki (leg - doubtful), OL Seth Olsen (ankle - doubtful), OL Dace Richardson (knee - out), LB Troy Johnson (knee - doubtful)
Key Players: (offense) RB Shonn Greene, QB Ricky Stanzi; (defense) LB Pat Angerer, DT Mitch King
Head Coach: Kirk Ferentz, 10th season at Iowa/overall, 61-49
Season Statistics:
Offense - 189 rush/190.1 pass/29.1 points per game
Defense - 100.7 rush/200.9 pass/13.2 points per game
TO Margin - (+3)
Why Iowa will win -- The Hawkeyes are a team that can lose to anyone, but beat anyone at the same rate. Iowa hasn't had a running game like this one since 2002-2003, winning 21 games along the way. More impressively, Greene has done this without an offensive line like Penn State has. Stanzi gives Iowa a little more stability under center, but isn't a world-beater. I'm looking for plenty of high-percentage throws, and a whole lot of screens to Greene. If Iowa can even neutralize the Penn State defensive pressure, they have a shot at keeping the offense moving. On defense, Iowa has the best pair of defensive tackles in the conference, but don't have much of a pass rush to go with it. The outside has been a weakness for the Hawkeyes. I figure Ferentz & Co. will load up on the edges, leaving Mitch King and Matt Kroul to do their thing in the middle. Iowa has every chance to take Penn State out of its game, and it will start up front. Get a couple of shots on Daryll Clark, and that will effectively slow the Lions receivers. It worked for Ohio State, and I imagine Iowa has seen plenty of that game tape.
Visitor: Penn State Nittany Lions
Record: 9-0 (5-0, Big Ten)
Last Game: Won at No. 9 Ohio St, 13-6
Injuries: QB Daryll Clark (concussion - probable), DE Devon Still (ankle - out), S Nick Sukay (foot - out), LB Sean Lee (knee - out), C Doug Klopacz (knee - out), DE Jerome Hayes (knee - out), RB Brent Carter (knee - out)
Key Players: (offense) QB Daryll Clark, RB Evan Royster;(defense) DT Jared Odrick, LB Navorro Bowman
Head Coach: Joe Paterno, 43rd season, 381-125-3
Season Statistics:
Offense - 226.3 rush/233.4 pass/41.8 points per game
Defense - 99.1 rush/166.8 pass/11.1 points per game
TO Margin - (+9)
Why PSU will win -- On paper, Penn State and Iowa are about even on both sides of the ball. They're No. 1 and No. 3 in scoring offense, and No. 1 and No. 2 in scoring defense. But that's where it pretty much ends. Iowa hasn't been able to win close games. Penn State has only been in one real close game. I think it will come down to which team has the intangibles, and I'll give that battle to Penn State. The Lions have proven they can win on the road–in both ugly and dominant fashion, mind you–and can come back from trailing. I don't really think Clark's concussion will impact this game as much as we think. He's had two weeks off, and hasn't taken any hits. Penn State's offensive line has been great all year, and should be able to control Iowa enough to keep them off Clark. If the Hawkeyes blitz the way Ohio State did, that should open up the quick throws over the middle, and screen passes out of the backfield. The big boost if this should happen, is that Iowa doesn't have the secondary Ohio State does, and can't match up against the Penn State receivers the way the Buckeyes did. I'm looking for Penn State to come out throwing, similar to the Wisconsin game.
What will happen -- Iowa will be all jacked up to start the game, but the crowd will need some help to stay in it. I don't think it will last long. Penn State hasn't gotten a break all season, and has the mental capacity to prevent a post-bye gaffe in Iowa City. The rest will show up big time this week, as Penn State will move the ball methodically, up and down the field. Iowa will use Greene very effectively, but won't be able to get the big plays needed to stay with the Lions. Forcing Iowa into catch-up mode is Penn State's best option to win this game going away. I dont' expect the weather to become so much of a factor, but could play a part early on, when the players are still tight.
Prediction: No. 3 Penn State, 37 - Iowa, 10
More than 200 readers weighed in, and by a vast majority picked Penn State to beat Illinois tonight under the Beaver Stadium lights. We'll see how that goes. 
Oh yeah, and if Penn State wins tonight, they're the top-ranked Big Ten team. Just thought I'd mention that.
Kickoff: Sat., Sept. 27. 8:00 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN GamePlan
Weather Forecast: High 50s, Strong Chance for Rain.
Host: Penn State Nittany Lions
Record: 4-0 (0-0, Big Ten)
Last Game: Won vs. Temple, 45-3
Injuries: Jerome Hayes (ACL - out season), LB Sean Lee (ACL - out season), DE Devon Still (ankle - out), S Nick Sukay (foot - out season), DL Mike Lucian (ankle - probable), Doug Klopacz (ankle - probable), TE Mickey Shuler (ankle - probable)
Key Players: (offense) RB Evan Royster, QBs Daryll Clark; (defense) Saf. Anthony Scirrotto, DE Aaron Maybin
Head Coach: Joe Paterno, 43rd season, 376-125-3
Season Statistics:
Offense - 274.2 rush/264.2 pass/52.8 points per game
Defense - 52.2 rush/170 pass/10 points per game
TO Margin - (+3)
Why PSU will win -- The offense: Yes, as any of you could have predicted, I think the Penn State offensive juggernaut will roll on this week. There are plenty of good offenses in the Big Ten, five of which are averaging more than 30 points per game. Then there’s PSU’s unit, which is cranking out 15 more points per game than the next best offense, Illinois’. Daryll Clark is the best quarterback, and he’ll be supported by the best rushing attack in the conference. Penn State leads the Big Ten in all four major categories. (Total off., Pass, Rush, PPG) The run defense: Illinois may average 224 yards per game on the ground, but most of that came from a 399-yard day vs. I-AA Eastern Illinois. Penn State’s front four has played far beyond anyone’s expectations, and will put tons of pressure on Juice Williams. More importantly, however, is that Penn State has the No. 1 rush defense in the Big Ten, mostly due to the line play. Big Ten sack leader Aaron Maybin, captain Josh Gaines, along with tackles Jared Odrick and Ollie Ogbu will clamp down on the Illini run game.
Visitor: Illinois Fighting Illini
Record: 2-1 (0-0 Big Ten)
Last Game: Won vs. Louisiana Lafayette 20-17
Injuries: OL Ryan Palmer (foot - out), DB Miami Thomas (ACL - out season), S Donsay Hardeman (knee - probable), WR Jeff Cumberland (foot - probable)
Key Players: (offense) QB Juice Williams, RB Daniel Dufrene; (defense) LB Brit Miller, LB Martez Wilson
Head Coach: Ron Zook, 4th season at Illinois, 15-24; 7th year overall, 38-38
Season Statistics:
Offense - 224.7 rush/244 pass/36.3 points per game
Defense - 163 rush/208.3 pass/30 points per game
TO Margin - (+1)
Why Illinois will win -- Juice Williams: If this guy has a good game, the Illinois offense will have a great game. He’s probably the most improved passer in the Big Ten since his freshman season (<40% comp). Williams can’t afford to turn the ball over in a hostile Beaver Stadium, and I think he can do it. We all saw what he did to Ohio State in Columbus last year. Just like then, converting third downs will be the absolute key to this game for the Illini. Turnovers: Penn State hasn’t been taking good care of the ball lately (4 lost fum.), and Illinois must capitalize on that. What should really get the Illini anxious is that most of those fumbles came near the goal line, which would set them up nicely for quick, cheap point. Illinois has to score, and score a lot, and turnovers are a great way to do it.
What will happen: Illinois has played in very intimidating places (Columbus vs. No. 1 Ohio State, maybe?), but they have never played in front of a Penn State White Out, at night. Just ask those Buckeyes how things went in 2005. I think Illinois will be able to move the ball, but fail to score enough touchdowns. Penn State, on the other hand, should be able to march up and down the field, almost at will against a porous Illini defense--dead last in the Big Ten in PPG. I said earlier that Juice Williams will have to play a near-perfect game to win this one... he won’t. Penn State isn’t taking Illinois for granted the way Ohio State did in 2007, and everyone knows these are two very good teams. Evan Royster will have the national-spotlight game to thrust himself into dark horse Heisman contention. But I think the Penn State offense will prove to college football that they’re for real.
Prediction: No. 12 Penn State, 44 - No. 21 Illinois, 23
This week's BWRT is brought to you by the fine folks at TNL.
The usually unusual suspects:
There is No Name on My Jersey
Tangled Up in White and Blue
Y. F. Yurasko
Happy Hour Valley
Black Shoe Diaries
The Nittany Line
We Want the Lion
Zombie Nation
Nittany Whiteout
*warning - painfully obvious question alert* Penn State gets its first ‘real’ test this weekend facing a ranked opponent when the Fighting [None-Offensive-Mascot]s come to town. Gaze into your crystal ball and give us a short description on how Saturday night’s events will unfold. Or if you’re lazy just fire up NCAA 2009 and tell us what the Xbox thinks.ZN: I'm not going into specifics, as that's why we all do our previews. What I will say is that Penn State will be fired up in front of a sell-out, drunken crowd. The offense will roll, but the defense might give up a few too many first downs. No one will care in the end though, as Penn State's signature 'bend, but don't break' style will hold true.
Saturday’s game is on the big stage at 8:00 with most of the football world watching. It’s a white out and Penn State is favored by two scores (as of Monday). Is this a lose-lose situation (the only way they could look good is by winning big) for Penn State or golden opportunity to show the world what the Spread HD is all about? ZN: It's only a lose-lose if Penn State plays like crap. If Penn State plays a clean, strong game against a good team, it will look like a good win regardless of the score. It's all up to the defense to hold down the Illini. That's what people will look at most in the box score: How many did PSU's defense give up?
Now that all the fluff questions are out of the way do Maurice Evans and Abe Koroma get significant playing time? ZN: Not significant, if at all. Penn State's defensive line has been playing lights-out, making us all forget that we're missing four of the best players on that front. Mo and Abe will dress, but probably not play.
Lightening Round
Back in 2007, Illinois Basketball fans made my skull crack open in rage slightly angered me when they befouled the statue of Joe Paterno. Do you hate the Illini like me or not so much? ZN: Not so much. They only beat PSU for the third time ever last season. While I don't think they'll be as bad as they were in the last few seasons of Ron Turner's tenure, or the first two Ron Zook seasons, they're not on the level of Ohio State or Wisconsin. Next year, however, will be a different story.
It’s a night game please quantify the amount of alcohol you will consume before gametime (if you don’t drink please quantify the amount of fatty foods you will eat). ZN: I like a plethora of everything, so, yeah...
Put it on the line – final score: ZN: 187-5. Penn State stops Illinois on the one-yard line with two seconds left in the game. Rather than punt, Jeremy Boone runs around in the end zone before taking the safety. Time expires. For a real score prediction, check out my full game preview later today.
Another week, another win by Penn State. More than 90 percent of voters chose Penn State this week, not unexpected with how the Lions have been playing. 
Oh yeah, and there's tons of reports swirling that Joe Paterno will coach from the press box today. So what if he does? He's old, give him a break. The team's winning big, so don't complain.
This is a big week for the Big Ten. After flopping against USC and Oregon, not many in the media will pay attention to this week's slate. I'm going out on a limb, and pick the Big Ten to sweep all opponents. I think the conference is better than everyone portrays it.
(FYI: Each team name links to its respective official football site. I also used the USA Today Coaches Poll for the team rankings. Any time you see a ranking before a team name at ZN, it's the Coaches Poll rank.)
Northwestern vs. Ohio U. - The ZN pick: N'Western
Indiana vs. Ball State - The ZN pick: Indy
No. 14 Ohio St. vs. Troy - The ZN pick: Ohio St.
No. 15 Penn St vs. Temple - The ZN pick: Penn St
No. 8 Wisconsin vs. BYE - The ZN pick: BYE
Iowa @ Pittsburgh - The ZN pick: Iowa
Michigan vs. BYE - The ZN pick: BYE
Minnesota vs. Florida Atlantic - The ZN pick: Minny
Mich St vs. Notre Dame - The ZN pick: Mich St
Purdue vs. Central Michigan - The ZN pick: Purdue
No. 23 Illinois vs. BYE - The ZN pick: BYE
BTB Pick'em Standings After Week 3, compiled by Gopher Nation: That's right, No. 6 baby!
1 Gopher Nation 29
1 Happy Hour Valley 29
1 Hoosier Report 29
1 Lake the Posts 29
1 The Only Game That Matters 29
6 BHGP (HS) 28
6 Black Shoes Diary 28
6 Michigan SportsCenter 28
6 Zombie Nation 28
10 Hawkeye Sports News 27
10 Maize'n Brew 27
10 Off the Tracks ™ 27
10 Eleven Warriors 27
10 Enlightened Spartan 27
10 Ground Zero East Lansing 27
10 Paint the Town Orange 27
10 Maize & Blue Nation 27
10 The Nittany Line 27
19 Buckeye Battle Cry 26
19 Boiled Sports 26
19 Varsity Blue 26
22 The Buckeye Blog 23
23 Sparty MSU 17
24 Nittany White Out 8
Kickoff: Sat., Sept. 20. 12:00 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
Weather Forecast: Mid 70s, Mostly Sunny.
Host: Penn State Nittany Lions
Record: 3-0 (0-0, Big Ten)
Last Game: Won at Syracuse, 55-13
Injuries: DE Maurice Evans (suspension - out game), DT Abe Koroma (suspension - out game), Jerome Hayes (ACL - out season), LB Sean Lee (ACL - out season), DE Devon Still (ankle - out season), S Nick Sukay (foot - out season), T Ako Poti (knee - possible), DL Mike Lucian (ankle - probable)
Key Players: (offense) WR Derrick Williams, QBs Daryll Clark; (defense) Saf. Anthony Scirrotto, DT Jared Odrick
Head Coach: Joe Paterno, 43rd season, 375-125-3
Season Statistics:
Offense - 263 rush/273 pass/55.3 points per game
Defense - 64.3 rush/186 pass/12.3 points per game
TO Margin - (+2)
Why PSU will win -- It’s the offense, stupid: No Penn State offense since the 1920s has scored more points (166) in the first three games. Daryll Clark is the Big Ten pass efficiency leader, and Evan Royster is leading all starting RBs in YPC (8.1). Even though Temple’s defense is the strength of that team, it will have just as much trouble stopping PSU as the previous three opponents. And if PSU didn’t play tight last week at Syracuse, expect more wide-open play calling at Beaver Stadium this week. Defensive Line: What?! Yes, with all the injuries, suspensions and distractions, the line play has been lost in the shuffle. Penn State figured there would be some drop-off in run defense, but not so. What many forgot was that Penn State has loaded up on the D-line in recent recruiting, and now it’s paying off. DE Aaron Maybin leads PSU in sacks (4), and Jared Odrick has been a monster inside. With the leadership displayed by Josh Gaines so far, and the younger players getting a lot more playing time, this line has turned into the strength of the defense.
Visitor: Temple Owls
Record: 1-2 (0-1 MAC)
Last Game: Lost at Buffalo 30-28
Injuries: N/A (I know that a few players will be held out this week, but it's been tough to find the injury report for TU. I'm still trying though.)
Key Players: (offense) QB Adam DeMichele, WR Bruce Francis; (defense) DL Andre Neblett, CB Jamal Schulters
Head Coach: Al Golden, 3rd season, 5-19
Season Statistics:
Offense - 105.3 rush/207 pass/24 points per game
Defense - 201.3 rush/169.3 pass/16.3 points per game
TO Margin - (+2)
Why Temple will win -- The coaching staff: Al Golden and Mark D’Onofrio are two of the hottest names in coaching. No, they might not be Urban Meyer or Bronco Mendenhall. But there’s no doubt that Temple has a new attitude under this staff, and the talent is following right behind. I’m not sure Golden can get his team over a mountain like Penn State, but remember the 2007 edition of this game was much closer than the 31-0 final. Experience: Temple is actually more experienced than Penn State, returning all 22 starters from last season. Some of them have moved positions, but all came back. Adam DiMichele is an underrated runner at QB, and has grown into his role as the team’s field general. Penn State’s pass defense has been very suspect so far. DiMichele has to get some passes going to Bruce Francis, especially if Temple wants to open up any running room.
What will happen: I keep thinking PSU is due for a closer-than-expected game this season, but it just hasn’t happened. Temple’s offense just isn’t up to speed, and may have a lot of trouble moving the ball in a hostile environment. Joe Paterno won’t want to risk any injuries the week before Illinois comes to town, so if there’s an early big lead against Temple, the starters won’t go back in. It also wouldn’t surprise me to see PSU score another 35 first-half points (35 FH pts in first 3 gms), in order to get the starters out. Against a stingier Temple defense, we might see PSU’s first interception, and I’m calling for TU to hold PSU under its 55.3 ppg season average.
Prediction: No. 15 Penn State, 49 - Temple, 9
Kickoff: Sat., Sept. 13. 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Regional/GamePlan
Weather Forecast: Inside Carrier Dome.
Host: Syracuse Orange
Record: 0-2 (0-0, Big East)
Last Game: Lost to Akron, 42-28
Injuries: WR Dan Sheeran (leg - out season), LB Chad Battles (leg - doubtful)
Key Players: (offense) RB Curtis Brinkley, QB Cameron Dantley ; (defense) DL Arthur Jones, DE Vincenzo Giruzzi
Head Coach: Greg Robinson, 4th season, 7-30
Season Statistics:
Offense - 170 rush/119 pass/19 points per game
Defense - 243.5 rush/237.5 pass/36 points per game
TO Margin - (0)
Why SU will win -- Forcing Turnovers: The Orange haven’t exactly been stellar this season taking the ball away from opponents. Frankly, it could be SU’s only option in this game. The defense has been gouged by Northwestern and Akron in consecutive weeks, and those two offenses are nothing compared to the PSU machine. A key interception or fumble could help keep things respectable. Luck: Yeah, SU will need a lot of it. Orange faithful are longing for the days when this was a serious battle of two great teams, not, well... this.
Visitor: Penn State Nittany Lions
Record: 2-0 (0-0, Big Ten)
Last Game: Beat Oregon State, 45-14
Injuries: DE Maurice Evans (suspension - out game), DT Abe Koroma (suspension - out game), Jerome Hayes (ACL - out season), LB Sean Lee (ACL - out season), DE Devon Still (ankle - out season), S Nick Sukay (foot - out season)
Key Players: (offense) WR Derrick Williams, QBs Daryll Clark; (defense) DE Aaron Maybin, LB Josh Hull
Head Coach: Joe Paterno, 43rd season, 374-125-3
Season Statistics:
Offense - 286.5 rush/237.5 pass/55 points per game
Defense - 72 rush/224 pass/12 points per game
TO Margin - (+2)
Why PSU will win -- Just Show Up: That’s all PSU really has to do this week. I think it’s a matter of how well PSU plays, not if they’ll win. There’s been a lot of speculation that Joe Paterno will reel in the offense a bit, but it won’t be what PSU fans are used to on the road. I think it will be tough for PSU to not score 30 points. So, all they have to do is show up. Offensive Line: In case you’ve been living in a cave the last two weeks, PSU’s offensive line is really, really, ridiculously good. With these five, combined with the great lead-blocking of Dan Lawlor and Brett Brackett, PSU could run for 200 in the first half this week.
What will happen: Penn State will have no problem dispatching the Orange. Last week, I thought Oregon State would scare PSU a bit, but it was the opposite. So this week, I’ll expect PSU to come out strong. Maybe not as strong as last week, but it won’t give Lions fans reason to worry. Syracuse should be able to nab a couple big pass plays against the PSU secondary, but it might not be enough. SU has to hold PSU under 25 points, but won’t. I’ll just come out with it already, there’s not chance for the Orange.
Prediction: No. 17 Penn State, 52 - Syracuse, 16
This is how I'm rolling this week for the Big Ten. I'm probably making a few enemies by picking USC. I know I'm making enemies by tabbing Notre Dame over Michigan.
(FYI: Each team name links to its respective official football site. I also used the USA Today Coaches Poll for the team rankings. Any time you see a ranking before a team name at ZN, it's the Coaches Poll rank.)
Northwestern vs. Southern Illinois - The ZN pick: N'Western
Indiana vs. BYE - The ZN pick: Indy
No. 5 Ohio St. @ No. 1 USC - The ZN pick: USC
No. 17 Penn St @ Syracuse - The ZN pick: Penn St
No. 10 Wisconsin @ No. 21 Fresno State - The ZN pick: Wisky
Iowa vs. Iowa State - The ZN pick: Iowa
Michigan @ Notre Dame - The ZN pick: Irish
Minnesota vs. Montana State - The ZN pick: Minny
Mich St vs. Florida Atlantic - The ZN pick: Mich St
Purdue vs. No. 14 Oregon - The ZN pick: Oregon
Illinois vs. Louisiana-Lafayette - The ZN pick: Illinois
BTB Pick'em Standings After Week 2: (Coming)
An Oregon State blog, run by a man named Jason, is cleverly named Jason's OSU Beavers Blog. Fortunately for me, he's been kind enough to work with the enemy and give me his thoughts on the upcoming game. I'm always ready to hear from the other side, and this is a great opportunity for you to as well.
Three reasons OSU will win...
"1. Oregon State's run defense. Last season the Beavers run defense allow 899 yards for the entire season. There were a lot of graduations, but the current starters all rotated in heavily last year and are pretty experienced. In addition, senior safety Al Afalava is back for the Penn St. game and he is a big hitter who helps out a ton in the run game.
Oregon State has seen a lot of spread in Oregon, a little in Washington, and Utah over the last couple of years. We know how to defend it and have defended it pretty well. Our defensive speed is good. So the Spread HD can be contained.
If Oregon State can hold Penn St. to around 100-150 yards, then they should be winning the game.
2. Coach Riley and the players thrive on these big games. The Beavers gave LSU all they could handle and should have won the game. Riley has yet to lose a bowl game. They beat #2 Cal away last year and USC the year before to snap their big winning streak. I think the players will be pumped and ready to show the nation their stuff. If they get out to an early lead, then they can win.
3. Forcing turnovers. Last year Oregon State had 24 interceptions and 4 for TDs. They have the secondary back and guys who are ball hawks. After forcing no turnovers against Stanford, turnovers will be a point of emphasis and guys will be stripping and looking for the INT. If OSU has a +2 turnover margin or better, they will beat the Nittany Lions."
"1. Turnovers. In all of the Beavers big losses the last few years, turnovers are the culprit. Interceptions, fumbles, and crazy touchbacks. Cincy killed us on takeaways. Louisville and Boise St. all picked us off at will. If we lose the turnover battle, we lose the game. If we give up 5+ turnovers, then it will get ugly.
2. Its game 2. The Beavers haven't had a great start to the season since 2002. It's kind of a Beaver thing to start slow and finish strong. The Stanford loss might mean its another slow start for the Beavs. We lost some great players last year and we are young. Those young guys have to learn on the job and it takes a few games to get going.
3. The running game. After not being able to establish the run against Stanford (granted we had to pass a ton because we were behind), and with the yards PSU put up last week. It could be a slow death. If Penn St. establishes running dominance early and the Beavers can't run, then it will take a career performance from Lyle Moevao to win. He had 400 yards last week, but he would need zero interceptions and some help from the defense to make that happen. If the Beavers can't run either inside or outside on the fly sweep, they will lose the game."
"Its hard to predict a win on this game. I think our early season woes and young LBs and RBs make it tough to call. They say teams improve most from game 1 to game 2 and we will need it. We did have a much tougher game last week than PSU and the Beavers will be ready to go. Not to mention I still have the bad taste from last week in my mouth.
I'll call a 38-21 Penn St. win. I hope I'm wrong and the game is much closer than that.
Prove me wrong Beavs!"
Here's my entry for this week's Big Ten Bloggers pick'em. I did alright last week, but my upset picks for Michigan State and Michigan fell through. This week, I'm going along with the crowd in a bunch of "easy" games. Hopefully I can get back into the mix. Following my pics are the current standings from the pick'em participants. Enjoy.
(FYI: Each team name links to its respective official football site. I also used the USA Today Coaches Poll for the team rankings. Any time you see a ranking before a team name at ZN, it's the Coaches Poll rank.)
Northwestern @ Duke- The ZN pick: N'Western
Indiana vs. Murray St. - The ZN pick: Indy
No. 3 Ohio St. vs. Ohio U. - The ZN pick: Ohio St
No. 19 Penn St vs. Oregon St. - The ZN pick: Penn St
No. 11 Wisconsin vs. Marshall - The ZN pick: Wisky
Iowa vs. FIU - The ZN pick: Iowa
Michigan vs. Miami(OH) - The ZN pick: Mich
Minnesota @ Bowling Green- The ZN pick: BG
Mich St vs. Eastern Michigan - The ZN pick: Mich St
Purdue vs. Northern Colorado - The ZN pick: PU
No. 24 Illinois vs. Eastern Illinois - The ZN pick: Illinois
BTB Pick'em Standings After Week 1: (compiled by Gopher Nation)
1 Off the Tracks ™ 10
2 The Only Game That Matters 9
3 BHGP (HS) 9
4 Hawkeye Sports News 9
5 Maize'n Brew 9
6 Michigan SportsCenter 9
7 Gopher Nation 9
8 Lake the Posts 9
9 Eleven Warriors 9
10 The Nittany Line 9
11 Happy Hour Valley 9
12 Black Shoes Diary 9
13 Boiled Sports 9
14 Maize & Blue Nation 8
15 Varsity Blue 8
16 Enlightened Spartan 8
17 Ground Zero East Lansing 8
18 Buckeye Battle Cry 8
19 Nittany White Out 8
20 Zombie Nation 8
21 Hoosier Report 8
22 Paint the Town Orange 8
23 The Buckeye Blog 7
24 Badger Tracker 6
25 Meet Us At Kinnick 0
26 Sparty MSU 0
I'll have the PSU/Oregon St. preview up sometime tomorrow. Hopefully the "5204" thing will be done with by then.
Just because the rest of us had the day off, doesn't mean college football did the same. Rutgers did more to beat themselves than Fresno State, and Tennessee kicks off at UCLA in a few minutes. It's been a sloppy weekend so far, and the first game today did nothing to buck that trend. Can UCLA/Tennessee do anything to resemble a good game? I'm not so sure about that. I'll give UT the edge right now. Actually, it will be more than an edge. UT should run up four touchdowns, while UCLA will struggle to do much on offense. Hmmm... Tennessee 31, UCLA 14.
Coming tomorrow: My Top 25; Joe Paterno's press conference coverage.
No. 6 Missouri 35-23 over No. 20 Illinois 8:30 p.m. ET
No. 9 Clemson 29-18 over Alabama 8 p.m. ET
No. 11 Texas 27-20 over FAU 7 p.m. ET
Washington 24-21 upsets No. 21 Oregon 10 p.m. ET
Michigan State 28-20 over California 8 p.m. ET
Before I start, you should know that I've tried harder this season to boil down my previews to real meat-and-potatoes football analysis. I felt last season's previews were too long-winded. This year, I'm going for bing-bang-boom insight, which I hope makes things more enjoyable for everyone. With that, I give you the first game preview of the 2008 Penn State football season... Let's Go, State!
Kickoff: Sat., Sept. 30. 12 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
Weather Forecast: Chance of AM Rain; Warm.
Host: No. 22 Penn State Nittany Lions
Record: (2007) 9-4 (4-4, Big Ten)
Last Game: Won Alamo Bowl 24-17 vs. Texas A&M
Injuries: LB Sean Lee (ACL - out season), DE Devon Still (ankle - out season), S Nick Sukay (foot - out season)
Key Players: (offense) RB Evan Royster, QBs Daryll Clark/Pat Devlin; (defense) S Anthony Scirrotto, DE Maurice Evans
Head Coach: Joe Paterno, 43rd season, 372-125-3
Season Statistics: (2007)
Offense - 193.8 rush/206.3 pass/30.3 points per game
Defense - 93.8 rush/214.5 pass/17.5 points per game
TO Margin - +0.15
Why PSU will win -- The rushing game: Penn State is in better shape here than most think. And the funny thing is, it's not even because the backs are fantastic. The Penn State offensive line will completely dominate the Coastal Carolina defensive front, opening big holes the whole game. On top of that, PSU's conversion back to the 2005 spread-style offense should make up for any cohesion the offense may need to build during the first few games. PSU has few faults on offense, but those few will be covered up nicely by the spread attack. Passing efficiency: The PSU quarterbacks won't light up the board, and none of us expect them to. What the PSU coaches, fans and media expect to see are signal callers managing the game, reducing turnovers, and occasionally launching a long bomb, but only when it's sure to work. Watch for a lot of catch-and-run against CCU. This PSU offense will control the ball, keeping it away from CCU, making the defense look really good.
Visitor: Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (I-AA/FCS)
Record: (2007) 5-6 (3-1, Big South)
Last Game: Won @ Charleston Southern, 41-2
Injuries: Tyler Campbell (ankle - questionable), Jamie Childers (illness - doubtful), Leon Goodwin (shoulder - doubtful) and D.J. McNeill (ankle - doubtful), Marlon Campbell (knee - out), Andre Ford (knee - out) Tommy Fraser (hamstring - out), Myron Rogers (knee - out, Dominique Whiteside (foot - out)
Key Players: (offense) QBs Willy Richardson/Zach MacDowall, K Justin Durham; (defense) DE Phillip Oboh, S Dominique Davenport
Head Coach: David Bennett, 6th season @ CCU, 39-17 (13th season coaching, 102-34 overall)
Season Statistics: (2007)
Offense - 207.0 rush/156.3 pass/28.7 points per game
Defense - 218.9 rush/141.4 pass/26.1 points per game
TO Margin - +1.36
Why CCU will win -- Turnovers: Penn State won't lose this game, but CCU could keep it scary for at least a half. Forcing either of the PSU quarterbacks to throw a pick or two could thrust a wrench into the game plan in a hurry. Penn State wants to sub-out its starters by halftime, and if CCU can keep things in doubt as the teams are heading into the locker rooms, it should be considered an accomplishment. Converting 3rd downs: Coastal Carolina has to keep the clock moving, and PSU's offense off the field. CCU won't be able to hang with PSU in a shootout, but the longer CCU has the ball, the better. And if CCU can move the ball, it will take out an already apathetic PSU crowd.
What will happen: Coastal Carolina isn't Appalachian State, and Penn State isn't an overrated Michigan team. PSU will roll early, and the stadium will empty by mid-third quarter. The rain will dampen any festive mood in the crowd, but the Lion faithful will leave happy.
Prediction: No. 22 Penn State, 45 - Coastal Carolina, 3
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