‘Cats-Trojans. Hoosiers-Nits. Ducks-Hawkeyes. Who ya got?
Does wisconsin believe in Luke Fickell, or is Chris McIntosh just trying to save his skin—and a hefty buyout—for one more season?
Either way: it matters not to me, because one more year of this arrogant prick grimacing his way around madison and pissing off high school coaches in Milwaukee is hilarious. I get to text and talk with a badger football alumnus more than people know, and the vibe is completely shot. No one wants Fickell there. McIntosh has blown through any remaining good will.
Hope Jim Leonhard—or, failing him, Jake Dickert—is willing to work for cheap.
Or, y’know, I don’t. I hope that program burns.
- Well now. That’s better. The one I got wrong everybody got wrong. We believed in you, Minnesota!
- Apparently we kinda suck at this. Only one person over .500. Fearless leader with a commanding 56pt lead.
- Quietly, Thumpasaurus is leading the usually-unbeatable BigRedTwice straight up (.843 – .838)
Thump doing something quietly. Well now I’ve seen it all. —MNW
All times CDT, because reasons.
Northwestern Wildcats @ (20) Southern Cal Trojans
8PM | FOX | USC -14.5 | O/U 50.5
Straight Up: USC 12-0
Against the Spread: Northwestern 7-5
HoustonBoiler: USC has too much firepower for Northwestern to win this game, but they will keep it within two scores. USC wins, but Northwestern covers.
Thumpasaurus: Northwestern is going to lose until the last week of the season and then you know what’s going down.
RockyMtnBlue: I think USC wins if this game is in Evanston. I think USC covers if it’s in LA. It’s in LA. USC 31-14
Larry31: Oh, gee. It’s the Douchie Snob Private School Bowl. Do spoiled rich kids win, or the smart rich kids? Hmm. Does it count if neither is a land grant university? I think the smart rich kids have a lot of moxie this year. So, the spoiled rich kids win but the smart rich kids cover.
BRT: I thought USC was underwhelming against Nebraska, but allegedly they are better at home. Still, Northwestern might be solid and patient enough to be entertainingly pesky.
MNW: And largely that’s the logic I’m going with here. Never mind that in its only game against Top 25 competition to date, the ‘Cats were mostly irrelevant in a loss to Oregon—it’s defensible enough to believe that Northwestern’s defense has improved to the point that they could (a very, very, very operative word here!) slow down USC and give Jayden Maiava some trouble.
Can Northwestern score enough to keep up? If they can keep this a low-scoring game and control the clock, perhaps. But when the ‘Cats get behind, I don’t have confidence Preston Stone can throw them back into things. USC, 28-14.
(2) Indiana Hoosiers @ Penn State Nittany Lions
11AM | FOX | Indiana -14.5 | O/U 49.5
Straight Up: Indiana 12-0
Against the Spread: Indiana 9-3
HoustonBoiler: Indiana keeps rolling though Penn State might keep them under 50. Hoosiers win and cover.
Thumpasaurus: Vox will axe this site before Indiana’s next loss
RockyMtnBlue: I really don’t see how Penn State keeps this game close. They’ve been playing hard and they’re still talented, but we call Indiana Death Star Jr for a reason. Indiana 38-21
Larry31: Death Star Jr scares me. Penn St. Has kind of checked out. Death Star Jr. covers.
MNW: Ooooooooooh couple thoughts here (1) look at Thump, manifesting, and (2) what on earth do I see in Penn State? Was I assuming they would control the clock enough against Indiana to make this worthwhile? That they have the dignity to fight for their home fans?
Whatever, rules is rules and I’m stuck. Hoosiers, 35-21.
(1) Ohio State Buckeyes @ Purdue Boilermakers
Noon | BTN | Ohio State -29.5 | O/U 48.5
Straight Up: Ohio State 12-0
Against the Spread: Ohio State 7-5
HoustonBoiler: The real question here is how much will Ohio State play with its food this week. When Purdue has beaten very good Ohio State teams this century, they had an All-B1G caliber player(s) that made key plays – Drew Brees, Kyle Orton, Ryan Kerrigan, and Rondale Moore. This Purdue team lacks any such players but will show enough heart to keep it within 4 scores. Ohio State wins, but Purdue covers, I’ll say 35 – 6.
Thumpasaurus: Did you ever get impatient playing through a whole season with a dominant team in NCAAF to the point where you ran clock from the opening possession to shorten the amount of time you had to play?
RockyMtnBlue: Have I mentioned fuck OSU lately? Because fuck OSU. Ohio State 42-3
Larry31: Death star has to roll Purdue just to keep up with Death Star Jr. OSU to cover.
BRT: There are some very uncompetitive games this week.
MNW: RockyMtnBlue, I believe you wanted to see me piss my entire ATS lead away in one week? Christ almighty, what was I thinking? Buckeyes, 41-14.
Maryland Terrapins @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights
1:30PM | FS1 | Maryland -1.5 | O/U 58.5
Straight Up: Tied 6-6
Against the Spread: Tied 6-6
You’d expect a near pick-em game to have a fairly even distribution of picks. Not how we usually do it. Pulled it off this time, though.
Houston Boiler: It’s November so I think Rutgers wins this one at home. I would flip this if the game were at Maryland. Rutgers wins outright.
Thumpasaurus: KJ Duff is the truth. Not sure why The Gers couldn’t solve the Illini defense when they put up 21 on Iowa in the first half.
RockyMtnBlue: If they played this two months ago this might have been a really fun, entertaining game. But Rutgers is SO beat up right now I just can’t see them hanging, even at home. Maryland 34-24
Larry31: Will anybody watch this other than masochistic Rutgers and Maryland fans? If Death Star Jr. didn’t break Maryland the way Oregon broke Penn state, Maryland wins. Otherwise, it all Rutgers. I’m hoping Maryalnd isn’t broken. I’ll pick them to win and cover.
BRT: This game is going to be a new frontier in dumb.
MNW: Play this game at Wrigley Field. Rutgers, 31-28.
(6) Oregon Ducks @ Iowa Hawkeyes
2:30PM | CBS | Oregon -5.5 | O/U 41.5
Straight Up: Oregon 7-5
Against the Spread: Iowa 7-5
That’s not a ton of faith in the #6 team in the country.
HoustonBoiler: If this game were at night in Kinnick, I would go with Iowa winning. As it’s an afternoon game, the Ducks win, but the Hawks keep it close because Kirk is still Kirk.
Thumpasaurus: It’s gonna be dark by the fourth quarter though. Do you know who’s second in the Big Ten with 11 rushing touchdowns?
RockyMtnBlue: First pass, I had Oregon covering because Oregon is one of three teams in this league you just bet to cover. But Kinnick’s history is long and bloody. I can’t see the funniest thing happening, but I’m graded against the spread and that stadium is a dark, dark place. Oregon 25-20
Larry31: Iowa is a tough place to play. I don’t think the travel is going to bother Oregon that much. They have to go really far to play anyone. Even Washington is 300 miles away. Oregon covers.
BRT: I feel crazy picking Iowa, and maybe I am, but I have been pretty underwhelmed by Oregon of late, and Iowa is better than I expected this year (because why shouldn’t everything in 2025 suck?)
MNW: Nope, this is exactly the kind of cornlard bullshit you should be ready for. Can Iowa’s quarterback throw? Maybe not, but somehow no one is aware that he’s going to run for touchdowns. There’s no point. Just give up. They’re going to make the playoff. Hawkeyes, 24-21, on a walk-off field goal.
(24) Washington Huskies @ Wisconsin Badgers
3:30PM | BTN | Washington -11.5 | O/U 44.5
Straight Up: Washington 12-0
Against the Spread: Washington 8-4
HoustonBoiler: In the battle for the “W” game, the Bad-gers are still bad but Washington is on the road. So, the Huskies win, but the Bad-gers cover.
Thumpasaurus: They gotta hold on to Fickell for two more weeks so it can come full circle
RockyMtnBlue: Wiscy is the worst team in the Big10. But Washington has the biggest swings home-and-away. Plus Wiscy’s defense is actually decent. UDub to win. Badgers to cover. Washington 21-10
Larry31: Wiscy sucks. Huskies cover.
BRT: /Wisconsin loses again
MNW: Fickell gets the vote of confidence. So if it’s not this one, it’s…never? Huskies, 27-17.
Nebraska Cornhuskers @ UCLA Bruins
8PM | FOX | UCLA -2.5 | O/U 43.5
Straight Up: UCLA 10-2
Against the Spread: UCLA 10-2
HoustonBoiler: With Dylan Raiola out, I expect Nebraska’s offense to take a step back. We know what was holding UCLA back early in the season and that restraint has been jettisoned. Bruins win and cover.
Thumpasaurus: What an odd season for UCLA. They could still make a bowl.
RockyMtnBlue: Pure feelingsball here, but I think Nebraska rallies around their fallen QB and squeak out a win. Nebraska 21-20
Larry31: This one is truly a wild-ass guess. I’m feeling UCLA has found a groove. UCLA covers because the Huskers will sneak out and party too much on Sunset Blvd the night before the game.
BRT: If there is another win in this season for Nebraska post-Raiola, it’s this one. But unfortunately, I don’t think there’s another win this season for Nebraska post-Raiola.
MNW: There’s no way to have a feeling on this. UCLA, 20-17.
Too Cowardly to Play this Week:
RockyMtnBlue: Won’t speak for the other teams, but Michigan needs this bye week badly. Injuries everywhere and a true freshman quarterback who’s regressing a bit. Of course whether or not Michigan’s coaching staff can make things better is an open question.
