This B1G Week 1/13-19

Hello and welcome friends to another edition of this B1G Week. Well, that was a weird week. We saw a Purdue team who just a week earlier struggle to score 37 points beat a red hot Michigan State team by almost 30. It also saw Ohio State who earlier in the year was ranked number 2 nationally drop its fourth straight. The Big Ten is mad weird and I'm down for it. Except for when I'm trying to figure the power rankings, in that case, screw them. 

Big Ten Game of the Week

Tuesday - 9 PM - ESPN 2- Maryland @ Wisconsin - Maryland is headed to Madison for a midweek matchup against the mighty Badgers. Sorry I got stuck on the M train there. The Terps are trying to recement themselves as one of the top teams in the league by scoring a road victory against a Wisconsin team that's trying to prove a less than stellar non-conference season was just a learning curve.

Nonconference Game of the Week

Saturday - 6 PM - ESPN - Louisville @ Duke - This should be a good matchup in Durham. The Cards have been a strong team and Duke has electric freshmen as per the norm. I'm leaning toward Louisville since road teams actually have a winning record in the ACC this year. That's the exact opposite to winning on the road in the Big Ten where the only thing harder is two day old Krispy Kreme, which is why I donut local. 

Power Ranking

1. Michigan State (+0)
2. Maryland (+0)
3. Illinois (+5)
4. Wisconsin (+3)
5. Penn State (-2)
6. Minnesota (+3)
7. Iowa (-1)
8. Michigan (-3)
9. Purdue (+2)
10. Indiana (+2)
11. Rutgers (-1)
12. Ohio State (-8)
13. Nebraska (+0)
14. Northwestern (+0)

Power Ranking Thoughts

Each week these power rankings get harder and harder to do. I guarantee that next week they'll look completely different. You'll notice a couple huge movers. Illinois is one three-game winning streak including wins @ Wisconsin and beating a Purdue team by nearly 30 who beat a Michigan State team by nearly 30 a week later. On the other end, Ohio State is our big loser. They've 4 straight and haven't exactly looked convincing doing so. 

Actual Rankings

1. Michigan State - 5-1 - 13-4
2. Illinois - 4-2 - 12-5
3. Indiana - 3-2 - 13-3
4. Maryland - 3-2 - 13-3
5. Rutgers - 3-2 - 12-4
6. Wisconsin - 3-2 - 10-6
7. Purdue - 3-3 - 10-7
8. Minnesota - 3-3 - 9-7
9. Penn State - 2-3 - 12-4
10. Iowa - 2-3 - 11-5
11. Michigan - 2-3 - 11-5
12. Nebraska - 2-3 - 7-9
13. Ohio State - 1-4 - 11-5
14. Northwestern - 1-4 - 6-9

B1G Picks

Tuesday

6:30 pm - FS1 - Nebraska @ Ohio State
Grant's Pick: Ohio State, Troy's Pick: Ohio State

8 pm - BTN - Iowa @ Northwestern
Grant's Pick: Iowa, Troy's Pick: Iowa

9 pm - ESPN 2 - Maryland @ Wisconsin
Grant's Pick: Maryland, Troy's Pick: Wisconsin

Wednesday

7 pm - BTN - Indiana vs Rutgers

Grant's Pick: Indiana, Troy's Pick: Rutgers

9 pm - BTN - Penn State @ Minnesota
Grant's Pick: Minnesota, Troy's Pick: Minnesota

Friday

7 pm - FS1 - Wisconsin @ Michigan State
Grant's Pick: Michigan State, Troy's Pick: Michigan State

9 pm - FS1 - Michigan @ Iowa
Grant's Pick: Iowa, Troy's Pick: Iowa

Saturday

Noon - ESPN/2/U - Ohio State @ Penn State

Grant's Pick: Ohio State, Troy's Pick: Penn State

2 pm - ESPN 2 - Purdue @ Maryland
Grant's Pick: Maryland, Troy's Pick: Maryland

5 pm - BTN - Northwestern @ Illinois
Grant's Pick: Illinois, Troy's Pick: Illinois

7 pm - BTN - Indiana @ Nebraska
Grant's Pick: Indiana, Troy's Pick: Indiana

Sunday

1 pm - BTN - Minnesota @ Rutgers
Grant's Pick: Rutgers, Troy's Pick: Rutgers

Grant's Previous Week Pick Record: 6-8

Grant's Total Pick Record: 124-50

Troy's Previous Week Pick Record: 7-7

Troy's Total Pick Record: 126-48



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