As the midpoint of conference play approaches, the Big Ten clearly appears to be split into two tiers. Four of the six games last week were losses, including No. 1 team in the nation, Ohio State, which faced the state’s top half Bowling Green by a score of 35-7 at the Horseshoe.

In my opinion, the top tier is held by the Buckeyes, Michigan, Iowa, and Wisconsin. With one limited exception, I wouldn’t expect any of these four teams to lose to the bottom seven. Wisconsin may struggle with its trip to West Lafayette in two weeks and Iowa may have a late-season battle with a trip to the Twin Cities. Will one of these two games be our Big Ten Game of the Year? Only time will tell, but there is good luck.

Other than that, four teams should end the season with impressive records and two should receive BCS offers. I really hope Michigan and Ohio State can go into their November 18 meeting undefeated as it would bring a lot of recognition to the conference. The winner of the game would easily finish the season atop the BCS standings and earn a spot in the national title game in Glendale, Arizona, to be called by former Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez.

The following will recap some of last week’s action and preview an important week ahead:

A wild game took place in Champaign, Illinois, when the Hoosiers called on Saturday. Illinois was coming off an impressive victory and we felt the situation was right to tighten them as an eight-point favorite over Indiana. The Hoosiers were really struggling, having lost three straight at home and mixing and matching their offensive line. Things went as expected in the first quarter as Illinois scored 22 points en route to an early 25-7 lead. I felt like this game was in the bag, but then the Hoosiers rattled off 24 straight points to take a six-point lead. The teams went back and forth from that point and Indiana ultimately claimed the win on Austin Starr’s 33-yard field goal as time expired.

This was an embarrassing loss for Illinois as they could have taken the program to the next level. That could have created a shot at three straight wins and would have given the Illini a winning record in conference play. The Fighting Illini rushed for 209 yards, but their undoing was that they only converted 1 of 11 chances on third down.

I don’t think many people are upset about the coaching change that was made when Urban Meyer was replaced. But no matter who the coach is, this team continues to underperform as they are talented on paper. Next up for Illinois is a home date with Ohio. They enter as touchdown favorites and are 10-2 outright against MAC. The Hoosiers hope to take advantage of this surprising upset when they host Iowa at Memorial Stadium. The starting lineup has Iowa as a 17.5-point favorite and I wouldn’t expect this game to be close.

Another impressive victory by a road team saw Penn State drive into the Twin Cities and come out with a one-point overtime win. The most intriguing stat from this game was that the Golden Gophers were held to just 67 rushing yards. This is a team that lives off the land and that’s quite an accomplishment for Joe Pa and his Lions. Minnesota has seen a huge drop off in talent at running back and Amir Pinnix couldn’t get the job done.

This game was close throughout as neither team led by more than 7 points and then Minnesota scored with just over a minute remaining to send it into overtime. They quickly converted it into overtime when Bryan Cupito threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Eric Decker to give the Gophers a six-point lead. However, Jason Giannini’s extra point hit the upright and bounced off. That gives the Lions confidence, and Tony Hunt’s two-yard run and accompanying extra point gave them the win.

Will this game give Penn State momentum to come home and take on the Wolverines? It certainly could. Revenge will be on their minds after the heartbreaking loss in Ann Arbor last year.

Minnesota will need to regroup quickly as Paul Bunyan’s Ax will be on the line when they visit Madison. The Badgers will enter their homecoming game as 10.5-point favorites, and I wouldn’t expect Minnesota to have trouble running the ball once again. However, one interesting stat from last week’s game is that QB Cupito threw for 348 yards. Pass defense may be the Badgers unit’s only weakness. Michigan will enter Happy Valley as a touchdown favorite looking to keep their perfect season alive. To me they are by far the better team and I would only consider playing the chalk.

Finally, one game that few people got to see was a border battle between Wisconsin and Northwestern. The game was on ESPN 360 and bar owners in Madison were struggling to find equipment that would allow this Internet broadcast to be viewed on big screen televisions. From what I hear, not many of them were successful and therefore the business suffered.

Northwestern has traditionally been a thorn in the Badgers’ side, having failed to beat them in two of the last three years (including last season’s 51-48 thriller). The Badgers jumped out to a 10-0 lead and it looked to be an easy win for them. The Cats used the next nine points to get within one, but that was all they could do. Wisconsin gradually pulled away for a 41-9 victory.

Northwestern has lost its identity with the sudden passing of coach Randy Walker, and its offense is only a shadow of its former self. They finished with just 216 yards of offense and the spread is fooling no one. RB PJ Hill continues to amaze opponents with his rushing ability and leads the conference in yardage. He has passed the century mark in five of his six games and should eclipse the 1,000 mark next week.

Next up for the Cats is a home date with Purdue. The Boilers enter as touchdown favorites and it will be interesting to see which team responds since both were eliminated last week. This would be a stay away game as both teams have trouble stopping opponents. The over seems to be the only possibility.

The other intriguing game next week features the No. 1 team in the land heading to East Lansing to take on the Spartans. Michigan State realizes that this game is their season and their last chance to showcase their underachieving talent on the national stage. I said two weeks ago that they would get either the Bucks or the Wolverines. They didn’t beat Michigan, so what to expect this week. The talent is there, but their minds tend to wander.

Final Thoughts on College Football

1) For those of you who played at Mississippi State, you must have been heartbroken when two touchdowns were scored with less than three minutes to go. The dagger was a 50-yard punt return by Vaughn Rivers with 1:07 left that pushed the lead to 28 points.

2) When I bet I always like to bet with big game coaches as they seem to do whatever it takes to win. Urban Meyer fits that bill along with Pete Carroll. Les Miles doesn’t and therefore I don’t trust his ability in even play.

3) Teams continue to pummel San Diego State. I got to see them in person and the offensive unit is definitely one of the worst in the nation. Keep putting up the big numbers until you can show me that you can score consistently.

Following a huge win with our “Revenge Game of the Year,” we’re moving it to this Saturday’s card when we release our “Underdog Game of the Year.” This team has an excellent chance to win this game outright and I will take a serious look at the money line.

For those of you who have not tried our hockey service, I encourage you to do so. We’re running a special through Sunday, October 15, where you can get a week’s worth of selections for just $20. I make the selections myself and cater to the player who likes to bet big money on a game every night. We look forward to another great week in football and we’d love to have you on board.

Free choice: Take Texas Tech -8 over Colorado.