AP TOP 25

Iowa climbed back into both Top 25 polls this week, slotting the #13 spot in the Associated Press Poll and the #17 spot in the USAToday Coaches Poll.

This seems about right. From unranked to 17th or so in the coaches poll EXCEPT WAIT A FUCKING SECOND PENN STATE IS #13? ANNIE GET YOUR GUNGODAMNIT YOU’VE GOT TO BE FISTING ME WITH AN ANDRE THE GIANT DILDO.

So, let me get this straight: Iowa is 4-0. (that means they’ve lost no games! lol) They beat Penn State in the vaunted LOLOUT in Happy Valley Saturday. Penn State’s only loss is to Iowa. And yet, Iowa is ranked behind the team they just maimed?

At least the AP had more sense – Iowa is #13 and Penn State dropped all the way to 15th after the Hawkeye ass whooping. But, according to some of these voters, Penn State is still the better team:

Paul Arnett of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin has Iowa #22 in his poll and Penn State #10. Paul obviously has a pineapple shoved sideways up his ass, which is clouding his thinking. Go hula dance off a cliff and give back your AP vote, you tool.

Jay G. Tate of the Montgomery Advertiser has Iowa #22 as well. PSU? They’re #11 according to this loon. You better not be related to Drew Tate or you’re not invited back for Thanksgiving, motherfucker.

Sal Interdonato of the Time-Herald Record in Middleton, NY, has Iowa #20 and Penn State #12. Sal covers the Army football beat, a team that just got shit-stomped by ISU. And if you remember, ISU is the worst football team ever assembled. Sal, pull your head out of your Black Knight ass.

Desmond Conner of the The Hartford Courant has Iowa #20 as well. Penn State checks in at #10 in his poll. I know that the Desmond on College Gameday can’t read, and you’re obviously blind. You two should hang out and jack each other off.

Jeff Gravley of WRAL-TV in North Carolina has Iowa #18 and Penn State #12. WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?

And lastly, thank God he doesn’t get an AP vote and has to make his own “Power Poll,” Dennis Dodd of CBS Sportsline has Iowa at #15 and Penn State at #11. Also, in his unveiling of this week’s poll, he writes a love letter to Tim Tebow and asks if he can be directly behind him in the weekly ESPN Elephant Walk.

courtsey of www.hawkize.com

BACK IN THE PLAYOFFS

RESTORE THE ROAR

IT'S OVER

SATURDAY RECAP/SUNDAY PICKS

By Mr. Thursday Night

Well folks, whan can we say. Another 3-0 Saturday boosts our Saturday record the past 3 weeks to 9-1. Combine that with a landmark victory for the Iowa Hawkeyes and Saturday, the 26th of September was a pretty damn nice day.

Going to take it easy again on the NFL with just a few plays.

NEW YORK GIANTS -6.5 AT TAMPA BAY BUCS

HOUSTON TEXANS -4 VS JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

PITTSBURGH STEELERS -3.5 AT CINCY BENGALS

TODAY'S CARD

By Mr. Thursday Night

Va Tech to win +125
Wisconsin -2.5
Iowa plus 9.5

90% chance of rain in Happy Valley will ruin the whiteout. Seriously considered taking Iowa to win at +305 but have decided against it as of press time. Despite a terrible start on Thursdays we are 6-1 the past two Saturdays and only down 2 units on the year.

THE WEEKEND OF 9/26

I am saddened to report that Retard Ronnie got hit by a bus yesterday but his brother, Pimphandstrong(Finally bringing the hot chicks to hotchicksandpicks) is here to save the day!

Here's his picks for the week:

Last Week 2-1
Might not be the best handicapper, but I'll be the favorite.

Minnesota + 1.5
Northwestern

Pitt +1
NC State

Cal
Oregon +5.5

Miami -2.5
VA Tech

Michigan St +2.5
Wisconsin

HOMER PICK OF THE WEEK
IOWA +10
UNDER 40

MR. THURSDAY NIGHT-9/24

All right boyzzzzzzz the steak ends here. Mr. Thursday Night is red hot and the last piece of unfinished business is correcting the slow start we've had on Thursday Night. When they name a day of the week after you, the streak can not continue much longer. The ole ball coach takes a beating at home tonight.

OLE MISS -4 AT SOUTH CAROLINA

IOWA/PSU NOTES

Other than Joe Paterno, who’s taken on a sort of quasi-mystical persona among Big Ten coaches on the order of Albus Dumbledore, Ferentz is dean of the conference headmasters.

This is his 11th year. Counting his first season of 1999 when he went 1-10 with Hayden Fry’s meager cupboard remains, Ferentz is 6-2 against Paterno.

But here’s what’s really striking: In those eight meetings, Ferentz’s teams have been favored in the Vegas line only twice — in 2001 (-9 in Iowa City) and 2003 (-10 in Iowa City). Iowa has covered six of the eight, excepting only 2001 (24-18 win) and 2007 (27-7 loss, +9 in State College).

Five of the games have been close — decided by a touchdown or less — and Iowa has won each of them. Because Penn State won the two blowouts (’99 and ’07), the average difference actually comes out in favor of PSU +1.5, which could not be more misleading.

As badly as Vegas has gauged the outcomes, the games themselves have been just as erratic and all over the map in style and pace. On back-to-back Iowa visits to The Beav, you had games that could not have had less in common.

In 2002, there was the wild Zack Mills-led, back-from-the-dead comeback from 22 points down with 10 minutes left to force overtime and eventually a 42-35 Iowa decision.

That was the game when the officiating so infuriated Paterno that he ran down crew chief Dick Honig to spew vitriol on the way through the tunnel. Easy to forget now, but that’s the game generally referenced as the catalyst for college football’s replay system.

Just two years later in 2004, you had the otherworldly 6-4 spectacle, perhaps the nadir of the Paterno Dark Ages, when Ferentz felt so certain of PSU’s offensive impotency that he took an intentional safety to make it a two-point game with four minutes left.

That, you don’t see every day. Not to a mention a football game with 4 in the score.

WEEKEND WRAP-UP

By Mr. Thursday Night

A 5-1 weekend was provided to you by Mr. Thursday Night, absolutely free of charge. I dare you to find anyone in the country operating at that high of a level. After a rough start it looks as though we are ready to go on a run of locks that has not been seen since Ronnie Harmon tanked the 86 Rose Bowl.

The only thing left to do is to get Mr. Thursday Night back on track on Thursdays. As long as Georgia Tech isn't playing we should be fine. In my opinion they should have just folded that misreable program after Calvin Johnson aka Megatron left. Stay tuned to this very website for more winners.

MR. MONDAY NIGHT

Mr. Thursday Night's evil twin makes his debut with tonight's Monday Night showdown between Miami and Indianapolis.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS -3 VS MIAMI DOLPHINS

SATURDAY RECAP/NFL SUNDAY

By MR. Thursday Night-

Another strong Saturday (3-1) puts us at 6-1 in the college game the past two weekends. Only a late collapse by Northwestern prevented the 2nd straight undefeated Saturday.

Moving on to the NFL, there is only one game that catches my eye right now. I usually like to wait a few weeks before going big on the NFL because it does require a feeling out process. The games are heavily wagered so usually the numbers are spot on.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS -1.5 AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

COACH K-9/19

Early NCAAF
3* UAB +7
3* Nevada -3 (buy the hook if you need)
3* MTSU
3* Kentucky -5 and Clemson -1 (7pt teaser)
2* Michigan St +10
2* Northwestern -3
2* Temple +30
2* Ohio St -21
2* VaTech +2 and Iowa +3 (7pt teaser)
2* Florida/Tennessee under 52

Afternoon NCAAF
4* Air Force -17
3* FSU +15 and Auburn pk (7pt teaser)
3* Oregon State +1
2* UNLV -7
2* Oregon St/Cincy over
2* Texas -17

MR THURSDAY NIGHT-9/19

CAL -13.5 AT MINNESOTA
IOWA -4 VS ARIZONA
MICHIGAN STATE PLUS 10 AT NOTRE DAME
NORTHWESTERN -3 AT SYRACUSE

THE DEBUT OF RETARD RONNIE!

these picks are made with my super doppler cross eyed vision. no research just ESPN and Fox sports talk radio. going to show you super cool guys how its done

w. virgina + 6.5
auburn

Georgia +1
arkansas

UCONN +8
Baylor

MR. THURSDAY NIGHT-9/17

Back to the ACC we go for another pillow fight between Miami and GT. The Canes looked impressive in their win over Florida State however since then we have learned FSU is once again a fraud. You can take this pick, lock it up and throw away the key.

GEORGIA TECH PLUS 5.5 AT MIAMI (FL)

NFL-MR. THURSDAY NIGHT-9/13

Coming off a 3-0 Saturday we hope to continue the momentum into week 1 of the National Football Leauge. Two plays in particular stick out for us today:

HOUSTON TEXAS MINUS 4.5 VS NEW YORK JETS

CINCINNATI BENGALS MINUS 5 VS DENVER BRONCOS

The Jets defense should be decent however the first start for rookie QB Mark Sanchez will be a rough one, I see Houston winning this one 24-14.

The Broncos have the potential to be the worst team in the NFL this season. Their defense will stink outloud and Kyle Orton is their starting QB. Enough said. 31-10 Bengals.

COACH K-9/12

* BYU -18
4* Duke -1
3* Tennessee -3.5 and So Miss -8 (7pt teaser)
3* Notre Dame -3
3* ECU +7 (buy half)
2* San Jose St +14 (buy half)
2* Washington St +2.5
2* Fresno St +8.5
2* La Tech +7.5
2* SMU +12
2* Michigan/Notre Dame over 46
2* TCU -4 and UNLV +14 (7pt teaser)

10-4 +11 units last week.

BIG TEN REDEMPTION SATURDAY

By Mr. Thursday Night

As we enter the 2nd weekend of college football, the national media is already all over the Big 10. I am here to tell you, starting today, things change. The Notre Dame love-fest is in full spring already as well however Michigan is at home and has a chip on their shoulder. Ohio State is a touchdown underdog at home against a freshman quarterback. Out-effin-rageous. Finally, in the grand daddy of them all, Iowa travels to Lames for the annual "god we should kill these clowns but never do bowl." While I don't expect a Hayden Fry era type beatdown, the Hawks will roll.

MICHIGAN PLUS 3 VS NOTRE DAME

OHIO STATE PLUS 7 VS USC

IOWA MINUS 6 VS IOWA STATE

MR. THURSDAY NIGHT=

MR. THURSDAY NIGHT-9/10

Rough start to the year for Mr. Thursday Night, going 1-3 however tonight we will reach .500 with two locks for your ass.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS -6 VS TENNESSEE TITANS

GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS -5 VS CLEMSON TIGERS

FANTASY DRAFT REVIEW

2009 DRAFT REVIEW

SCOTTSDALE HAWKEYES-
BEST PICK: Adrian Peterson. Hard to fuck that one up. Did not over-think it, took the former Oklahomo Sooner.
WORST PICK: Chris “Beanie” Wells in round 6. He doesn’t start and is always hurt. Homer pick.
POTENTIAL STEAL: Lesean McCoy in round 10. He’s one Westbrook injury from being the man in Philly.
GRADE: B

BARNSTORMERS-
BEST PICK: Greg Olson. Despite being a blatant homosexual, Cutler loves his Tight Ends.
WORST PICK: Ronnie Brown. Round 2 was way too early for this one hit wonder.
POTENTIAL STEAL: Kurt Warner. Great value in round 5.
GRADE: C

SNOWDOGS-
BEST PICK: Tony Romo. Now that he is free of that whore Jessica Simpson, I expect big things .
WORST PICK: Anquan Boldin. The 2nd round was way too early for this injury risk.
POTENTIAL STEAL: Chris Henry (WR)in round 9. Big year coming for the convict.
GRADE: C+

CHICAGO BONECRUSHERS-
BEST PICK: Clinton Portis. Always over-looked, Portis will be a top 10 back.
WORST PICK: Wes Welker in round 5. He already had his career year and the Pats are deep at WR.
POTENTIAL STEAL: Reggie Bush in round 6. This is the year Bush lives up to the hype.
GRADE: B

ANGIE’S TIGHT ENDS-
BEST PICK: Aaron Rogers. The bearded bastard is ready to break out of Favre’s shadow.
WORST PICK: Larry Fitzgerald, pick #5 overall. Desperation is a stinky cologne.
POTENTIAL STEAL: Cedric Benson, round 6. Put up good numbers at the end of last season.
GRADE: B+

STECK EXPRESS-
BEST PICK: Dwayne Bowe. Todd Haley’s passing offense will suite Bowe very well.
WORST PICK: Peyton Manning, round 3. Manning is no longer an elite QB. A QB with similar stats could have been found 5 rounds later. Rookie mistake by a non-rookie GM.
POTENTIAL STEAL: Donald Brown, round 7. Addai will get hurt and Brown steps into one of the game’s best offenses.
GRADE: B-

GO DEEP OR GO HOME-
BEST PICK: Steve Slaton. Monster season upcoming for the former Mountaineer.
WORST PICK: Marques Colston, round 3. The oft-injured Colston was a reach midway through the 3rd round.
POTENTIAL STEAL: Josh Morgan, round 11. No Crabtree means lots of targets for Morgan.
GRADE: B

AFRICAM-
BEST PICK: Felix Jones, round 6. Once Barber goes down, Jones will be an elite RB.
WORST PICK: Many to choose from here, we’ll go with Steve Smith in round 2. It’s the end of the road for this punk midget.
POTENTIAL STEAL: DeAngelo Williams, round 2. I am not high on Williams but he was going in the top 5 in many drafts. Good value in round 2.
GRADE: C

TEAM DTI-
BEST PICK: DeSean Jackson, round 5. Jackson may very well score a TD passing, running and receiving this fall.
WORST PICK: Again, several to chose from. Darren McFadden in round 3 is like eating a big ole shit burger. Was it those 499 yards rushing last year that impressed you DTI?
POTENTIAL STEAL: Rashard Mendenhall, round 9. Fast Willie Parker isn’t so fast anymore and Mendenhall has the talent to be a very good every down back.
GRADE: C

SCREAMIN’ SAVAGES-
BEST PICK: Drew Brees. The fact that his best pick was a QB in round 1 should give you an indication of what is to come.
WORST PICK: It seems as though these guys near the bottom of the draft were binge drinking because once again we have several possible selections here. Thomas Jones in round 3 is going to hurt because by week 4 he’ll be 3rd on the Jets RB depth chart and likely inactive.
POTENTIAL STEAL: Larry Johnson, round 4. The former top tier pick had a nice preseason and is still young enough to run well.
GRADE: C-

BEARNASTY-
BEST PICK: Braylon Edwards, round 6. My how the former Wolverine has fallen. If he learns how to catch the football again he should do well.
WORST PICK: Pierre Thomas, round 3; Tim Hightower round 4 (holy shit!); Vishanthe Shiancoe, round 5 (holy fuck!). What the hell were you smoking during this portion of the draft?
POTENTIAL STEAL: Darren Sproles, round 7. Even if LT stays healthy, Sproles will get plenty of action.
GRADE: C-

DTI WWC-
BEST PICK: Matt Ryan. Tony Gonzalez gives him yet another threat down the field.
WORST PICK: Vincent Jackson, round 3. Blatant homer pick.
POTENTIAL STEAL: Jerricho Cotchery, Round 8. Somebody has to catch the passes in New York, and it sure as hell isn’t going to be Chauncey Stuckey. Cotch is now the #1.
GRADE: C+

LABOR DAY LOCK

By Mr. Thursday Night

Happy Labor Day to all the dengenrates out there. The weekend saw us go 1-1 however many games were watched and that will help us to increase the action next weekend.

As for today, I don't have an opinion on the Cincy/Rutgers game but will have a play in the battle of Florida which for some reason is now always on a Monday night despite both sides being floundering programs. This could however be a bounce back year for the Seminoles.

FLORIDA STATE -6 VS MIAMI (FL)

COACH K-9/5

**BE SURE TO CHECK OUT COACH K AT http://www.sportsmoneymanagers.com/**

NCAAF afternoon
2* Navy +22.5
2* Illinois/Mizzou under 60.5
1* UAB -5.5
1* Tennessee/WKU over 44.5

NCAAF Evening
4* Texas A&M -14 (buy half)
3* Middle Tenn St +18.5
2* La Tech +14
2* Stanford -17
2* CMU/Zona under 54
2* Bama pk and UTEP -3 (7pt teaser)
2* UCLA/SDSU under 55 and Okla/BYU under 71 (7pt teaser)
2* Stanford/Wash St under 53

9/5-MR. THURSDAY NIGHT

Here is what the card looks like so far folks. The first week can be tough sometimes so we'll be hitting it lightly to start.

The first wager of a fall Saturday in 2009 will be a 4 team parlay in which each of these teams just have to win. The parlay pays almost even money. MICHIGAN, PURDUE, KENTUCKY, NOTRE DAME.

Next we head to St. Louis for the annual Illinois/Missouri clash. The Tigers lost alot of production to graduation last season while Illinois returns the majority of their impact players. Illinois will also be looking for revenge after last season's lost to Mizzou. Lay the 6.5 and ride the FIGHTING ILLINI to an easy victory.

Finally we're off to Atlanta for another netural site game, this time between Virginia Tech and Alabama. The Tide look to keep rolling in year 3 of Nick Saban while Va-Tech looks to build on a strong finish in 2008. I see this game being very low scoring and will be taking the 6.5 points this time and wagering on the HOKIES.

#1-OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

By Mr. Thursday Night

Once again the king of the Big Ten will be the Ohio State Buckeyes. Although the NFL draft hit them hard again, the Buckeyes continue to re-load every season.

Even though the defense lost Laurinaitis, Freeman and Jenkins, this will still be one of the best defenses in the Big Ten. The front line returns Thaddeus Gibson, Cameron Heyward and Doug Worthington. Gibson is the most dynamic pass rusher of the group and could emerge as a big time playmaker now that he is an upperclassman. The secondary will miss Jenkins, but Chimdi Chekwa is a quality corner and safeties Kurt Coleman and Anderson Russell will both be three year starters. As long as the Buckeyes can find a replacement for Jenkins, the pass defense will be among the best in the conference and possibly the nation.

As long as Terrelle Pryor is around, Ohio State will have a dynamic offense. Pryor threw for 1,311 yards as a freshman and ran for another 631. Pryor will do damage with his legs no matter what, but how far has he come as a passer? Without Wells around to hand the ball off to, Pryor is going to have to pass more often. The good news is that Pryor only threw four interceptions last year compared to 12 touchdowns. Even if the passing attack struggles, Pryor has proven that he can usually avoid making the big mistake. And the passing game may very well be ineffective this year without Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline. Those two accounted for 12 of the team’s 17 touchdown receptions. The only other player to catch more than one touchdown pass on the season was the now departed tight end Rory Nicol.

USC makes a trip to C-bus this fall and it very well may be payback time for the Big 10. I've got Ohio St. poised for a 4-0, 7-1 and 11-1 overall season landing them in yet another BCS bowl game.

DUCK HUNT

By Mr. Thursday Night

What an embarassing effort out of the Oregon Ducks last night. First of all Oregon, you are not a drop back passing team, why the hell were you trying to be one? Secondly, running a play out of the shotgun on 4th and 1 is retarded. Finally, Mike Bellotti, you are no longer the head coach at Oregon, you are the athletic director. Get your ass in the press box and leave the current head coach alone. Between the game and the actions of Mr. Blount after the game, Oregon went from BCS contender to praying the Sun Bowl offers them an invite. Disgusting.

MR. THURSDAY NIGHT RETURNS!

It's here folks. Regular season football is finally upon us and the season kickoffs with a bang as two top 20 teams battle on the smurf turf when Oregon visits Boise St. The Broncos won at Oregon last year in a game which got quite chippy at times.

The legend that is Mr. Thursday Night was born on college football Thursdays as during the 2006-2007 season he strung together 17 consecutive Thursday winners. Since then, his fame and fortune have grown significantly, even becoming a sports talk radio personality in the metro area. People want winners and when they hear Mr. Thursday Night is on the line they grab their transistor radios and press it firmly against their ears.

Getting back to the game tonight, I expect the Broncos to come out a house of fire, but in the end Oregon will prevail as they are a better football team. Most sites have Boise State as a 3-5 point favorite however here today, free of charge, I am giving you the OREGON DUCKS as your outright winner.

#2-IOWA HAWKEYES

By Mr. Thursday Night

The Iowa Hawkeyes enter the 2009 college football season with a veteran team at most positions other than RB. Shonn Greene left for the NFL and sophomore Jewel Hampton has suffered a season ending injury, leaving the position up to Paki O'Meara, Jeff Brinson, Adam Robinson and freshman Brandon Wegher.

With the return of Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, QB Ricky Stanzi has his favorite target. Johnson-Koulianos caught a team high 44 passes for 639 yards as a sophomore. The Hawkeyes will need to find a few new targets to compliment Johnson-Koulianos, but with him leading the way, Iowa’s passing game should be fine. The defensive back seven should be very strong as well. All three linebackers return led by Pat Angerer. With A.J. Edds, the linebacker corps should be one of the best in the conference. The return of three of the team’s four starters in the secondary will make things even better. The team ranked 12 th in the nation in total defense and that could happen once again if Tyler Sash, Brett Greenwood and Amari Spievey can shut down a conference that should have a handful of quality receivers.

However, the defense has lost two of its most important players. Tackles Mitch King and Matt Kroul were the heart and soul of the defense and they will be sorely missed. The Hawkeyes gave up less than one hundred yards per game on the ground and that was almost entirely due to King and Kroul. How much will the defense suffer now that those two are gone? Karl Klug and Mike Daniels have potential, but there is no way those two will be able to replace the production of King and Kroul.

The Big Ten schedule is rough for the Hawks this season, having to play road games at Ohio St., Penn St., MIchigan St., and Wisconsin. A 2-2 mark in those four games should be considered a success. I've got the Hawks going 4-0 in non-conference, 6-2 in the Big Ten, good for 10-2 overall, a 2nd place finish and another trip to a warm weather climante for the New Year.

#3-MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS

Sparty enters the 2009 season with sky high expectations. Having long been the biggest underachiever in the conference, head Coach Mark Dantonio may have the horses to live up to the hype this fall.

The Spartans did not have the greatest defense in the Big Ten, but with eight starters returning, the unit could be even better. The strength is in the middle with linebackers Greg Jones, Adam Decker and Eric Gordon. Jones led the team with 127 tackles and that was just as a sophomore. Now that he is an upperclassman, he is ready to emerge as the leader of a talented defense. The absence of tackle Justin Kershaw and end Brandon Long is a cause for concern. The Spartans only tallied two sacks per game a year ago and Long was an important part of that. However, Trevor Anderson is back for his senior campaign and he led the squad with eight sacks.

The MSU offense last season was pretty much handing the ball to running back Javon Ringer and letting him do his thing. On the year Ringer tallied an incredible 390 carries. Now he is gone and the Spartans will have to diversify their offense. Senior A.J. Jimmerson is the likely candidate to replace Ringer, but Andre Anderson had a quality freshman campaign in 2008 and could be the go-to-guy in 2009. Making matters worse for the offense is the fact that Brian Hoyer has also run out of eligibility. Hoyer did not have a great senior season and the numbers were nothing special, but he was a leader. Now there is a quarterback controversy in East Lansing as Kirk Cousins battles it out with Keith Nichol. Cousins has more experience in the system, but Nichol was a super recruit who committed to MSU originally before opting to head to Oklahoma instead. Now he is back with the Spartans and has to pick up the offense quickly if he wants to unseat Cousins.

Other than a mild test vs Notre Dame, Michigan State should finish the non-conference slate 4-0, go 6-2 during Big Ten play, good for 10-2 overall and a very nice Florida bowl game.

#4-PENN ST. NITTANY LIONS

By Mr. Thursday Night

The Penn State Nittany Lions are coming off a 10-2 season in which they were the most over-rated team in the country. A loss to Iowa and beatdown by USC exposed Penn State as the fraud that they were.

Coach Joe Paterno only returns four starters on defense, but that does not include linebacker Sean Lee. Lee was supposed to be the superstar on the defensive side of the ball, but missed the entire season with an injury. With Lee back in action and the return of Navorro Bowman and Josh Hull, Penn State will have one of the most dominating group of linebackers in the nation. What else would one expect from Linebacker U? The offensive backfield should be in good shape as well. Quarterback Daryll Clark and running backs Evan Royster and Stephfon Green are now proven players who are ready to take the next step.

The problem on both sides of the ball is in the trenches. Two of the four returning starters on defense are linemen, but this is a team that lost ends Aaron Maybin, Maurice Evans and Josh Gaines. Those three accounted for 19 sacks and an incredible 31.5 tackles-for-loss. What happens to the rest of the defense, especially the new and inexperienced secondary, when the front line cannot get pressure on the opposing backfield? The same problem can occur on the other side of the ball. Center A.Q. Shipley was a coach on the field and guard Rich Ohrnberger and tackle Gerald Cadogan were experienced linemen. Tackle Dennis Landolt is back and guard Stefen Wisniewski has the potential to be one of the best in the conference, but it is very possible that this line will need some time to come together.

The schedule is favorable for Penn St. with 4 non-conference cupcakes and getting Iowa and Ohio St. in Happy Valley. I've got the Nittany Lions pegged for 4-0, 6-2 in Big Ten play, good for a 10-2 mark and another New Years Day Bowl game.

#5-ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI

By Mr. Thursday Night

The Illini led by Ron Zook head into the 2009 campaign with high expectations which mainly hinge on the right arm of QB Juice Williams who seems likes he's been in Champaign since 2001.

There is no reason for this not to be the best offense in the Big Ten. Quarterback Juice Williams threw for 3,173 yards last year and rushed for 719 more. When he is healthy and making good decisions, Williams is an extremely dynamic playmaker who can make things happen. And now that Arrelious Benn has another year of experience, he should be one of the best receivers in the nation. After tallying 1,055 yards as a sophomore, Benn is in for a huge campaign. The offensive line returns three starters and that should be enough to keep the offense ticking.

The defense was not as good as it could have been last year. And now arguably the best four defenders on the team are gone. Corner Vontae Davis is gone as is linebacker Brit Miller and ends Will Davis and Derek Walker. Without those four why would anyone believe the Illini defense could be any better than it was last year? Miller was the heart and soul of the linebacker corps last year and now that job falls to Martez Wilson. Wilson did a decent job on the outside in 2008, but now he will be asked to move into the middle.

The non-conference schedule has a few tests with Missouri, Cincinnati and Fresno State. I see Juice and Benn leading the Illini to a 4-0 non-conference mark, 5-3 in the Big Ten, 9-3 overall.