10 Games, 10 Picks for the Big Ten in Opening Weekend

Welcome back to the continuation of the picks from yesterday's "Ultimate Road Trip" article. In that article, Wisconsin and Michigan State were picked as winners for Thursday and Friday night

The main course of opening weekend comes on Saturday, when the other 10 conference teams take the field for the first time. This should be a good week for the conference, although a couple of teams will be tested. Let's get to the previews.

Northwestern at Boston College: 

 Wildcats quarterback Dan Persa comes back for his first game since the ACL injury last year (though his return in Week 1 may be questionable), and he will face a stiff test against a solid Eagles defense on the road. Boston College has two solid linebackers in Kevin Pierre-Louis and Luke Kuechly, who will likely try to bring strategic blitzes to pressure Persa and force him to move out of the pocket often.

Look for Northwestern to try and establish a running game with one of its handful of running backs, but the going may be tough against this Eagles' defensive line. The Northwestern defense needs to show improvement on the line to slow the BC rushing attack.

The game will come down to whether Northwestern can stop the Eagles' run game from dominating the time of possession. I predict that the Wildcats will not be able to slow the running game, leading to BC win by 10.

Akron at Ohio State:

 It seems like Ohio State has suspended about half its team for this game, and unfortunately for the Zips that is simply not enough to keep them in this game. Akron was putrid a season ago (11 losses) and now must replace some critical starters, such as the running backs.

Ohio State's defense will be dominant as usual, which will set up the suspension-depleted offense for some easy scores. The most interesting storyline to come from this game may be whether Joe Bauserman or Braxton Miller can solidify a starting spot for the harder games to come. If the Bucks want to plan for the future, "It's Miller Time."

There is absolutely nothing Akron can do to win, so winning the small battles will be the goal. Ohio State runs away with a 45-point win.

Indiana State at Penn State:

If the axiom about having two quarterbacks means you have no quarterbacks is true, Joe Paterno better make a choice on who is actually his starter after this tune-up game. The Sycamores will not get any consistent pressure through the Nittany Lions' offensive line, so Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin will each have ample opportunity to show off.

With Alabama coming to town next week, it would also be nice to see the Nittany Lions defense completely shut down an outclassed ISU offense. The Sycamores will be forced to pass because that is their strength, but that plays right into PSU's strength with all starters returning in the defensive backfield.

Penn State pours it on early and often and hopefully finds a quarterback in the mess. PSU wins by 48.

Tennessee Tech at Iowa:

This could be the Marcus Coker coming-out party as the Iowa offensive line should be able to open up big holes against the Tech defense. New quarterback James Vandenberg will also need to get some good reps in before the games ramp up in difficulty toward the end of the month.

Iowa has made a habit of scheduling home openers against completely outclassed teams, and TTU is no different. The Golden Eagles do have a talented quarterback in Tre Lamb, who should throw for more than 250 yards in this game.

However, Iowa will get defensive stops when necessary to make this game a blowout. Iowa wins the opener by 27.

Middle Tennessee at Purdue:

The Boilermakers will be running third-string quarterback Caleb TerBush out, thanks to lingering injury issues to Robert Marve and Rob Henry's torn ACL. TerBush is a good thrower, although Purdue will likely try to dominate the Blue Raiders with the offensive line and a solid run game.

The Blue Raiders have an opportunity to keep this game interesting, especially if special teams come into play. Middle Tennessee was great at generating a pass rush a season ago, and its offense has enough talent to make Purdue's defense make some mistakes.

The home field may be a big difference here, as Purdue will start the season with a seven-point win.

Minnesota at USC:

The Golden Gophers return the trip from last year, in which they stayed competitive in a 32-21 loss. This year, Minnesota may be a better team but still is not quite up to the level of USC. Matt Barkley will be able to throw the ball all over the Minnesota defense, so the defensive backs will need to come up with some big plays to slow the Trojan attack.

When Minnesota has the ball, the Gophers will rely heavily on MarQueis Gray to use both his legs and his arm to find openings through a good USC defensive front. Gray will certainly be the X factor if Minnesota sticks around into the second half.

If Minnesota can keep the game close, USC might have a lapse or two in judgment that would let the Golden Gophers steal a victory in the LA Coliseum. Unfortunately, USC will just have too much talent to let that happen on its home field. USC wins by 17.

Western Michigan at Michigan:

The honeymoon is over for Brady Hoke, as now he must begin proving his team's worth on the field where it matters. The first test will be a good one as the Broncos bring one of the best offenses in the MAC to a shootout with the high-powered Wolverines offense.

Denard Robinson should find plenty of openings in the Broncos defense, but it will be interesting to watch if Hoke contains him more in the running game to keep him healthy for bigger games later in the season. Broncos quarterback Alex Carder finished near the top 10 in passing offense last season and will provide a good test for how quickly the Michigan defense has actually improved this offseason.

Both teams have more than 16 starters returning and a lot of offense, so this should turn into another shootout. Michigan has learned how to win those under Rich Rodriguez, and the Wolverines will win a competitive 10-point game.

Chattanooga at Nebraska:

The Cornhuskers start with a glorified tuneup against the FCS Mocs. Chattanooga will be a good test for the Nebraska secondary, which has had to replace some talent at cornerback and may not have Alfonzo Dennard. Watch for Mocs receiver Joel Bradford to be the fastest player on the field when Nebraska is on defense.

Nebraska will be able to shut down anything Chattanooga attempts in the running game. When the Cornhuskers have the ball, they will also be able to open big holes for their running backs to wear down the Mocs defense. Expect some fireworks early so that players like Taylor Martinez can be pulled to protect them for the bigger games ahead.

Nebraska runs away early and keeps the pressure on all game. Cornhuskers win by 55.

Arkansas State at Illinois:

Arkansas State has pushed two other Big Ten teams and Texas to the wire the past three seasons, so the Illini should be on high alert with the Red Wolves coming to town. Arkansas State is led by efficient quarterback Ryan Aplin, who is also a runner after throwing for 2,900 yards and rushing for 477 more. Illinois will need to play well to keep Arkansas State off the scoreboard.

Illinois will likely dominate the other side of the ball with its power running, even without Mikel Leshoure. Of course Illini quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase is also a threat to break off a big run if the Red Wolves become lax in keeping him contained. If there's one glaring weakness for the Red Wolves, it is their defensive front.

Illinois will give up some points and will need to sweat it out a bit in the second half, but controlling the clock with the running game will wear down the Red Wolves. Illinois wins by 11.

Ball State vs. Indiana:

The rebuilding projects are underway for both of these Indiana schools with new head coaches and new attitudes. Kevin Wilson wants to revamp the Hoosier program, but he will continue to let whoever is playing quarterback throw the ball all over the field with the highly talented receivers Indiana has. Demarlo Belcher may be ready to have a breakout season.

Ball State will try to counter that strategy with a pass rush that was effective at times last season. However, the Cardinals will need to have a strong night passing the ball themselves to keep up in a shootout with the Hoosiers.

Indiana has too much talent to let a rebuilding MAC team like Ball State steal a win, although both teams should have moderate success on offense. Indiana wins by 14, but it will not be as close as the score appears to be.

Thanks for reading and see you next week.