Prognosticating 10-10 (321)

So as I was writing this post title, I decided to add the date that I would be prognosticating for.  Saturday will be the 10th of the 10th month, thus leading to the 10-10 in the title.  However, upon saying the 10-10 in my head something immediately popped into my head.  Remember these annoying ads in the mid-to-late 90s for long distance services? 10-10-321 is the one that comes to mind first, but I also remember 10-10-220 being equally annoying.  The one celebrity that stuck out for pimping these ads was John Lithgow, who at the time starred in the annoying comedy "Third Rock From The Sun."  Thank you, Third Rock for giving us French Stewart and Home Alone 3; I give you the big cyber middle finger.  On the subject of Lithgow, who would have thought at that time that he could pull of a serial killer so well?  He is stunningly creepy in the newest season of Dexter, and I'm sure his character will ramp it up a few notches as the season goes along.  Other celebrities that pushed the 10-10's: Dennis Miller, Alf, John Romijn-Stamos, Tony Danza, James Garner, George Carlin, and Reginald VelJohnson.  Quick, off the top of your head tell me who Reginald Vel Johnson is......Give up?



Carl Winslow!  There hasn't been someone who has needed a name change this bad since Stone Cold Steve Austin debuted in the WWF as The Ringmaster.  He has got to go by Reggie, doesn't he?  Random fact: VelJohnson played Sgt. Al Powell in the first and second Die Hard movies.  The first was a pretty big role, but the second was just a cameo.  His Wikipedia page says that he reprised this role in 2007 for the NBC show "Chuck."  Has there ever been a less needed and more obscure re-birth of a character than this?  It would be like Jackson Vahue doing a cameo on a Law and Order.

Anyways, that went a little longer than it probably should have, but nothing gets me going like a good Reginald VelJohnson reference.  There are games to be played this weekend, and that means that I will once again try to give you what you should be watching for.  Last week, the Oklahoma/Miami prediction proved to be off, but my prediction was based on Sam Bradford playing, so HA!  The Ohio State/Indiana prediction would have been dead on had it not been for an Indiana touchdown as time expired.  Notre Dame and Washington was close, as predicted, but Notre Dame made a play or two more than the Huskies.  And in the main event, I just realized that I did not make a prediction, but it is safe to say that I never pick against Michigan.  It is just bad karma.

Florida at LSU


Did you know Tim Tebow was hurt against Kentucky?  ESPN has done the college equivalent of Brett Favre coverage on Tebow's concussion.  And what would some coverage of Tim Tebow be without this picture?

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Yes, it should be great to be Tim Tebow.  However, we all know about his supposed vow of chastity.  Regardless if Tebow wins or not, I expect Florida to win by double digits in this one.  There has been no undefeated team less impressive than LSU, and Florida's defense will shut them down.  John Brantley is a talented enough backup quarterback that he can get the ball to the assembly of weapons that Urban Meyer has assembled.  I like Florida by 17.

Wisconsin at Ohio State


If there is one team that has been a thorn in Jim Tressel's side it is the Wisconsin Badgers.  Whatever the reason, the corn-fed Badgers have had more success against Tressel than anybody outside of the SEC/USC. This version of the Badgers is much the same as it has always been: a huge offensive line, an opportunistic quarterback, a play-making TE, and a bruising running back.  RB John Clay may be the best in the Big 10, so it will be up to the OSU front 7 to control him.  Limiting the success of Clay will shut down the play action passing game that makes Wisconsin so dangerous.  TE Garrett Graham is no Travis Beckum, but he is much better all around player and he catches anything thrown near him.  If he starts getting in a rhythm with Scott Tolzien than the Ohio State defense may have trouble.  Defensively, Wisconsin is just average, so if Ohio State can build on the success they had against Indiana than they can have success.  Barring Ohio State turnovers, I think the Buckeyes win this one.  It will be close, though.  I like Ohio State by 7.

Michigan at Iowa


Once again, the young Wolverines find themselves going on the road into a hostile environment.  This time, it is the Kinnick Stadium and the Iowa Hawkeyes, as they prepare to battle in Michigan's first night showcase in a long while.  The Hawkeyes impressed everyone by soundly defeating Penn State in Happy Valley.  They did it by playing great defense and getting plays from QB Ricky Stanzi when they were there.  It is clear that Michigan must establish a rhythm offensively if they want to have any chance of winning this football game.  It will be tough sledding against the Hawkeyes, who have not given up a rushing touchdown in a staggering 33 quarters.  Add to that Michigan likely being without Carlos Brown (knees), and much of the big play ability of the Wolverines will be taken away.  Brandon Minor has to be healthy and productive if Michigan is to have a shot.  Outside of Minor, Tate Forcier has to play within himself and get better at "living to play another down."  There can be no desperation throws falling down that come into the hands of a Hawkeye defensive lineman.  Also, special teams need to have an A+ game.  Jason Olesnavage has done outstanding in his place kicking duties - a worry of mine going into the year.  If he continues to not have anybody notice him than he will be doing his job.  The return game needs to give Michigan good field position if it is going to have success on offense.

Defensively, Michigan has to keep an eye on Ricky Stanzi.  While Stanzi won't remind anybody of Denard Robinson, he does have some Drew Tate in him.  If last week was any indication, Michigan has trouble when quarterbacks get out of the pocket.  This doens't just fall on the linebackers - the defensive line needs to stay in their rush lanes, and when someone is charged with spying Stanzi (usually the NT), they must perform their responsibility.  The corner opposite Donovan Warren is still in question, and some insiders are hinting that Troy Woolfolk may see some time there this week, with Kovacs and Mike Williams filling the safety spots.  It is a never ending quest to try to get the best 11 players on the field, and it's pretty clear that Jordan Kovacs has been one of those 11 to this point.  Will he continue to do it?  Nobody knows, but this staff has proven that it will yank someone for bad performance (Cissoko).  I expect Ezeh and Mouton to be on alert this week, as their performance last week was less than stellar.  The problem is who do you bring in?  Kenny Demens?  JB Fitzgerald?  Kevin Leach?  Can a defense really be successful in the Big 10 by playing 3 walk-ons? (Kovacs, Leach, DE Will Heineger)  These are all questions that will continue to be asked and answered as Michigan plays their remaining games.

My gut feeling on this one?  It isn't good.  I feel like MSU out-physicaled Michigan last week, and Iowa is a much more physical team than MSU.  Can we win this game?  Absolutely.  I sincerely believe that this team has the mentality that they can beat anyone at anytime.  It will all come down to how the team responds to another road game.  Can Michigan take advantage of turnovers that the defense gives them?  Can the defense get off the field on third and long?  Will Zoltan Mesko continue to think that he is QB Eagles?  Tune in to ABC at 8:00 on Saturday to find out!

As always, NRTTS.
Coach Deuce