Chattanooga -Big win.
Fresno State -Close win.
Washington -Big win.
Wyoming - Big win.
Wisconsin -win.
Ohio State -Close Loss.
Minnesota -Big win.
Mich. State - win.
Northwestern- win.
Penn State -Big Win.
Michigan -Close Win.
Iowa -Win.
Honestly I see this schedule being vastly easier than last year. I am NOT impressed at all with Wisconsin. Yes they went 11-2 last year... but UNLV, San Jose State, Arizona State (Won 20-19), Austin Peay, Minnesota, Purdue, Indiana, Michigan and Northwestern were 9 of those wins.
People look at them as tough because they ran up the score on some mediocre teams when their coach wanted to pile on... but other than a solid W against Ohio State (an OSU team unprepared for that game and too overconfident at being undefeated against a bunch of cupcakes and an overrated Miami) they didn't do anything except beat Iowa by 1 point and manage not to lose to Arizona State (Won 20-19) last year. They lost by ten to Michigan State and lost to TCU in their bowl game (and go look at TCU's schedule and tell me that isn't the easiest path to the Rose Bowl ever... Oregon State in Arlington Texas, Baylor at home and a bunch of scrubs). Wisconsin to me is a bigger, slower 2010 Washington.
The same can be said for Michigan State. 11-2 but that includes a lucky win against Notre Dame, a close game against Northwestern (Won 35-27) a close win against Purdue (Won 35-31), a close win against Penn State (Won 28-22) and a win against a Wisconsin team I'm not impressed with.
That leaves wins against Western Michigan, Florida Atlantic, Northern Colorado, Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota and complete blowout losses to Iowa and Alabama. You also can't discount that they got a LOT of positive momentum from things happening to their coach last year that they won't have to draw upon this season.
Penn State? 7-6 and Won 35-21 against Northwestern at home... other than that 3 of their wins were against Youngstown State, Temple and Kent State and the other 3? all 2nd half of the season wins against Michigan, Minnesota and Indiana.. and all three fired their head coaches after the season.
and then there's Iowa. The same Iowa that lost to Arizona. A team we all know was complete garbage last season. Yes they beat Michigan State soundly... but they then followed that up by barely beating a bad Indiana team (Iowa won 18-13... FWIW Indiana only gave up fewer than 20 points twice all last season.. one was to Iowa, the other was the 17 points they gave up in the season opener against Towson.) and then lost 3 straight games to Northwestern, Ohio State and Minnesota... (how anyone who thinks their team is good loses to Minnesota with a lame duck head coach and a defense coached by Kevin Cosgrove is beyond me) and then Iowa got to play a Missouri team that by record and merit had no business playing in the Insight Bowl last year... and almost lost to them.
Now we're going to struggle with Ohio State, for one they are going to be out to prove something in that game, and we'll be riding too high coming off a big win against a team that the Media believes is supposed to be really good. Michigan also will be a tough game as their D should be in the low 50's, Their offense is good and I do think their coaching staff can have things turned around there by mid September and they do have talent in the Big House. (I think Michigan is going to be similar to 2008 Nebraska- depending on their offensive transition)
There isn't an offense anywhere close to OSU or a total team close to OU on this schedule anywhere.
11-1 with a rematch with Ohio State in the title game. (I think we win the 2nd time around)
Before the Arizona and Washington games everyone was saying how the Pac 10 was so strong and that was completely bogus. I've watched the Big Ten struggle with the Pac 10 (and Iowa struggle with Iowa State) and watched the SEC mow them down year after year... I don't really think the Big Ten is all that much tougher than the Pac 10. I may be wrong, but I don't think I am. Either way, it's up to the Big Ten to try to prove me wrong.
Unless of course Martinez gets injured again and Carnes isn't ready to go. Then we could struggle to win more than 9 games.
