Benster and D Pick Your Games: Showdown Weekend Edition

Old dude, this weekend has games that will undoubtedly show if the teams we care about most are where they want to be at this time.

Yes -- it's always a voyage of discovery. 

Indeed. Hard to argue with that statement. Watch me work.

Ohio State Buckeyes (-13) vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers. Minnesota has been a surprising team, contending in the Big Ten West, and the Gophers still has a chance to get a trip to Indy. This game looks like a mismatch, considering Ohio State had a big win on the road in East Lansing to pretty much seal the East. J.T Barrett has surprised many by keeping Ohio State on the outside of the top 4, and they still have a chance to play in the College Football Playoff if they win out. My views on the Buckeyes are no secret -- I hate 'em. This game smells like a trap because teams often will come off a big win in a hyped game and then lose to a surprising young team. It happened to Alabama two years ago when a guy named Johnny announced his arrival on the big stage. Mitch Leidner has the chance to write himself into legendary status. Look for him and David Cobb to win the biggest game Minnesota has played since that horrible night 11 years ago, when Michigan broke Glen Mason's heart. Minnesota 27, O-H-N-O 17.

Ohio State really surprised me last week. They're formidable. Having said that, I think the Gophers are getting better. This game is a pretty good measuring stick for Jerry Kill. I think it's going to be a battle, but in the end, I think OSU survives. Buckeyes 31, Gophers 24.


Nebraska Cornhuskers (+ 6.5) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers.  This series since Nebraska moved into the Big Ten has been interesting. Wisconsin destroyed Nebraska 3 years ago in Camp Randall in a "welcome to the real world, boys" moment. Nebraska won a tight tension filled game in Lincoln the next year, then Wisconsin hung 70 points on the Cornhuskers in the conference title game that year, the last act of Bret Bielema in Madison. Both teams have a powerful ground attack, and Ameer Abdullah and Melvin Gordon are the best in the country. Abdullah is hurt, though. If Abdullah can't answer the bell, or is less than 100% effective, I like Wisconsin, especially with the game in Mad City. Wisconsin 35, Blackshirts 24.

The secret of the Badgers is that they play very good defense. Nebraska is the best team they've played since LSU, but they are flawed in some ways. I think home field is going to matter a lot in this game as well. Badgers 38, Nebraska 27.

Beloit College Buccaneers (NL) vs. Knox College Prairie Fire. The Midwest Conference is having Championship week this week, where teams play crossover games. It makes no sense at all, but okay, so the Bucs are heading down to the Knosher Bowl. Both the Bucs and the Fire are not elite, but they could probably score on the Bears defense. Now, as you know, the old dude is a Beloit alumnus, so I have to tread carefully here. As much as I love the Bucs and respect the school, Knox is my school. I want the boys to win once more for the seniors. Fire 24, Bucs 10.

My Bucs were close in a lot of games this year, but had trouble closing the deal. Knox has the home field, but I suspect the Bucs have the better players, especially their talented running back named Mason Dixon. No, really -- the kid is really named Mason Dixon. For that reason alone, how could I not pick my Bucs? Beloit 31, Knox 24.

Minnesota Vikings (+ 3.5) vs. Bear Down Chicago da Bearz. I said that the Bears would play the Packers in a tight game. Boy, things did not go as anyone thought. Surprisingly, nobody in Chicago lost their job for that performance, which was embarrassing for the Bears, the league and for NBC, which had to be cringing as television sets were switched off everywhere but in Wisconsin t.v. markets. The Vikings have been playing better as of late and look to be going in the right direction, and considering that me and 10 other random guys on my floor could look good against the Bears, I like a real pro team's chances. Vikings 55, Bears 14.

We're going to find out a lot about the Bears this week. They can't be that bad. Or maybe they are. Just a hunch: Bears 27, Vikings 20.

Philadelphia Iggles ( +5.5) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers. In Green Bay the mood is radically different than in Chicago. Aaron Rodgers played one of the best games I have ever seen a quarterback play on Sunday night. Philly will be a challenge because of Shady McCoy, but in an ironic twist from last year's meeting, Nick Foles will not be playing with a collarbone injury, which is very unfortunate. Last year, the Eagles had fun in Lambeau dealing with Seneca Wallace and Scott Tolzien. This year, they get Aaron Rodgers. I don't expect the Packers to play as well as he did against the Bears, but a win is vital. Packers 31, Iggles 29.

This should be a great game. The Eagles are 7-2 for a reason and Mark Sanchez, while not a great quarterback, should be serviceable. I think Rodgers and company are too much in Lambeau, though -- they've been blowing teams out. This one won't be a blowout, but it will go the way we'd like. Packers 38, Eagles 28.

Detroit Motor City Kitties (Even) vs. Arizona Cardinals. Who would have thought that this game would be a much anticipated game at the start of the season? The Lions have been winning games by the sleight of hand and luck, but they are winning them, so you have to give them credit for that. Arizona is a serious threat to win the NFC West and is looking like it could be the first team since Bayern Munich to host and play in a major sports championship. Even without Carson Palmer, Arizona should get the win. Arizona 35, Lions 34.

The Lions have surprised me -- they are playing well and have a good formula for success. The next two games will tell us whether they are for real; they play New England next week in Foxboro. Former Michigan State QB Drew Stanton runs the show for the Cardinals now. Can he break his home state's heart? Why yes, yes he can. Cardinals 24, Lions 20.

Thank you for reading and I will hopefully be more accurate this week. Ben out!