Benster and D Pick Your Games-----No More Snow Edition

What is up with the snow? It is only a week or so after Halloween, and it is too early for snow. People also don't know how to drive in the snow.

Well, since we only got rid of the snow around here at the end of April, our six months of not winter are up, young fella. You can feel the chill in Minnesota in any number of ways.

Well, thankfully the HYYYYYYYYYYPPPPPEEEE! I bring can melt the snow. I need to get on it. We shall see this weekend if the Packers are going to be buried come the end of the weekend. However, do not let them in the playoffs.

Well, they have to find a way in.

We'll get back to that, Geritol Fan! It is time to get to work and discuss football. Watch me work!


Purdue Boilermakers (-10.5) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat. The Big Ten West might be the college version of a mosh pit, as figuring out who is good is very difficult to tell from afar. Purdue is a team that has turned the corner, as evidenced by their signature win over A School In Columbus. The Gophers looked like they would struggle to beat a good high school team last week against an inspired Illinois team. This is going to be a very unpopular sentiment, but the Gophers are paying the price for canning Glen Mason over a decade ago. You don't overreact to losing one bowl game, even though it was a horrible choke. Basement Brew and his successors have struggled to bring the winning Gopher tradition back, and you have to wonder if this is the football gods trying to warn against making a rush to judgment based on one bowl game collapse. Spoilermakers 45, Capsize Your Boat Elitely 0.

It hasn't been all bad in the last 10 years, but it hasn't been that good, either. Fleck needs to stop making excuses and start winning a few games, but I don't see any wins left on the schedule. Purdue 31, Gophers 17.

Beloved Wisconsin Badgers (+9) vs. Penn State Nittany Lions. This game looked a lot better when it was scheduled, to be honest with you. I don't know what happened with Wisconsin, but I expected better from them. I also don't know why Penn State has a couple of losses, since they are arguably as talented as A School In Columbus or Team Khaki Man. State College is going to be a heck of a challenge, but history shows us this decade that the Badgers are a difficult November out. Call me an optimist if you must, but Michigan should not assume they have seem the last of the Badgers, who will make no bones about forcing their way to Pasadena. Badgers 20, Penn State 11.

Bucky has to win out and Northwestern has to lose twice. That might be a heavy lift. But I can see Bucky winning today. Penn State is down, too. But better get a spy on Trace McSorley. Penn State 31, Wisconsin 27.

Northwestern Wildcats (+10.5) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes. This is the game that will define the rest of the Big Ten season. I know that sounds odd, but hear me out. I am assuming that Michigan will go to the Shoe and win, and I think that Northwestern and Iowa are going to have a major say on if Michigan is going to win the Big Ten for the first time in a long time. Both these teams are characteristic of their head coaches because they play tough, steady football and make life difficult for their opponents. Northwestern controls the driver's seat on the road to Lucas Oil Stadium, but Iowa City is the stadium that is the proving ground in the Big Ten. I doubt that Northwestern can beat Iowa there, and look for the Big Ten West to be blown wide open. Iowa 36, Northwestern 19.

Northwestern is a hard team to read. Iowa is Iowa. Go with the team you can trust, especially if you trust them to be good. Iowa rolls. Iowa 35, Northwestern 24.

Detroit LOLions (+7) vs. Bear Down Chicago Da Bearz Still Suck. The Chicago Bears are still in first place, and Gino can be glad that I reminded you about that fact. He will not be glad that I reminded you that the Bears blew a 20-0 lead in the second half against the Packers with a one legged GOAT at quarterback. In all seriousness, the Bears are positioned perfectly, since they have a good defense and a quarterback who is improving and, I might add, has a better record as a starter this year than some quarterback who got paid 84 million dollars guaranteed. Da Bearz 35, LOLions 0.

Shots fired! It's going to be cold in Chicago. The Lions don't like that. They won't like much about what happens tomorrow. Bears 28, Lions 17.

Miami Tuna Net Victims (+10) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers. The Packers come into this game having played two games in which they took New England and LA into the fourth. Both those games were lost due to bad offensive execution in the late stages of the game and making costly mistakes with ball security. A lot of Packers fans seem to think that this team is not very good. I disagree with that statement. Yes, the Packers have not played a very good game yet this year. Yes, Mike McCarthy has done a bad job with playcalling. Yes, Aaron Rodgers has not been himself. What people forget is that the Packers are a very good November and December team, and are undefeated at home. I think the Dolphins are going to play hard, but the Packers look closer to success than people think. Remember, we beat the Bears when nobody gave us a chance at halftime. We outplayed the Vikings and earned a tie. We beat the Niners with clutch plays at the end. We beat the Bills when the overrated Vikings got their butts kicked at home by the Bills. We played the Rams tougher than the Vikings did and held them to fewer points than the vaunted Vikings D did. Packers fans, I implore you to keep the faith. This year will be special, and the team is going to have a Super season where we add one for the thumb. It starts on Sunday, and enjoy the ride. Packers 45, Tuna Net Victims 20.

Wow, that's some impressive tent preaching! I certainly imagine the Packers winning tomorrow, but they essentially have to run the table. Do you think that's going to happen? Benster does. Allow me a measure of skepticism. Packers 28, Dolphins 21.

R-E-L-A-X. Enjoy your weekend and the football. Ben out.