Benster and D Pick Your Games -- Where in the World Is Stefon Diggs Edition

Old dude, is Stefon Diggs trying to get out of town? Maybe he wants to watch the Twins take out the Yankees. I'm very excited to see how my beloved Twins do, and maybe this is the year that the boogeyman can get slain.

Did someone say boogie?

There is no exception to the rule.

I watch videos like that and it really explains a lot about you, Geritol Fan. How old were you when that came out?

15 or 16, something like that.

Child abuse. That's what it was.

Actually, no. Bass lines and the Sold Gold dancers -- yeah, that was about what a guy that age would have wanted back then.

Can't say I blame you. That was not something that I was expecting.

I've been managing expectations for years, grasshopper.

Especially your won/loss record in this feature. But now, it's time to watch me work.

Illinois Fighting Illini (+14) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat The Gophers clearly are getting zero respect for being undefeated, though I don't blame the pollsters for this at all. They have been very loose in the turns this year, and haven't looked great against very weak competition. This game should be another game that looks easy, but the Gophers will find a way to make life difficult for themselves before pulling another victory out of a hat. Gophers 21, Illini 17.

Game is here. That makes a difference. I still greatly appreciate the lush beard of Lovie Smith:

No one is confusing him with Lovey Howell

There's almost a serenity about Lovie these days. I guess when you know your team is destined for the bottom of the division, you can relax a bit. Gophers do need to play better, but I think this one is set up well for them. Gophers 31, Illini 20.

Kent State Golden Flashes (+35) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers The Badgers didn't look amazing against Northwestern, but they won. Kent State is not a good MAC team this year, and the Badgers will be prepared to play against a weaker opponent having learned their lesson from BYU last year. This should be a nice win and a routine one to get the Badgers ready for tougher meat in the Spartans next week. Badgers 42, Golden Flashes 10.

Have I mentioned that Northwestern is really annoying? Kent State is a bit of a footwipe in the MAC, so it's difficult to imagine Bucky having any trouble in this one. Badgers 56, Kent State 3.

Minnesota Vikings (-5) vs. All Hail the New York Football Giants. The Vikings did not look great in Chicago, and that was due to a variety of factors. I was told by a valued commentator that my take on the Vikings offense was questionable. Well, the Bears gave my view some legs. That was a winnable game for the Vikings after Trubisky was knocked out of the game, but they could only score 6 points against the Bears. To be fair, Chicago has a great defense, and they had a lot of success with their game plan. What really hurt the Vikings was not getting Cousins into the game flow, and now you have people taking their grumbling public. Kirk should have just taken Diggs, Theilen, Zimmer, Kubiak, and Stefanski out to Pizza Ranch so they could buffet their way. The Giants have looked better since they made the switch to Daniel Jones, and Wayne Gallman has been pretty good filling in for Saquon Barkley. The good news for the Vikings is that the Diggs story is getting overshadowed by the Twins and Gophers talk locally. This game will tell us a lot about the future of the Vikings, and it might not be what people want to know. All Hail the New York Giants 24, Days of our Zimmers 20.

Once more, with feeling:

Vikings have to win this game. The Giants are a terrible defensive team. If Kirk Cousins is going to salvage his season/career, it could start in the Meadowlands on Sunday. Vikings 31, Giants 23.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (+3) vs. Dallas How Bout Them Cowboahs Well, this game is going to be very interesting this weekend. The Packers had a very frustrating loss, and Davante Adams will be in street clothes on Sunday. That is going to make this game very difficult. However, the Cowboys are going to be banged up on the offensive line, which matters a lot. The Cowboys offensive line is the best in football, and a lot of the success of Dak and Zeke is based on that line. There is no doubt that both are very talented, but it helps when they can get large holes to run through and enough time to develop passing plays. The Packers are going to have to find plays from someone in the passing game, and are going to need to make a couple big plays on defense. Aaron Rodgers has a strong affinity for playing in Jerry World, and he's beaten the Cowboys plenty of times before. It's not going to be easy, but I think the Packers can pull it off. Packers 24, Cowboys 21.

We will learn a lot about the Packers on Sunday. The loss to the Eagles was disquieting. I have little doubt the rest of the division will continue to keep pace, so the Packers don't have much margin for error. Dallas needs this win, too. A hunch, though. . . Packers 31, Cowboys 24.

Bear Down Chicago da Bearz Still Suck (-5) vs. Oakland Raiders of Las Vegas, in London. I don't know what the fine folks of Las Vegas are going to think about the Raiders when they move after this year. They freed themselves from the antics of Antonio Brown before his current legal troubles, and have not looked very sharp. Da Bearz won a very important game behind Chase Daniel, who will start for da Bearz this week. I like their chances, as their defense has been a real equalizer this year, and Daniel has won games as a backup for them before. Da Bearz Still Suck 30, Raiders of Las Vegas 14.

Is it possible the Bears are better without Trubisky? I think they are. Chase Daniel is just a guy, but he follows instructions well and he keeps his eyes downfield when he's under pressure. He shouldn't see a lot of pressure on Sunday. Bears 31, Raiders 10.

Let's see how the Twins can do against the boogeyman that has haunted them for a long time. Ben out!