Benster and D Pick Your Games---Who Replaces Joe Barry Edition?

Seriously, I've had enough of Joe Barry. His performance on Sunday was a complete joke, and it's getting to the point that the Packers need to fire every single one of the defensive coaches. The guy has been given plenty of time, resources, and power to mold this defense. It's not working, and you need to pull the plug.

Oh, so we're back to firing again?

Yes, we are.

Well, I'm glad you're being somewhat more selective in your dismissals.

I may be an irrational, shameless homer, but I try to be reasonable about it. Meanwhile, the Vikings are up a creek right now. JJ really came back for this?

It's next man up, ya know.

That's what I'm talkin' about.

I'd ask what the heck you were doing, but it's clearly not contributing anything positive to this feature.

My work is done, then.

No, you still have to pick some games. Meanwhile, I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEEEEEE! Watch me work.

Beloved Wisconsin Badgers (+10) vs. LSU Tigers, in Tampa The Badgers have had an up and down season, but the good news is that this team got into a New Years Day game somehow. By the way, the tailgating is going to be an incredible scene. It sucks that there are a ton of opt outs/portal guys in this game. I realize why, but with NIL the money excuse doesn't fly as much. That is a topic for another day, though. The Badgers are going to have to slow down LSU's offense, but the good news is that the Tigers are not a great defensive team. This should be a close one, but the Badgers hopefully can continue their bowl winning streak. Badgers 35, Bayou Bengals 23.

LSU is far more talented. They don't have their Heisman-winning quarterback, though. Not sure who the Badgers will have going, but historically the Badgers play well in bowl games. Is it enough? LSU 27, Wisconsin 20.

Alabama Crimson Tide (+1.5) vs. Michigan Sign Stealers, in Pasadena It's a shame that this wasn't a Michigan-Washington game as an end of an era game, but that's just another thing that the committee screwed up in picking this game. Alabama has gotten a lot better, but Michigan wants to take the next step and play for a national title before the NCAA goes after Harbaugh and he flees to the NFL like Pete Carroll did. With the Big Ten-SEC cold war heating up next year when they start their new look forms, look for Michigan to use their great defense and more experienced quarterback to at least have a championship game that doesn't involve the SEC. Jim Harbaugh Can't Win On A Level Playing Field 28, CFP Committee's Favorite Team 14.

Alabama is getting the hype. Not sure why, though. They haven't won that impressively this year and while the talent level remains stellar, it's not clear they have better talent than The Victors. Michigan 27, Alabama 17.

Texas Longhorns (-4) vs. Washington Huskies, in New Orleans Ah yes, the unofficial other Big Ten-SEC semifinal. Texas might be back, but they are going to go to a tougher neighborhood and a third conference to cause a ton of drama. Washington is a legit team, and I look forward to having them join the Big Ten next year. What makes me like Washington in this game is that they are tough, and won all of their games in the toughest conference in America and beat the Ducks twice. Their defense is very good, and their offense is very explosively deadly. Even though this might be a partisan Longhorn crowd in New Orleans, look for the Huskies to try and get back to the Don James mold in winning big games. Huskies 49, Texas Isn't Back, Folks 48.

Washington has quietly been awesome all year long. They have everything they need to win. And so they shall. Washington 31, Texas 23.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (+1) vs. Minnesota Vikings So in the interest of full disclosure, I ended up  watching the Packers game and missed almost all of the Vikings game last week. When you give up 30 points to Panthers of all teams, you know that the defense is bad, and the Packers were bailed out by the offense and the clock running out in the nick of time. Jaire Alexnder was right to be suspended, as you can't just walk out to the coin toss and almost screw it up. Don't worry, Vikings fans. Jaren Hall will look like an elite quarterback and it wouldn't surprise me if Joe Barry's 5D chess brain will have Preston line up against JJ. But the good news is that the Packers will overcome that to win a game, because the Vikings history tells us that in big games, they don't often win. Sorry, you know it's true. Packers 24, Vikings 17.

I have no idea who wins. I would recommend betting the over, though. Vikings 35, Packers 33.

So, who replaces Joe Barry? This list is who I want to, and is in no particular order.

Jim Knowles: Defensive coordinator at Ohio State. While he has been mostly a college coach, I like how tough minded he is and how he was able to find success at Oklahoma State given that the Cowboys play in an offensive league in the Big 12.

Jim Leonhard: Analyst at Illinois. While he doesn't have any pro coaching experience, he has developed a lot of good defensive players at Wisconsin, and brings a lot of the Rex Ryan scheme with him.

Daniel Bullocks: Safeties coach for the Niners. He is someone who is considered and up and comer and has been a big part of the success that the Niners have had on defense. Would be a good hire.

Chris Hewitt: Secondary coach for the Ravens. Ravens have had a great defense this year, and Hewitt could view this as a promotion given that the Ravens are very stable in terms of coaches leaving. His defensive backs are fundamentally sound. 

Sean Desai: Defensive coordinator for the Eagles. With Desai having been demoted from the defensive playcaller role, it wouldn't surprise me if he might leave the Eagles. Would be a fresh voice and someone who would have learned from his first year being a coordinator. 

Mike Zimmer: Analyst at Colorado. He has a point to prove given how his time with the Vikings ended, and is a great defensive mind. Tough coach, and wants to be in the NFL in 2024. Why not come back to the NFC North?

Bringing Zimmer to Green Bay would be pretty amusing, actually. Don't see it happening. Desai might be a guy to bring in, but I'd suggest waiting until after the season ends. There may be a better option out there that's not on your list. But we'll see. Just don't bring in Uncle Rico.

Oh, I won't. That's the list. Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games------Fire Joe Barry Edition

The Packers need to fire Joe Barry yesterday. How is he still with the team after being given multiple chances and plenty of resources/support to do his job?

The Packers are loyal until they aren't. Otherwise, I got nothin'.

The good news is that Florida State isn't suing this blog. 

Why would they sue this blog? Are we channeling Peggy?

You haven't been conducting transactions with some cat emporium?

No, but it's a thought. I do like insulting the Seminoles, but we'll get back to that eventually, too. Meanwhile, I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat (+4) vs. Bowling Green Falcons, in Detroit The Gophers shouldn't be in a bowl game, but thanks to the constant need for the networks to give us bad football, here we are. PJ knows playing Bowling Green well from his time in the MAC, and he has never lost a bowl game as head boat rower for the Gophers. Quite frankly, the Gophers need to figure out their identity on offense and stop with the outdated offense. They should win this game, because Big Ten teams don't lose to MAC teams, right? Row Row Your Boat Elitely 45, MACTION 0.

Well, sometimes they do. Including to Bowling Green fairly recently. But I think the Gophers will win. Gophers 21, Bowling Green 17.

Detroit LOLions (-3) vs. Minnesota Vikings The Vikings last week deserved to lose after throwing away a 14 point lead, combined with some horrific playcalling in overtime. How do you run the same play twice in a row? I thought that KOC was a good coach, but seriously? The LOLions are looking to prove that they aren't the same old Lions, but this is the type of game that they can lose. Remember, the Vikings want to make the playoffs so that they can avoid outright disaster and give the front office the ammo it needs to blow this team up. And if the Packers get in, then all of the locals who mocked the Packers all offseason are going to collectively melt down. Vikings 21, LOLions 14.

We'll get to the Packers shortly, I assume, but that's a separate issue. As for this game, it's going to depend on the Vikings defense. The Lions run hot and cold, but they certainly have weapons. Home game, so I'll go with the locals. Vikings 24, Lions 20.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (-4.5) vs. Carolina Panthers Last week was a complete disaster for the Packers, as they let Baker Freaking Mayfield have the best performance by a visiting quarterback since Mike Vick in 2002. The biggest issue I had with the defense was that there was a refusal to blitz at all. Baker struggles against the blitz, so why not just let him sit back and not get pressured? Thankfully, the Panthers are a complete joke of a football team run by a moron in David Tepper. If the Packers let Carolina look good, then you have issues. Thankfully, the Carolina based Packers fans are going to take over that stadium. Packers 60, Panthers 0.

So a team that plays terrible defense is going to pitch a shutout the next week? I don't see that. I do see the Packers winning, but it won't be easy. Packers 27, Panthers 19.

Enjoy your football this week, and watch some football if the relatives decide to argue about politics or family drama at gatherings this weekend. You'll thank me later. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games -- Vikings May Blow It Up Edition

 No, that title isn't inflammatory at all. The Vikings have some big decisions to make involving Kirko and JJ, and quite honestly, their management might want to blow it up. This game against the Bengals is going to go a long way toward answering that question.

Two teams without a quarterback. Two teams that expected better. Two teams that are glad not to be the Chargers.

All true, Geritol Fan! I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Minnesota Vikings (+3) vs. Cincinnati Bungles So it turns out that the Vikings dodged a bullet last week, where despite playing horrifically awful football, the Raiders somehow made Josh Dobbs and the Vikings offense look like the Greatest Show on Turf at their peak. The Bengals are without Joe Burrow, and are still in playoff contention. To expand on why I think that the Vikings are going to blow it up, consider that Kirko has won 1 playoff game with the Vikings. I'm also going to note that the Vikings have only appeared in one playoff game with JJ, and lost that playoff game. In JJ's case, consider that the other key pieces of the 2019 LSU national title team besides JJ have all gotten to the Super Bowl at a minimum, including Chase, Burrow,  and Edwards-Helaire as of this point. Now, you can call me biased because I am a huge fan of a division rival, but those are objective facts. The Vikings already began the shedding of veteran contracts, and the front office has gotten to see what this team looks like without Kirko and JJ sadly because of injuries. The Vikings need this one badly, and Nick Mullens looked good in relief, and should play well enough to win. Vikings 24, Bengals 7.

Those may be facts, but they may not be relevant. As for this game, I'd suggest paying attention to Vegas. I think the Vikings will make it interesting, but I don't see them prevailing. Bengals 24, Vikings 21.

Tampa Bay Bucs (+3.5) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers The last time that the Bucs came up to Green Bay, it was one of the worst playoff losses I have seen the Packers take. Thankfully, Gisele's ex is nowhere to be seen. What frustrated me about the Packers on Monday was that while the defensive coaches screwed up the coverage, it never should have come to that. The offense and special teams left a bunch of points out there, and when you lose by 2 that means that you can't blame the defense. The Packers and the Bucs both need this one for playoff status, and the Packers need to finish drives and play a lot better. I am going with the ever popular Desperate Team at Home Theory combined with the fact that I am a homer and make no secret about who my favorite NFL team is. Packers 31, Bucs 14.

It's who you are. It's what you do. Baker Mayfield is okay, Mike Evans remains dangerous, but other than that I'm not sure where the points come from. Bucs can play defense, but this is not the same team that showed up in Green Bay a few years ago. I was actually hoping for something like this, but El Nino is not cooperating.

The worst day of Steve Young's life

Packers 23, Bucs 16.

No rant this week!

Really?

I'm all about the Christmas spirit, old dude! Enjoy your football this weekend, and may the Premier League give Everton our 10 points back. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games-----The Worst Football Decision I Have Ever Seen Edition

 Oh, you know I have words for what went down with the college football powers that be last weekend. That decision was like seeing Michael Jordan airball a layup on purpose. 

Looks like Mike took it personally, too.

Meanwhile, the Packers are very much in contention after taking out the Chiefs last week. Though it was nice of Taylor Swift to show up at Lambeau to hang out with my Aunt Coco, who was a happy shareholder as the Packers gave her a great birthday present. 

Most people in the know prefer Coco to Taylor (or maybe Koko Taylor), but I'm guessing ol' Taylor will shake it off. Or something like that.

I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYPPPPEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Minnesota Vikings (-3) vs. Las Vegas Raiders The Vikings are still in playoff contention and will get a huge lift this week as the Griddy Man has been cleared to return. The thing is, Josh Dobbs has struggled and will get the start again, which has some locals questioning the move. The good news is that the Raiders are a team that is led by morons. Josh McDaniels may have been fired, but Al Davis would have fired everyone about 10 times over if he was still alive. The Vikings should win, but this is the type of game that the Vikings fans love to make uncomfortable. Vikings 24, Raiders 17.

I for one am glad Jefferson is back, because it will certainly help my fantasy football team. The Vikings really needed the bye to reset things. They should be able to beat a highly questionable Raiders team, but as the young fella says, it's going to be uncomfortable, especially if Maxx Crosby gets a head of steam going Vikings pull ahead late to make it look more impressive than it will be. Vikings 28, Raiders 16.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (-6) vs. New York Football Giants Last week was a fantastic performance by everyone. I have been very critical of this team this year, but it's hard to argue with the results. Jordan Love has been great, Matt LaFleur was on fire calling plays last week, the Packers made defensive plays when they had to, and it was the best performance I have seen this year. I'm also really glad that the Chiefs didn't blame the refs, which is a stupid argument to make. Lest we forget, the bad calls went both ways. The Giants are a mess this year, which surprises me. This won't be easy, but the Packers should win given that they are getting healthier. Packers 35, Giants 10.

No Aaron Jones? No Jaire Alexander? No problem! It's been an amazing if weird stretch of games for the Pack, who have really improved as the season goes on. The young receiving corps is growing in front of our eyes and this is the time of year where A.J. Dillon pays off. Giants can rush the passer and they do have offensive talent, but Tommy DeVito is not an NFL quarterback long term. I think this one goes well eventually. Packers 28, Giants 20.

And now, it's time for me to blow a gasket and yell about Florida State getting screwed last weekend. Before I unleash, a quick disclaimer. I am not blaming the Alabama players, coaches, or Nick Saban for being happy or defending their inclusion. They are just doing what they had to do, and the ire belongs somewhere else.

Where is that?

Oh, I'll tell you. What the playoff committee did on Sunday when they explained their reasoning was an utter disgrace and super disrespectful to Florida State. I don't care about how "bad" they looked, they won every single one of their games! That's freaking hard to do. I watched the back end of the ACC title game last week, and what really impressed me about Florida State each time I've seen them this year was that they are a complete football team. This wasn't Jordan Travis and a bunch of scrubs. Their defense played incredibly against a good Louisville team, and they were ranked 4th coming into last weekend. What happened to not dropping a team that didn't lose?

ESPN happened, I think.

What really was disgraceful was what the committee chair said about the Jordan Travis injury. Florida State is a great team with a great defense, and they rallied around their backup quarterbacks to win. Jordan, I know that you probably will never read this or see this, but you have nothing to apologize for about getting injured. It wasn't your fault and I hope that you come back stronger and better than ever for whatever your next challenge is going to be. I'm rooting for you. The other 21 starters, Mike Norvell, and his coaching staff were told that their success was down to one guy, which is a really mean and cruel thing to say. I bet the chairmen wouldn't say that to their faces. You don't win with just one guy in college football. 

Unless the one guy is head of the committee.

In regards to the SEC, nonsense like this is why I have been warning about peddling the narrative that they and ESPN try and sell you. The SEC this year was down. They had a losing record against the ACC in the nonconference, and to be frank the Pac 12 and the Big Ten were just as strong if not stronger than the SEC this year. Despite all of the talking points by Greg Sankey and the ESPN talking heads, their top brands were all shaky. Georgia struggled at times, Alabama needed Auburn to forget how to defend a Hail Mary, South Florida to not do anything offensively, Jimbo to get outcoached, and Ole Miss to melt down in the second half just to stay in playoff contention. Heck, the marquee OOC SEC game involved Alabama getting cooked by Texas at Bryant Freaking Denny. I'm also going to point out despite the SEC having a bunch of success on the field, their leadership is still 10 million dollars short in terms of revenue distribution to their member schools, and that gap will only grow as the Big Ten gets to go to the media rights well before the SEC does, even though the SEC added both Texas and Oklahoma to their conference. I'd love to ask Sankey why that revenue gap exists despite the SEC having better results, but professional SEC cheerleaders like Paul Finebaum and Clay Travis don't want to risk upsetting their beloved conference. Like it or not, money matters in college sports and the Big Ten is winning that race. 

The results on the field would suggest otherwise, but in the long term you're likely to be correct.

So what would I have done? Simple. I would have had the playoff be Washington, Florida State, Michigan, and Texas. What I would have sold is that these are the four teams who won it on the field, and any criticism about leaving out Alabama would have relied on the head to head. In the future with the 12 team playoff, the committee should be former coaches and players, who would be given clear guidelines for seeding and bids. Results on the field are the only thing that matters, and that their job is to simply seed the teams and pick the at larges. I would get rid of them doing rankings, instead having a bracket preview similar to college basketball coming out a week before Thanksgiving. Is this proposed system perfect? Of course not. No system is. But what we saw last week was a load of well, bullshit, and should never be allowed to happen again. 

I would like that, too. 

Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games-----Benster Laughs At A Bunch of People Edition

 Last week was a very fun weekend for someone like me. I got a bunch of people who I need to take some shots at. 

He's a jolly sniper, this Benster.

Also, I was surprised to see that there was a boat crime at Huntington Bank Stadium. A bunch of Badgers just capsized a boat carrying a bunch of Gophers and PJ Fleck, and happened to take an Axe. Fickell was there, but for some reason decided to encourage those Badgers instead of stopping them. I also noticed that the rowers and the entire boat collapsed in a very #Elite manner. You really hate to see it.

Sit down, you're rockin' the boat! Or maybe it's this:

Who, or rather what, is Camilla Sparv?

I don't know, Seabiscuit. I'm just trying to figure out how Halston got on there.

I was expecting Fred Smoot!

Wrong Love Boat, sir.

Enough of your nonsense, even if it is part of the bit. I have mocking to do and I am feeling the HYYYYYYYPPPEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Michigan Cheaters and the Best (-22) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes Michigan ended up beating Ohio State to keep the Curse of the 6 Game Minimum intact, and their tour to get their accomplishments vacated moves to the Big Ten title game. The shame is that Michigan is too talented to have needed to cheat, but that's fine with them because Jim Harbaugh is a real Michigan Man who would never leave unless an NFL team lets him pull a Pete Carroll. Iowa will be game, but this is too much of a talent gap between them and Michigan. The only way Iowa has a chance is if they can turn this into a defensive struggle. We all know how this is going to end. Or do we? Ferentz Family Nepotism 17, Michigan Can't Win On A Level Playing Field 0.

Uh, no. Iowa is offensively challenged. Michigan is very good at defense. This is not happening. Michigan 24, Iowa 3.

Kansas City Swifties  Chiefs (-6) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers Thanksgiving was a fantastic performance by everyone involved by the Packers. I have been very critical of the coaching staff, but LaFleur had a prefect plan, and I loved how he had his team ready to go from the start, and they finished strong. Even though he had one hand tied behind his back with the injuries on a short week. Joe Barry had his best game with the Packers, as the defense was swarming and made the Lions very uncomfortable. Jordan looked amazing, though I have to call out Fox for not having a turkey leg for him. Jordan deserved it, but instead Greg Olsen had to manhandle the turkey in the booth. This won't be an easy game as the Chiefs are very good at football. But this will be a bad weather game, and the Packers are going to be well-rested. Don't be surprised if the Packers win. Packers 23, Chiefs 14.

Actually, I will be surprised if the Packers win. But maybe MVS can drop the game winning touchdown for old times' sake. Can't pick it that way, though. Chiefs 27, Packers 21.

And now, it's time for me to laugh at some teams. 

This just in - I found out Camilla Sparv was a glamorous Swedish actress from the 1960s. Quite beautiful, actually.

Sparvelous, actually

That's good to know. Irrelevant, but good to know. Now, back to our regularly scheduled mockery.

Let's start with the Motor City Kitties. The LOLions, Dan Campbell, and their fanbase should be just embarrassed with what happened on Thanksgiving. They played like crap, looked overawed by the occasion, and had some of the worst coaching I've seen this year. Everyone talks about Campbell as this great coach, but he still has some areas of growth. The fake punt he called was a stupid idea, and had no chance of working. And you called it against the Packers special teams, who have been horrible for years. He could have won the game if he had taken the points, but couldn't convert a single 4th down all game. To make matters worse, the Lions have a tough schedule down the stretch. You could blow this division again, and the same old LOLions are in danger of making an appearance. You have some serious issues to fix, so I hope you used the mini bye well. You are going to need it. 

That actually seems like good advice. So what's next?.

Ohio State, the warning signs that I warned you about were there on Saturday. You fell down early, and against an even opponent you couldn't ride your high end talent to bail yourself out like you had so many times this year. Ryan Day is on the hot seat because your entitled fanbase can't accept that you will lose to Michigan sometimes. I hope your AD fires him and you go into the wilderness for a bit, because that is the best thing that could happen to your fanbase. Heck, even your legendary head coaches like Woody and Paul Brown lost to Michigan. Coaches lose rivalry games, and it happens to the legends of the game. Heck, even Urban came close to losing a couple of times against Michigan. You need to get a grip on reality and be grateful for your consistency. The Curse of the 6 Game Minimum remains intact. You know how you can lift it. 

Are you sure you're laughing? You're coming on like an Old Testament prophet.

I got your Jeremiah right here, Geritol Fan. Now, Vikings fans, welcome back to earth. Losing in that manner at home to Da Bearz was hilarious. Now you know why Josh Dobbs was available, and you have a quarterback controversy. There were warning signs during your winning streak. You almost lost to Carolina, and the Falcons blew that game to you. Did anyone not panic during those two games? All of a sudden, the Packers are right behind you. That's right. The team you called irrelevant and the quarterback that you dismissed could go to the playoffs. If that happens, you bet I am going to have fun with that. You got some serious issues to think about and solve.

It's true. And yeah, it is kinda funny. Here's a live look at Vikings fans:

We have a life outside you, Vikings fans. Enjoy your bye week! Meanwhile, for the rest of you, enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games-----LOLions Have Zero Excuses This Week Edition

Old dude, if the Lions don't win tomorrow, this will be on the level of the Packers going into Arizona and beating the Cardinals a couple of years ago on a short week with a wrecked football team. 

Seabiscuit is setting a narrative.

Oh yes, it's time to get revenge on the LOLions. 

The mighty Lions? Somehow that still doesn't sound right.

I am feeling the HYYYYYYPPPEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (+8) vs. Detroit LOLions So the Packers beat the Chargers by some divine miracle, and now they get a chance to visit the NFL media's favorite team, the Detroit LOLions. Look, my issue with the Lions isn't that they are good. What boggles my mind is that certain members of the NFL media are forgetting that the Lions were good under Jim Schwartz and Jim Caldwell. So while Dan Campbell is doing a fine job, it's not like the Lions have been consistently terrible in recent memory. Heck, the Lions were a playoff team the year that Barry Sanders quit on them for not being good enough. And I would argue that teams like the Texans and the Broncos have also been major improvements, to say nothing about the Jaguars proving that they are not a fluke. Look, the Packers are banged up, and this is a tough test against a good team on the road, especially after the beatdown in Green Bay in September. But what gives me hope is that the Packers have been quietly playing a bunch of close games lately. They just haven't finished. Don't forget, the Lions were incredibly lucky to escape against a bad Bears team on Sunday. Don't be surprised if the same old Lions show up right on time. Packers 24, LOLions 23.

They hope to dine on better fare this year

I've seen progress, too, but the injury list is daunting. It's going to be difficult to beat a very healthy Lions team when half the team doesn't suit up. Lions 27, Packers 20.

Bear Down Chicago Da Bearz Still Suck (+3.5) vs. Minnesota Vikings The Vikings last week lost because I thought that Brian Flores sat back a little too much last week. On that last drive, he was too slow to adjust to the Broncos dumping the ball off, and it was a departure from how he called the rest of the game. As for the Bears, last week was a brutal collapse for them. They were very vanilla on offense, and let Detroit march down the field. The Vikings need this one, and I will default to the desperate team at home to make sure that the Griddy Man makes an appearance down the line for the Vikings fans to experience maximum pain in January. Vikings 35, Bears Still Suck 0.

The Bears? They really really really really really really suck. Yes, the Bears still suck. Vikings roll. Vikings 31, Bears 14.

A School In Columbus (+3.5) vs. Michigan Release the Manifesto On a holiday weekend based on gratitude and respect for your neighbors, we have these guys playing. Ryan Day and Jim Harbaugh don't seem to get along very well, and this game might make the 2006 game look tame by comparison. For the Buckeyes, this game has taken on an air of importance for Ryan Day. If the Buckeyes don't win in Ann Arbor against a Michigan team dealing with cheating allegations and an interim head coach, the crazies will blow up the Ohio State fan sites and Ohio sports radio call in lines calling for Ryan Cooper to be fired. No pressure, huh? I like Michigan to win, as Ohio State is still under the Curse of the Six Game Minimum. If you don't know what I mean, look in the archives. You know what to do, Buckeyes. Michigan Man=Cheating is Okay? 50, #NotMy2020BigTenChampions 45.

A meteor strike seems in order here. On the field, I still think Michigan is the better team, especially with the game Up North. Michigan 31, Ohio State 28.

Beloved Wisconsin Badgers (-2.5) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat Thanks to Matt Rhule's genius clock management and some heroic performances by banged up stars, the Badgers were able to gut out a victory that means the bowl streak lives. For the Gophers, last week was strange. I know that PJ likes to control the time of possession, but they played very conservatively against Ohio State last week. I get that there is a talent gap, but seriously playing that scared? Lots of grumbling in these parts. I warned you, Gopher fans. But you didn't listen and said I had an agenda. The bottom line is that for the Gophers, this game is for bowl eligibility and to keep the Axe downtown among everything they want this season. Badgers 41, Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 21.

I don't think the Badgers score 41 points this weekend. But they may score more than the Gophers, which would be enough. Badgers 27, Gophers 24.

Enjoy your football this weekend. If your relatives start arguing about politics or stirring up some drama, go watch some football. You'll thank me later. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games-----Jim Harbaugh Can't Win On A Level Playing Field Edition

We will be talking about what is going on at Michigan later on. By the way, at least the NCAA is willing to go after one of their big brands. The Premier League could learn a thing or two from them. Longtime readers know I am an Everton supporter, and we got a worse penalty for a breach of FFP that gave us no competitive advantage than Manchester City breaking over 100 charges and Chelsea cooking their books, and the Big Six clubs for threatening to leave the Premier League during the whole Super League debacle. 

So mad at Kentucky they're gonna punish Cleveland State again, I see.

Tark was a cheat, but he was honest, old dude! Meanwhile, last week was a bad weekend for the football teams I love. The Packers at least lost to a better opponent on the road, but the Badgers have no excuses. They are lucky that I want to talk about the Michigan scandal instead.

Fickell is breathing a sigh of relief.

I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work. 

Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat (+27.5) vs. A School In Columbus The Gophers got blown out at Purdue Harbor, and it looks like Row the Boat Fleck will have to rely on the Axe game to get into a bowl game. While I would normally say that this is a trap game for the Buckeyes because they are going to be looking ahead to their trip to Ann Arbor next week, that would be too ridiculous even for my standards. Ohio State isn't going to be looking ahead, and they are going to get off to a better start than they have in their earlier games. While the Gophers will be game, this is a plain and simple talent gap game. Buckeyes 70, Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 14.

Gophers aren't very good. Ohio State is. Plan accordingly. Ohio State 48, Minnesota 14.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (+6) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers Last week was one of the worst Badger performances at Camp Randall I have ever seen. It's like they expected Northwestern to roll over and die for them, and I'm sure that Fickell was not happy. Nebraska must be the most snakebitten team in America over the last few years, as they find new ways to lose close games. If the Badgers have their crap together, then they can get a bowl game wrapped up, as you don't want the bowl streak to come down to the Axe game. Badgers 34, Cornhuskers 21.

National television. This game is on national television. What a terrible thing to do to the nation. Badgers will probably win. But I am not confident in the slightest. Wisconsin 17, Nebraska 13.

Los Angeles Chargers (-3) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers The Packers played a B quality game, but to win in Pittsburgh required an A game. The Chargers are a strange team. They have a ridiculous amount of talent on offense, but Brandon Staley has consistently done less with more and just like Mario Cristobal at Oregon has wasted Justin Herbert. The Packers looked better, but this won't be easy. What they are going to need to do is feed Aaron Jones and can someone please tell Watson that he can fight for the football? As much as I wish that the Packer brass would make changes at the end of the year, they will continue to bury their heads in the sand. Packers 21, Go Back To San Diego 20.

The Packers aren't good. The Chargers are indeed strange. Packers 24, Chargers 20.

Minnesota Vikings (+2.5) vs. Denver Broncos Remember when this looked like a terrible primetime game a couple of weeks ago? It turns out that the Vikings have life, and the Broncos proved that winning against the Chiefs was no fluke by beating the Bills. Josh Dobbs might be a hero, but a word of warning Vikings fans. This team will get your hopes up, before finding a new way to break your heart in brutal fashion. I think that the Vikings are going to win this game and put a ton of pressure on the LOLions. If the LOLions blow this chance to win the NFC North, I got something special planned for you guys. You don't want me to use it. Vikings 30, Broncos 20.

He's special, so special. Vikings should win this, but I sense a trap at high elevation. Broncos 24, Vikings 21.

You should have saved that video for my next topic! 

And now, it's time to dunk on Michigan. The Wolverines had one of the biggest temper tantrums that I have ever seen last week, and it was really incredible. The Big Ten was placed in a tough spot, and Tony Petiti couldn't win. If he didn't punish Michigan, then he would have ticked off the rest of the league. So by punishing Michigan, he ticked off Michigan. Jim Harbaugh has proven that despite Michigan having an overwhelming list of advantages over just about every other football program in the Big Ten, he still needed to cheat twice. If I was Warde Manuel, I would be very concerned about the culture in his department. Michigan football and men's basketball are both coached by alums who are "Michigan Men", and both have utterly embarrassed and disgraced the athletic department. Juwan Howard of course infamously punched an assistant coach in a handshake line after a game against the Badgers, and when he released a statement apologizing, he initially misspelled the assistant's name. Harbaugh broke NCAA rules twice this year, and it's not like they are arcane rules that the out of touch NCAA hasn't updated. The dead period and in person scouting rules aren't new rules. I've seen Michigan and their defenders say that Harbaugh didn't know, but that is a terrible defense. Harbaugh is in charge of the football program, and it's his job to be aware of what goes on in his department. To not know and/or not report it to his superiors is a failure of leadership. 

Not knowing things, or pretending not to know, is a central part of life these days, as any visit to a comment section will demonstrate. (Closed circuit to Brad - we aren't talking about you. As far as you know, at least.)

What really sucks in all this is that the Michigan players had nothing to do with this, and are playing football at a high level. JJ McCarthy probably is going to lose Heisman votes, which isn't fair to him. He wasn't stealing signs, and his teammates probably didn't ask questions about where their coaches got the information. I don't blame the players for being defensive of their results, as all they have done this year is win football games, and they should be proud. Blame the coaches, staffers, and athletic department officials who screwed up. 

How about global warming? Can we blame that, too?

Go right ahead, Geritol Fan. Now let's get back to my epic rant. What would I do if I were the Michigan president? I would have fired Harbaugh and Manuel for cause. The bottom line is that those men are responsible for running their departments in a clean manner, and they agreed to follow the rules when they signed their employment contracts. Regardless of if they knew, ignorance and/or not stopping the cheating is unacceptable from leaders in any industry.

Unless Merrick Garland reports to you.

You really need to get back to writing about politics, old dude. I can tell you miss it. But that's not what we're doing here. Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out.

Benster and D Pick Your Games-----NFL Outdated Television Rules Screwed Me Over Edition

 Boy, the NFL and the CBS corporate suits in New York really screwed over Packers and Steelers fans in a lot of markets this week. It's almost like they want to leave money on the table and make me go to a restaurant to watch the Packers again. 

They take a lot of ads for Buffalo Wild Wings. Just sayin'.

Meanwhile, the Packers did calm me down a little bit with their performance last week, and it was good to see. 

It helps when you play terrible opponents.

I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYPPPPEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

The Bronze Turkey Bowl: Knox College Prairie Fire, Baby! (NL) vs. Monmouth College Scots Ah yes, the Bronze Turkey Bowl. This is one of the oldest rivalries in college football, and the type of local rivalry that is still maintained despite the best attempts of college presidents to chase the television dollar. Longtime readers know that I am a proud graduate of Knox, the greatest institution in the state of Illinois. Monmouth is our biggest rival, and this is the last game of the year. Knox has improved this year, and is going to finish in the lower middle part of the Midwest Conference. Monmouth is trying to win the league. This is where I remind you that Monmouth is an inferior school and when I got a salad at the cafeteria freshman year, Monmouth gave me a degree in nutrition with highest honors and I was named valedictorian. It's time that Knox ruins their season, and we get the Turkey back home where it belongs. Blaze The Knox Fox 24, Scots 21.  

Monmouth may be academically challenged, but they tend to kick big butt on the football field. And unfortunately your Knox squad is gonna get squashed. Monmouth 54, Knox 17.

Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat (-1) vs. Purdue Spoilermakers The Gophers were looking like they were going to have a good win against Illinois, before they inexplicably decided to play prevent defense and let the Illini score in the last minute. You really hate to see it. PJ has to rally his troops by using more of his motivational speeches and create new slogans to put on oar branded merchandise available at Goldy's Locker Room. Purdue hasn't claimed their annual how did they win this game win, and Purdue Pete needs to get his quota. Maybe Purdue could stop being mad at Michigan, but that is another topic for another day because that story is moving way too fast. The Gophers are officially on Spoilermaker watch. Spoilermakers 35, Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 28.

West Lafayette is not a pleasant place to visit. I think the Gophers will win, though, as Purdue hasn't shown much this year. Minnesota 24, Purdue 17.

Northwestern Purple Nerds (+10.5) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers That was a game that the Badgers shouldn't have lost last week, and it falls on the coaching staff. Indiana played hard, and the Badgers came out sluggish, played uninspired football, and Longo didn't put his offense in a position to win. You can't do that in Big Ten play. Northwestern has done a lot better than most people thought after their offseason from hell, and the Purple Nerds tend to save all of their annoying voodoo for Wisconsin. But if the Badgers can get healthy and play better, this game is very much winnable. Get the bowl game and those extra practices now, guys. Badgers 42, Purple Nerds 11.

Bucky will be motivated. Bucky is still a better team. The result? Wisconsin 27, Northwestern 17.

New Orleans Saints (-3) vs. Minnesota Vikings I have no idea how the Vikings won last week, and Josh Dobbs might bring back the magic of 2017. So in the interest of full disclosure, I only saw the last minute live because I was paying close attention to the Packers. But what I did see was the Vikings pulling out a game that they had no business even being close to winning after Hall went out. Now, Dobbs gets a full week as the starter, and will have a better command of the offense as one might reasonably expect. The Saints aren't great this year, but the good news for them is that they play in the putrid NFC South, where all 4 coaches are terrible, nobody knows how good each team is, and someone is going to get a home playoff game over a more deserving 5 seed. The Vikings are very much in playoff contention, and they could play their way back into something greater if the LOLions aren't careful. Vikings 28, Saints 0.

This season is weird. I don't know if the Vikings are legit or not. Dobbs is a pretty good stopgap until whatever quarterback future the Vikings will have arrives. Having the game here will help them, too. Vikings 24, Saints 20.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (+3) vs. Pittsburgh Yinzers So despite the fact that WCCO would love to air this game, they can't because the NFL wants me to watch the Vikings despite the fact that this game would get better ratings than the Chargers/LOLions game. Screw you, CBS and the NFL. Once again I will have to make plans to go to a restaurant to watch the game. The Packers last week finally played well, even though the Rams were terrible. The defense did their jobs, the offense looked better, and the team fought through some bad turnovers and more terrible penalties. The Steelers are above .500, which makes no sense. The Matt Canada offense is really bad, and the Steelers rely on their defense and high end talent to bail themselves out of trouble. What really concerns me is that the Packers are banged up on the offensive line. That won't go well with TJ Watt on the other side and the Steelers pass rushers. If you love ugly football, than the matchup between the stoppable force of the Steelers offense and the movable object of the Packers defense is the matchup you wanted. Now, I ask a Yinzer to comment on the Steelers. Warning, this video may include NSFW language. 

Now that we have that out of the way, a score: Packers 28, Steelers 20.

I agree with you that the Steelers aren't anything special this year, but the Packers have not solved their myriad problems. And if you hadn't heard, the Packers have not won in Pittsburgh since 1970. That was a different time. Steelers 24, Packers 20.

And now, time for me to rant about the NFL and how they should have fixed the broadcasting situation involving the Packers in the Twin Cities. I wouldn't be writing this if the Packers game was on Fox just like the Vikings game. I get that you gotta do what you gotta do in that situation, and it happens multiple times a year. But seriously not allowing CBS to air the Packers game in the early window here? What did they spike your deli with in the NFL office? People are going to hit me with, you live in Minnesota and you should just buy Sunday Ticket. Here is the thing, the Vikings game was going to sell out, and the Packers and Steelers fans here aren't going to watch that game in person. Not everyone in the Twin Cities is a Vikings fan, and there is a strong fanbase. Heck, KFAN has a Packer preview show. That's right, the flagship Vikings station has a show dedicated to the Packers because it makes money. The Steelers are a national brand, and this game is going to do very well and keep CBS competitive in ratings terms vs. Fox getting the Cowboys/Giants game as their top game in the late window. Also, I get a vast majority of Packers games in this market anyway between the Packers being on national tv a lot and WCCO and KMSP always choosing the Packers when the Vikings are not on their airwaves. Why should I pay 400 bucks for Sunday Ticket when it's cheaper to go to a restaurant to watch the Packers. What the NFL should have done is allowed WCCO to air the Packers-Steelers game opposite the Vikings game, and then have the Cowboys game be the only game in the late window. That makes the NFL and the local affiliates more money, and gives this market a slate of games that better reflects the NFL rooting interests of the Twin Cities. But when I emailed WCCO to mention that, I got a reply stating that the NFL makes the rules. But thankfully, I have an idea that would make sure that this wouldn't happen. 

Uh-oh, you've been brainstorming again.

Yes I have, old dude! Not cool your jets and listed up. So in this plan, each week is a double doubleheader week, similar to Week 1 and Week 18. What I would do is to take a page from college football, where as soon as the schedule is finalized but before it is released to the public, Fox and CBS get 8 weeks each where each network gets the first two picks of Sunday afternoon games. The first pick would be the featured late game on the network, and the same network gets to pick the best early game. Then, the network who doesn't have first pick gets to pick the third game for their featured late game, and the fourth pick is their best early game. The featured late game on both FOX and CBS is protected from flex, with NBC getting to pick from the rest. What I mean by taking a page from college football is that with the Big Ten, Fox, CBS, and NBC get to choose in order which week they want to have the best Big Ten game. Since Fox has the first pick, they naturally will take the Michigan-Ohio State game every year. 

Not much interest in the Rutgers/Nebraska tilt, I suppose.

I just about fell asleep at the mere mention of that game, old dude! But Fox and CBS also get a couple of other things. I would add 4 more international games, and Fox and CBS each get two of them to get a tripleheader that they can advertise. I'd also give them each a Saturday double header late in the season that is exclusive to their network, so that they can run with that. 

Speaking of international, is the game on at the International House of Pancakes?

Stop huffing the maple syrup, Geritol Fan! Is the idea perfect? Of course not. No idea is. But this would serve fans better by giving them better games, and Sunday Ticket would still be a thing. 

Don't count on it, but we'll see.

Roger, have your people call my people. In the meantime, as always, enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games----Packers Lack Accountability Edition

 I've had enough with the Packers pretending everything is fine and the title gives it away. I have no choice, and it's time to go hard on some people. You've been warned.

Appreciate the opportunity to gird my loins, Seabiscuit!

You seem a little too eager to do that, but we'll let that pass for the moment. I have business to attend to at this time. For the record, things have gotten to the point that I am mad. 

Well then, get to rantin'!

Give me a few minutes to get some requirements out of the way. I will note that our beloved Wisconsin Badgers, at the very least and despite the horrid offensive injury, are showing me they want to fight. 

But despite that, there will be hype?

Yes, of course. I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEE! Watch me work.

Illinois Cheating Illini (+2) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat The Big Ten West is a mess this year, with no team really showing something outside of the increasingly lowered standards of this division. The Gophers have looked better in the last week or two, and Row The Boat Fleck is looking to take this division and get the chance to have Michigan steal his signs in Indy. Illinois has gone backwards under Bert, and with the Gophers looking to keep pace with the alleged big boys in the West, this game will go a long way to untangling that mess. Therefore, it's the return of the Desperate Team at Home reasoning, which predated such wonderful phrases on this blog like the Curse of The Six Game Minimum and the steakhouse analogy. Gophers 25, Deion Thomas Sends His Regards 15.

Benster is playing the hits this week! Gophers are at home. They aren't a great team, but Illinois is something less than that. The line being this close makes me suspicious, but... Minnesota 21, Illinois 16.

Beloved Wisconsin Badgers (-9.5) vs. Indiana Hoosiers The Badgers can't catch a break with the injuries. No Braelon, Chez, or Mordecai for the rest of the year sucks. I'm not going as hard on the Badgers because Fickell has been making adjustments, and the Badgers gave the Buckeyes all they wanted and the skill gap is being addressed as Fickell gets his guys fully in the program. Indiana has gone backwards since winning the Big Ten East in 2020. What impressed me was how well they hung in there against Penn State in Happy Valley last week. This won't be an easy game, but the Badgers can win, and hopefully don't have to go deeper in the depth chart to do that. Badgers 35, RIP Bob Knight 24.

This is the type of game the Badgers could lose. But they won't. Wisconsin 24, Indiana 18.

Minnesota Vikings (+3.5) vs. Hotlanta Dirty Birds I feel really bad for Kirk after what happened last Sunday at Lambeau. The guy has been a good quarterback, despite all of the criticism around these parts, and the Vikings basically took a torpedo hit to their season. I get you can't blame the Vikings front office for the fact that everyone wanted to fleece them in a quarterback trade, but Jaren Hall and Josh Dobbs aren't the best options. Nothing against those guys, but they are going to have a tall task ahead of them to save the season. Atlanta is a team that plays hard, and even though they are going with their backup,  Heinicke is more experienced. Congrats on winning the NFC North, LOLions. Dirty Bird 21, Vikings 11.

If the game were here in the Twin Cities, I'd pick the Vikings. It isn't. Falcons 24, Vikings 20.

Los Angeles Rams (+3) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers So, the Packers need to figure some things out. The good news is that the Rams are still paying the price for both going all in to get a ring and for Stan Kroenke screwing the NFL out of a bunch of money for the way he screwed over St. Louis, and lest we forget, his other sports team in Arsenal, by blowing the Premier League last season much to the enjoyment of neutral fans and most especially Tottenham fans. Matthew Stafford is going to be banged up, but the problem is that the dude plays well against the Packers. This is a backs against the wall game for the Packers, and they need to at the very least show a consistent effort through all 4 quarters. Delusional homers like myself believe that they are going to do just that. Packers 50, Rams 0.

If the Packers don't win this game, they may not win another the rest of the way. Didn't see the collapse coming this quickly, but I'm not seeing much that makes me positive. The Rams are trash, though. Packers 24, Rams 20.

And now, it's time for a Very Special Comment.

Are you suggesting I overdo this bit?

Maybe.

Don't care. Here goes. Everyone I am listing is responsible in some way, though how much can be debated. This isn't in a particular order. 

Jordan Love, you need to show me something. I have been patient with you, but you need to start making some better throws. Stop going for the downs all the time, and give your teammates balls to catch more often. I'd also like to see you get out more to use your legs. I get that you don't have the ability to audible as much as Aaron did, but you are looking like Kyle Boller 2.0. Get it together, man. 

Who's next?

Matt LaFleur, there are a bunch of things I don't like. One or two slow starts, I get that they happen. But every single week? What have you been doing to prepare this team? You have been calling some of the dumbest plays I have ever seen, and this team has culture problems. You are the head coach, and it is your job to get these guys ready. This team hasn't been put in position to succeed, and if you don't get it together then you should be fired. It's clear that the players have tuned you out, and that's on you to keep your messaging fresh. I expect more of the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, and demand better from you. After all, Mike Sherman couldn't maintain his success in his first couple of years, and ended up paying the price. 

Assuming there's more?

Brian Gutekunst, you botched the roster construction. I get that injuries happen and are part of the game, but the whole draft and develop philosophy hasn't worked. The constant defensive picks early in the drafts haven't plugged any holes, and continuing to hire bad coaches and keep bad coaches suggests organizational rot and people are too comfortable. The Jordan Love pick might be what costs you your job, and will be the decision that defines your time here. It's time to get away from the Ron Wolf tree, and get some new ideas from a new staff in the football ops department. It's time for you to go. 

I'll get some boxes.

Joe Barry, your defensive scheme is too predictable. Despite you getting a ton of resources and a free hand from your bosses to run the defense, the same problems pop up year after year. There is no pass rush, soft zone defense, covering other team's best weapons with bad matchups, stupid penalties, and zero run defense. I defended your unit after the playoff meltdown to the Niners, but the game has passed you by. It's time to retire after this year, and bring in someone like Jimmy Leonhard or Wink Martindale, or someone who can design a defense to the team's strength. What a joke.

But wait, there's more!

Mark Murphy, you are the team president. You were hired by the shareholders to run this football team. Considering you played in the NFL, you should know more about the NFL than most of the team owners. It turns out that this offseason should have been the time to fully cut loose from the past and begin again. Instead, it turns out getting rid of Aaron wasn't enough in removing the toxic culture and the arrogance that things are doing well. You should retire now. It's a shame, because your tenure as president has had a lot of great things. A Super Bowl title, continued success, and increased money thanks to the development of the area around Lambeau. But not taking decisive action to stop the rot within the organization and denying there is a problem with this team is your biggest mistake. 

Rot never sleeps. Or is it rust? Well, you get the idea.

The bottom line is that the Packers have arrogantly believed there was nothing wrong with the way things are going, and the rot is deeper than the fans want to admit. The best thing to do is to fully cut bait and bring in people who have no ties to the organization and a fresh mindset. I'm very disappointed in the Packers, and expect better because I've seen better. Call me spoiled all you want, but the Packers are expected to live up to the standard that championships are to be won, and everyone I just mentioned haven't lived up to the expectations that no matter who is employed by the team, the goal is to do their utmost to bring the Lombardi trophy back home where it belongs. I've defended this team, but I can't do that anymore. The alarm is ringing, Packers. I suggest you answer it and take the decisive actions you need to, no matter how painful it might be. 

I don't necessarily disagree with this, but I'd say two things. If the Packers need new people, who picks the new people, especially if you don't trust the existing people to make the decision? Remember, wholesale changes can make things worse. Ask a Cambodian who was alive in 1977, if you can find one. And speaking of 1977, may I present:

The heart of darkness

I don't mean to go "OK Boomer" on the deal, especially since I am a late-period boomer, but this particular season was particularly putrid. You haven't seen anything like Barty Smith and Eric Torkelson leading your offense. 

I'll take your comments under advisement. Meanwhile, enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games: #Karma and LOL Illinois Edition

Remember when the Badgers were going to lose to Illinois again? Pepperidge Farm remembers. In fact, some might say it was #karma. 

Instant Karma's gonna get you. Knock you right in the head. 

Meanwhile, the Packers need to figure some things out.

They could start with playing better. And maybe coaching better. Two problems that are often related.

I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Michigan State Sparty the Spartan (+7) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat I've been very critical of PJ in the past, and used the he can't beat Iowa stat. Well, it turns out that he proved me wrong on that point. In the interest of full disclosure, the Badger game last week got all of my attention, and didn't see a second of the Gophers. After looking at the highlights, the punt return call was the right call. Instead of complaining about a rule that has been on the books for a while, Iowa could instead blame the offense for not doing anything in the second half and failed to win the game. Somehow, Sparty's football scandal is not nearly as bad as what is happening in Ann Arbor, but we will talk later as more and more of that story comes out. Look, the Gophers should win against the Spartans, especially since the momentum of getting the Iowa monkey off their back will make for a fired up crowd at the Bank. Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 42, Mel Tucker Fumbled The Bag 0.

Sparty is, ya know, kinda terrible? The Gophers aren't as strong this year as in previous years, but they're plenty good enough to win this game. Minnesota 24, Michigan State 3.

A School In Columbus (-14.5) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers Last week was an incredible 4th quarter performance, and it turns out that the Badgers got their crap together just in the nick of time. Longo calling a tackle eligible pass for the winning touchdown took incredible guts, and props to Locke for getting a win in his first start on the road in Big Ten play, similar to Hornibrook in 2016 at Spartan Stadium. Look, we all know that Ohio State is arguably the best team in the country and coming off a big win against Penn State last week. Here is the thing, though. The Buckeyes have been slow starters, and dodged bullets against Maryland, Notre Dame, and Penn State by having their high end talent bail them out in the second half. The weather in Madison is going to be cold, and Fickell also isn't scared of the Buckeyes given that he knows how they operate in a way that few coaches do in the Big Ten. This won't be easy, I'll readily admit that. But the thing is, Buckeye fans are so mad about Michigan that they are forgetting that this is one of their toughest games all year, and the Curse of the Six Game Minimum is still intact. How about Fickell getting a signature win? You heard it here first. Badgers 24, Buckeyes 17.

I'd love to agree with you. But the Badgers aren't ready for this. Check back in a few years. Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 17.

Minnesota Vikings (-1.5) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers Serious question, did the Packers actually prepare for Denver at all? It was the same mistakes over and over, and honestly LaFleur is falling into the same traps that Sherman fell into in 2005. You are lucky that I had another special thing I wanted to do, because the Packers have learned nothing this year. Meanwhile, the Vikings beat the Niners in a performance that deserved a win, and they are coming into Lambeau in a good position to try and calm down the angry Vikings fans who light up the KFAN phone lines. What the Packers need to do is figure out how to start better, and actually have a defense that looks good. I get that you can't blame the defensive coaches when they are dealing with a bunch of injuries. But have you tried anything different? The good news is that the Packers should be due for a win. If not, I'm going to have to go deep, and you don't want me to do that. Packers 35, Vikings 21. 

The Packers are, ya know, not very good right now. And they have injuries galore. Vikings aren't great, either, but I don't see a lot of evidence that the Packers are good enough to win at this moment. So I have to pick it as follows: Vikings 27, Packers 17.

And now, it's time to laugh at Illinois and Bert. Those that are not Badger fans might be wondering why what happened last week made us feel so glad about this. They may be asking themselves why Badger fans hate Bert given the success he had. It's true, Bert had a lot of success in Madison. I don't have a problem with Bert leaving. What I do have a problem with is him calling out fans on Twitter who are mad at him, leaving 3 days after winning a Big Ten title, saying that the program can't win compared to Arkansas, and having his wife tweet #karma after the 2013 debacle against Arizona State. Here is the funny thing. Wisconsin has won a lot more than he has since he left, and came a heck of a lot closer to playing for a national championship compared to his time coaching at Arkansas. By the way, how is it easier to win games when you spent time in the very strong SEC West circa 2014 compared to Wisconsin being in the Big Ten West? 

He might have been mistaken?

Ya think? God it was great seeing the Badgers win. They played great in the 4th quarter, and ended up looking like what Fickell wants from his offense with a mixture of downfield passing and the trademark power run game. Blaming the refs? How about blaming yourself for burning timeouts, losing your physical edge, and some baffling decisions. It's like the Rose Bowl against TCU all over again. Way to burn bridges, Bert. 

He also might want to burn the orange clothes, too.

The American Heart Association has him on the watch list for other reasons, too

Glad you're paying attention to fashion, Old Dude! Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games----We Didn't Steal Signs Edition

 So I didn't know that Jim Harbaugh decided it was a good idea to hire the 2017 Astros baseball ops people to steal signs.

He's a big fan of Brenton Wood:

That might be your most obscure effort yet, Old Dude!

I contain multitudes, Seabiscuit.

A few bran flakes should clear that up. Meanwhile, the Badgers have some explaining to do. I hate to bust the axe out this early, but they gave me no choice. 

They aren't playing the Gophers this week, are they?

You seem slower on the uptake than usual. Didn't think that was even possible. But I move on, as I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat (+3.5) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes So Iowa already beat one of their rivals in a game we will talk more about, and now they get ready to face the Gophers. As much as I get called a hater for pointing out how Row The Boat has manipulated history to brandish his culture more, the fact remains that he has never beaten Iowa. Quite frankly, this game is going to live up to all of the stereotypes that surround Big Ten football. There is going to be a lot of running, plenty of punting, and not a lot of cutting edge offense. This game is going to be ugly, and the Iowans should win this one comfortably. No matter what, I will get to laugh at one of these teams. Iowa 14, Row Row Row Your Boat 11, Viewers Fall Asleep.

I dozed off reading your prediction. Never a good sign. Iowa 20, Minnesota 9.

Beloved Wisconsin Badgers (-2.5) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Last week was a disaster for the Badgers on so many levels, and it's at the level of 2015 Northwestern and 2015 Iowa in terms of anger. Locke should be better with a full week of prep, and quite frankly a less stout defense. Illinois has been terrible all year, but then again the Big Ten West might be the worst division throughout the FBS as every single team is various levels of inept. This would be nice to win as the Badgers owe Illinois one for the disaster last year that ended up bringing the current coaching staff to Madison. Look for an angry group of Badgers to come out and get it done. Badgers 31, Illini 12.

Don't like this game. Bielema is a good coach. Illinois isn't talented, but the Badgers appear to be overhyped and with a freshman quarterback, it's a tall order. Against my better judgment, I say: Badgers 21, Illinois 20.

Penn State Nittany Lions (+4.5) vs. A School In Columbus So, the Buckeyes have been playing well. They had the narrow escape from South Bend, and survived against Maryland a couple of weeks ago. A game against Penn State at home should be easy, right? Not so fast, my friend. Penn State has been playing really well, and this is the best team they have had in years. Ohio State has looked shaky, and they are still under the Curse of the Six Game Minimum, which the Buckeyes know what to take down in their stadium to undo. I like Penn State to come into the Horseshoe to send the arrogant fanbase to blow up the phone lines of talk shows all across Ohio for the crime of losing a football game. Penn State 28, #NotMy2020BigTenChampions 26.

You realize no one cares about any of that, right? As for the game, I think Penn State is good enough to beat the Buckeyes in the Horshshoe this time. Will they? Ohio State 28, Penn State 27.

San Francisco 49ers (-6.5) vs. Minnesota Vikings Well, the Vikings survived disaster last week, but the problem is that they are facing a much tougher test. The Niners may be banged up, but they are more talented than the Vikings are. I'll say this, Niners. You better win in this window, or you are going to have a lot of questions to answer about how you've done things lately. Niners 56, Vikings 0.

No McCaffrey. No Deebo, perhaps. A banged up Brock Purdy. I think the Niners win, but it won't be easy. Niners 24, Vikings 17.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (-1) vs. Denver Broncos So the good news for the Packers is that despite the disaster in the desert a couple of weeks ago, the team looks to be healthier after the bye, and are playing a Broncos team that although they have the pieces, have clearly been a disaster. The Broncos can't stop anyone, and the Packers hopefully used the bye week to stop being dumb and cover pass catchers with defensive linemen. This should be a nice bounce back. Packers 49, Broncos 5.

Denver is a hot mess. Packers really haven't proved anything. We'll see. I think the only thing that saves the Packers is the ineptitude of the opposition. Packers 24, Broncos 16.

And now, it's time for a Very Special Comment. Wisconsin, what in the world was that? I was enjoying a nice weekend out of town, and spent 3 hours watching this team have an ugly meltdown. Fickell, I love you, but the decision to not take the field goal in the first quarter was bad. I realize that you can't blame the coaches when players get hurt, but did you even try to adjust? It was vanilla playcalling, being conservative, and the game was decided when the Hawkeyes took the lead in the first half. Did Longo even try to do something unique? No, it was passing the ball all the time, even though Locke looked raw. I mean, good lord. You knew points were at a premium in that game, and sleepwalked through that game. You need to figure your shit out, or we might not even make a bowl game this year. What are you going to do about it? I expect far better, and you let me me down. 

We'll let the expletive go this time, because it's deserved. I think the brain trust in Madison needs to channel Brenton Wood and give us some kind of sign that things are getting better.

Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games----Rutting Iowans Edition

 Old dude, the Iowans have something that the Badgers need to get back, or maybe the Ferentz family is using that to stay employed.

Well they certainly aren't using offensive acumen!

Shot slate this week, because we're traveling. Still I am ready to pick some games, and it is time to watch me work, and am feeling the HYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEE!

Iowa Hawkeyes (+10) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers Luke Fickell was brought to Madison in part because the Badgers need to start winning games against Iowa and Minnesota, and this is a great place to start. Iowa is offensively challenged, and despite the worry that our old pal Mr. Deacon Hill will be ready for revenge, the Badgers should be able to get enough points to maybe force Iowa to reevaluate handing over their program to nepotism. Oh wait, they are Iowa and will be doing dumb decisions anyway. Wisconsin 31, Iowa 0.

It's on brand for them. Still, Iowa is a tough out every time and the Badgers are not exactly setting the world on fire in this transition year. I think they will play enough defense to keep the Iowans at bay and score just enough points to win. Wisconsin 17, Iowa 6.

Minnesota Vikings (-2.5) vs. Bear Down Chicago Da Bearz Still Suck So the Vikings don't have the Griddy man for a while. That will suck for them, but the bottom line is that this team has regressed to the mean. They aren't winning many close games anymore, and it turns out that the Vikings sold their souls for a year that ended in pain yet again. Da Bearz are even worse, even though the game is in Chicago. Nothing will change for the Bears until they get new ownership, as much as people want to deny it. Vikings 21, Bears Still Suck 0.

Smart Bears fans agree with you, Benster, although a smart Bears fan is at best a theoretical construct. As for the game, no need to buy Sominex this week, kids - just tune in the (ahem) action in Chicago! Bears 17, Vikings 16.

Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games-----Peacock Is A Terrible Idea For Big Ten Football Edition

Seriously? You are putting my Badgers on Peacock? What the heck did they spike the Philly cheesesteaks with at the Comcast corporate cafeteria with? What's wrong with USA network? It's not the Big Ten's fault that Comcast can't run a profitable streaming service that nobody asked for. I might have to go to Buffalo Wild Wings again to watch the Badgers. 

Maybe they have a deal with Peacock? Are you sure those wings are chicken?

Meanwhile, while I'd normally do a Very Special Comment about the disaster last Thursday night, thankfully another sports team I love ended a streak, and I'm in a better mood. We'll talk about that later.

Did it involve Royce Lewis?

Emphatically yes. I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYYPPPEEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Michigan Wolverines (-18.5) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat The Gophers struggled to get by the Cajuns, but thankfully dodged the bullet in the second half. But this week is going to be a huge increase in difficulty. Michigan has been criticized in some quarters for playing an easy schedule, but they won all of their games, and starting next year when our new Big Ten members join us, the easy schedule complaint goes away. The Wolverines play bully ball at a higher level and with better athletes. So while PJ continues to come up with new slogans and designs for oar branded merchandise for Goldy's Locker Room, Michigan will win in decisive fashion. Wolverines 60, Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 10.

What, you have a problem with merchandising? Let's see what ol' Peej can do to sell what happens tomorrow. It won't be pretty. Michigan 38, Gophers 7.

Buttgers Scarlet Knights (+13.5) vs. Beloved Wisconsin Badgers The Badgers ended up playing well to get by Purdue, but losing Chez Mellusi is a tough blow. Rutgers is improving and will now get a full share of BTN revenue. However, they still aren't there yet, and the Badgers have been bedding in well to Fickell's changes in how the program runs. Mordecai's running ability is a nice X factor, and the Badgers defense stood tall when Purdue made their rally in the 4th quarter. Wisconsin should win comfortably after a close 1st half. Badgers 42, Scarlet Knights 17.

That sounds right. They will miss Mellusi for sure, but not this week. Badgers 34, Scarlet Knights 14.

Taylor Swift Kansas City Chiefs (-3.5) vs. Minnesota Vikings I got nothing against Taylor Swift, and I get she's just supporting her boyfriend, but this whole thing of featuring her all the time during the past two Chiefs games is too much. Let the lady watch the game in peace, and may CBS keep that to the pregame and postgame only. The Vikings got it done in the second half against a game Carolina squad. It goes without saying that the Chiefs are going to be a much tougher out than the Panthers, even though the game is downtown. If the Vikings defense had trouble stopping Baker and Bryce Young, then stopping Mahomie is going to be a tall ask. Chiefs 34, Vikings 14.

I don't see the Vikings having an enjoyable afternoon, either. Chiefs 34, Vikings 20.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (-1.5) vs. Las Vegas Raiders The Packers came out flat last week, and that was an unacceptable coaching performance by the coaching staff. The good news is that the Raiders are led by a moron in Josh McDaniels, who clearly learned from his former boss in New England about how not to keep his word to a team about accepting a head coaching job. Jimmy G will be good to go, and it looks like the Packers are going to be healthier going into this game. What I want to see is some fire, some deep balls connect, and for the Packers to actually be able to stop someone running the ball. The Raiders are not a good team, and the Packers should win this one. Also, the good news is that this is one of the only times this year I have to listen to Troy Aikman continue to get paid millions of dollars every year despite never offering any insights at all. Packers 28, Raiders 0.

Aikman has a good point, but you never saw it because he wore a helmet. I think this will be much more difficult than you do. The Packers will not shut out the Raiders. But I do think the Packers will have enough firepower to win. Packers 31, Raiders 23.

And now, it's time to talk about the Twins and how proud I am. The Twins came into this postseason facing a stat that is almost beyond belief, yet has haunted the franchise for almost two decades. 0-18 in playoff games since Game 1 of the 2004 ALDS against the Yankees. For Twins fans like me, any regular season success would lead to getting swept out of the playoffs, often finding new and exciting ways to lose. A missed call by Phil Cuzzi in 2009 at Yankee Stadium, getting swept by the A's in 2006 despite having the Cy Young, MVP, batting champion, and a Gold Glove winner, getting manhandled by Didi in 2017 and 2019, losing to a Houston team that had a losing record in 2020, and the damn 2008 AL Central tiebreaker against the White Sox. So when I attended the first game of the Wild Card against the Jays on Tuesday afternoon, I knew that despite my optimism about this team, things could go wrong. 

But then a funny thing happened. Royce Lewis hit two home runs, Pablo Lopez pitched very well to validate why we got him from the Marlins, Michael A Taylor made some great catches, and Carlos Correa delivered on his contract by making one of the best plays I've ever seen in person. Myself, Kirko, and 38,000 others stood tall and created an incredible atmosphere all afternoon long. Once Johan Duran closed out the game, there was an overwhelming feeling of joy, excitement, and relief. Finally, my beloved Twins had won a playoff game. No more jokes about how the Twins can't win in the playoffs. I must admit that when the Twins won, I teared up. Not of sadness, but of joy. Finally, the Twins were just another team fighting for a title, without the baggage of a streak that will take something to be broken. 

Shout a hip hooray!

And on Wednesday, the Twins finished the job and swept a postseason series for the first time in team history, and won a playoff series at home for the first time since the 1991 World Series. As I watched Duran strike out the final batter, there was joy and excitement. No longer would I watch my beloved Twins in the playoffs without fear. While Houston is going to be a tough ask in the ALDS, the Twins have already given their fans the one thing I asked of them. We aren't cursed in the playoffs, and we are just another team trying to advance. No more pressure. From the bottom of my heart, thank you Falvine, thank you Rocco, thank you Royce, thank you Correa, thank you Taylor, thank you Pablo, and thank you Sonny. The pain of October baseball in my childhood has gone away, and a new era of Twins baseball has begun. 

Enjoy your football this weekend, and let's go Twins. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games-----LOL Gophers Edition

So the Packers didn't go well last night. Bottom line is nothing went right, and we will be back. I'll discuss that disaster next week. The good news is that the Twins won the AL Central, and look like this time we might actually win a playoff game. I'm still on guard, because the Twins have let me down in October a bunch. 

You're too young to have all that scar tissue. But I can see it. Hope it changes this year.

Meanwhile, how in the world the Gophers blew a big lead to Northwestern of all teams is beyond me. And we also have a terrible NFL game. 

That's entertainment!

I am feeling the HYYYYYYPPEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Louisiana Ragin Cajuns (+11) vs. Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat The Gophers have some explaining to do after blowing a 21 point lead and losing that quickly in overtime. The fact that the Purple Nerd voodoo struck the Gophers in that way made me laugh, and it couldn't have happened to a nicer coach. Louisiana is projected to be a middling Fun Belt team, and the Gophers won't have any problems this week on their homecoming. What the Gophers need to do is show a little creativity on offense? As a correction, I earlier blamed Kirk Ciarrocca for vanilla playcalling for the Gophers. Turns out that he is at Rutgers, where it is hard for him to run the Gopher offense. Once again, the Gophers will have no problems with Louisiana on their homecoming. Or will they? Bistro La Roux 28, Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 11.

Gophers will rebound. But this could be amusing. What should alarm the Gophers is their defense. Or lack thereof. Gophers 27, Louisiana 20.

Minnesota Vikings (-4.5) vs. Carolina Panthers Last week was a terrible piece of clock management by the Vikings. How in the world do you not clock the ball, and why was a veteran quarterback like Kirk making a terrible rushed throw into double coverage? I was dumbfounded watching that live, and the Vikings dropped a winnable game. Now, they gotta go on the road to a desperate Carolina team and have to deal with the Justin Jefferson trade rumors. As much as I'd love to say that the Vikings are the better team, they can't get out of their own way. Carolina ain't great, but they have a competent coach and I think Bryce Young has shown a bunch, given how terrible things look at Bryant-Denney without him. Panthers 36, Vikings 29.

This is a game the Vikings should win. They've had two others and haven't gotten it done. I sense a trend. Panthers 28, Vikings 24.

Denver Broncos (-3.5) vs. Bear Down Chicago Da Bearz Still Suck This game is going to be the game of the year for those who love terrible football. If you get stuck watching this game and have no rooting interest, I feel so sorry for you. The Bears can't even protect their football equipment, let alone win games. Justin Fields is going to get run out of town by angry Bears fans, a new regime is going to come in and ruin some poor college standout, and the McCaskey clan still owns the team, which means that real improvements are not going to happen. As for the Broncos, they gave up 70 points. It couldn't have happened to a nicer coach than Sean Payton, who blamed his predecessor for how bad Denver is. Well, you have a worse record than him, Sean. Go back to coaching your son's football team, and maybe Netflix can make a sequel to that crappy film they made about his year in exile. Look, this game is  going to set the NFL back 50 years. Go watch something else. Bearz Still Suck -1000, The 1990s Broncos Aint Walking Through That Door -1009.

Do I have to pick this game? Really? Seems cruel. Broncos 21, Bears 13.

And now, it's time to laugh at the Gophers. God, I love seeing PJ get a ton of criticism, and his shine is coming off. I warned Gophers fans about this, but was told that I was a hater and had an agenda. It is obvious that the Gophers have gone backwards since 2019, and even then they still lost the two games that the Gophers can't lose. Northwestern might be the worst Power 5 team this year, and you blow a 21 point lead? Even Glen Mason thought that was a big blown lead. Then, you complain about NIL? LOL, get out of here. Maybe if you opened up the the playbook and showed some creativity instead of coming up with more stupid sayings, then you would have won. NIL ain't going to save you, especially considering that the Badgers and Nebraska have gotten better coaches, and 4 good football schools are joining the Big Ten next year. Oh, and the easy path to Indy is going away. Turns out that even with all of the advantages that you were handed compared to Jerry Kill, you haven't accomplished more than him. I warned you, Gophers. But you didn't listen. Watch PJ row his boat out of here, and then you can hire a coach who is a football guy instead of a wannabe HSN host on the graveyard shift. 

That's gonna leave a mark!

Who is this Benster guy and why is he so mean to me?

That's why I said it, Old Dude! Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games----Amazon Prime Mandated Edition

 Why can't the NFL admit that nobody outside of them and Amazon thinks that Thursday Night Football is a good idea?

You know the reason.

I still have no idea how the Packers won last week's game, and all of a sudden the haters are scared. You love to see it, and Jordan Love got it done at the hour of greatest need. 

He was good. Can he do it again?

I'm about to tell you. I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYYYPPEEEE! Watch me work.

Detroit LOLions (-1.5) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers So with the Bears and the Vikings having a ton of issues, this game is very important for this early in the season. Both teams are banged up, and the mini bye for the Packers is going to be much needed. The Packers dug themselves a hole, and can't do that again. However, what should be noted is that the Packers played the LOLions very close in 2022. If the LOLions want to be taken seriously as people are claiming, then they have to win this game. I look for Love to hit a deep ball or two, and for the defense to continue to step up. Packers 24, LOLions Gonna LOLions 17.

It would be nice if Christian Watson could step up. Haven't seen him on the field yet. If he can stretch the defense, the Packers should be able to move the ball. And that might be enough. Packers 27, Lions 24.

We'll see you on Friday. Ben out. 

Benster and D Pick Your Games-----The Vikings Are In Trouble Edition

So it turns out that the Packers are indeed mortal. Which also means the beatdown of the Bears looks less impressive, given that the Bears have bigger things to deal with.

Here's a live look at Halas Hall:

,

Meanwhile, some say that Georgia Southern is still getting intercepted by the Wisconsin secondary. This Badgers team is flawed, but I can see what Fickell is trying to do, and should get the time given his track record with the Bearcats. 

Sure, but things will get more difficult quickly.

I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYPPPPPEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Watch me work.

Beloved Wisconsin Badgers (-5.5) vs. Purdue Spoilermakers Thankfully for the Badgers, losing to the Cougars means that they are unranked and less likely for Purdue Pete to seek his blood sacrifice. Hopefully, he saves the voodoo for the Buckeyes. Wisconsin didn't play great against Georgia Southern, but woke up in the third quarter and decided to play bully ball. Purdue won't be an easy out, given that this is a road game in conference play. However, what should be noted is that the Badgers have dominated Purdue ever since Scott Starks scores on the fateful fumble back in 2004, and Purdue lost to a Fresno State team that might not be up there in the Mountain West. I think the Badgers need to start better and go to the run early, and then let Mordecai cook. Badgers 27, Spoilermakers 10.

Slow starts have been a problem in all three games thus far. I agree - the better formula is to bury the opponent early. Won't be easy in West Lafayette, but the Badgers are the better team. Wisconsin 28, Purdue 22.

Minnesota Golden Elite Rowers of the Boat (-11.5) vs. Northwestern Purple Nerds So it goes without saying that the Purple Nerds are a mess after the shocking news about Pat Fitzgerald. I don't know where Northwestern goes from here, and this game could be very old-fashioned. The Gophers struggled in Chapel Hill last week, and while they are heavy favorites, the Gophers seem to have lost all sorts of imagination. Where was the creative offense that the Gophers ran in 2019? I know that PJ wants to be like Iowa and Wisconsin, but his style is dangerous. If Northwestern goes to the lead, then I think the Gophers are going to be rowing up the creek. Thankfully, Northwestern is going to roll over and die for the Gophers. Row Row Row Your Boat Elitely 9, Purple Nerds 0.

Here's a live look at the Northwestern football complex:

You don't necessarily need to be good. This week is one such example for the Flecktones: Gophers 21, Northwestern 9.

A School in Columbus (-3) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish This game is between two schools that I don't like very much. Both teams win too much, have national media love ins, and have fanbases that drive me up the wall because of how entitled and unrealistic they are. The Domers have done nothing since 1988, and yet I still get them shoved into my faces every single time they win, and the Buckeyes still fly a banner for a conference title that required a rule change, if you remember the Curse of the Six Game Minimum that other outlets don't want to admit the existence of. Hey, Dan Shaughnessy built his entire career around a curse, why can't I? So this game should be fun. Ohio State hasn't looked great, while the Domers have already started to anoint Sam Hartman as the next great Notre Dame star, ignoring that he's a transfer. As much as the mystique of Notre Dame Stadium is a marketing product, I like the Domers to get it done. No matter what happens, I get to see an entitled group of fans melt down. Rudy Was Offsides 50, Born on Third Base 48.

Notre Dame has looked better than expected, while the Buckeyes have looked worse. What does it mean? Nothing. Ohio State 31, Notre Dame 21.

Los Angeles Chargers (+1) vs. Minnesota Vikings Both teams are 0-2, and there is going to be an air of desperation downtown. The Vikings weren't good enough to beat the Eagles, and quite honestly given their next few games could be struggling again just like in 2021. The Chargers can't stop anyone, and have had two brutal losses. Cam Akers coming to the Vikings is an interesting move, because the Vikings have not gotten any running lanes established, and they are going to need that to avoid relying on Kirk, who might be in danger of getting run out of town and losing his precious Spire commercials. I think the Chargers are better balanced, and with the Vikings not having a lot of pieces on defense, I think the angry Vikings Whine Line callers will be out in force. Pray for Ron Johnson and Corey Cove. Go Back to San Diego 35, Vikings 26.

Akers has talent, but the Vikings offensive line? Here's a live look at their O-line meeting:

Chargers can rush the passer when it occurs to them. Kirk Cousins has been excellent thus far but he's got a tough assignment here. If Austin Ekeler can't play for the Chargers, that may mean the difference. Vikings 34, Chargers 31. 

New Orleans Who Dat Nation (+1.5) vs. Glorious Green Bay Packers Last week the Packers had a very bad defensive meltdown that reminded me of 2008. Honestly, everyone can be blamed from the players to the coaching staff. We don't know if Jones or Watson is going to be good to go, but Love played very well without his two best weapons, and gave us a great chance to win. The Saints are a hard team to read. Derek Carr is trying to rebuild his career, and while the Saints have talent, Dennis Allen might not be the right guy to coach the team. The Packers should be able to make some more plays, and then it's a short week to deal with the LOLions. Packers 28, Saints 3.

Can the Packers keep Love upright against a pretty good Saints defense? That's the question this time. I think they do but this one makes me nervous. Packers 27, Saints 24.

Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out.