Action Network is up with theirs's
We're at 7 on the nose. The rest of the B1G (our conference opponents this year in bold)
aOSU 10.5
Oregon 10.5
Michigan 9.5
State Penn 9.5
Iowa 7.5
Nebraska 7.5
USC 7.5
Washington 7.5
Rutgers 6.5
Wisconsin 6.5
Illinois 5.5
Indinaina 5.5
Northwestern 5.5
UCLA 5.5
Minnesota 5
Michigan State 4.5
Purdue 4.5
So four projected to be better, five worse. The question is, which of the five are we going to suffer a crushing defeat to? Because let's be honest kids, Locksley is good for at least one of those every season and I select Northwestern as the "bad team" we lose to because #1. it's after our first bye week and we all know his record coming out of those and #2. it's a team we tend to think we're better than but our undisciplined play shoots us in the foot time and time again against a disciplined team like the Wildcats. Minnesota is a sneaky tough game as that's a trip to Minnesota in late October. Even if we're able to chuck it around, that's not the climate for it (see Northwestern last year).
FWIW, UVA is listed at 4.5, however I think our 7 is an under and maybe a push, but certainly not an over though it wouldn't surprise me to see this number go to 7.5 and the Under take become the favorite. A new quarterback under center, an offensive line that's still a poop show no matter how you try to spin it, and trying to "build more"/"maintain momentum" coming off of consecutive 7-5 seasons will be a ring too far to grab.
The first 3 games will tell us everything we need to know. Another 5-0 start is possible, but I can see a loss to Michigan State and/or at UVA in the cards for a lot of the same the reasons above, especially if the UVA game is moved to Friday night. Prime time under the lights on the road for the first time isn't a good combination for a new college QB. MSU has a whole new staff and they're a wild card as to what they're going to bring to College Park.
Of the ones over us in win totals, USC is the one I think we're most likely to beat. Tough to say how they're going to do going into this season and there's I think a good chance that they'll overlook us and think we're easy pickings for them. A noon kickoff in College Park would also be a big help to us in that endeavor. A loss to them however wouldn't be much of a shock to me and I don't we have much of a chance at Oregon, at State Penn, or against Iowa.
We're at 7 on the nose. The rest of the B1G (our conference opponents this year in bold)
aOSU 10.5
Oregon 10.5
Michigan 9.5
State Penn 9.5
Iowa 7.5
Nebraska 7.5
USC 7.5
Washington 7.5
Rutgers 6.5
Wisconsin 6.5
Illinois 5.5
Indinaina 5.5
Northwestern 5.5
UCLA 5.5
Minnesota 5
Michigan State 4.5
Purdue 4.5
So four projected to be better, five worse. The question is, which of the five are we going to suffer a crushing defeat to? Because let's be honest kids, Locksley is good for at least one of those every season and I select Northwestern as the "bad team" we lose to because #1. it's after our first bye week and we all know his record coming out of those and #2. it's a team we tend to think we're better than but our undisciplined play shoots us in the foot time and time again against a disciplined team like the Wildcats. Minnesota is a sneaky tough game as that's a trip to Minnesota in late October. Even if we're able to chuck it around, that's not the climate for it (see Northwestern last year).
FWIW, UVA is listed at 4.5, however I think our 7 is an under and maybe a push, but certainly not an over though it wouldn't surprise me to see this number go to 7.5 and the Under take become the favorite. A new quarterback under center, an offensive line that's still a poop show no matter how you try to spin it, and trying to "build more"/"maintain momentum" coming off of consecutive 7-5 seasons will be a ring too far to grab.
The first 3 games will tell us everything we need to know. Another 5-0 start is possible, but I can see a loss to Michigan State and/or at UVA in the cards for a lot of the same the reasons above, especially if the UVA game is moved to Friday night. Prime time under the lights on the road for the first time isn't a good combination for a new college QB. MSU has a whole new staff and they're a wild card as to what they're going to bring to College Park.
Of the ones over us in win totals, USC is the one I think we're most likely to beat. Tough to say how they're going to do going into this season and there's I think a good chance that they'll overlook us and think we're easy pickings for them. A noon kickoff in College Park would also be a big help to us in that endeavor. A loss to them however wouldn't be much of a shock to me and I don't we have much of a chance at Oregon, at State Penn, or against Iowa.
