This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
I feel like I've been here before.
Where is the "here" I am referring to? Well it's that place in time where we realize as a whole that the Big Ten is, to be brutally honest, awful.
The Big Ten takes plenty of heat for be a substandard major conference, but this year, the teams that make up this conference might reach an all-time low.
We are only two weeks into the season and it feels like the Big Ten is already out of the playoff picture ... and with good cause.
Ohio State has a legitimate excuse, it lost its leader and best player in Braxton Miller, even with that loss, however, there's no good reason to lose at home to an unranked team.
Michigan State was supposed to carry this conference and it likely will, but while the Spartans hung tough for a while, they did what every other team does in Eugene, they withered late.
Don't get me started on Michigan. Did you see that? Sure, the Wolverines weren't expected to be great this season, but come on, blown out by Notre Dame?
It's so bad that Rutgers is actually the best thing going in this conference.
This doesn't bode well for the Big Ten's postseason hopes as this year. The committee will rule and when it looks back at all the resumes, it will undoubtedly factor in how bad the Big Ten looked early in the year. Even if Michigan State runs the slate within
I feel like I've been here before.
Where is the "here" I am referring to? Well it's that place in time where we realize as a whole that the Big Ten is, to be brutally honest, awful.
The Big Ten takes plenty of heat for be a substandard major conference, but this year, the teams that make up this conference might reach an all-time low.
We are only two weeks into the season and it feels like the Big Ten is already out of the playoff picture ... and with good cause.
Ohio State has a legitimate excuse, it lost its leader and best player in Braxton Miller, even with that loss, however, there's no good reason to lose at home to an unranked team.
Michigan State was supposed to carry this conference and it likely will, but while the Spartans hung tough for a while, they did what every other team does in Eugene, they withered late.
Don't get me started on Michigan. Did you see that? Sure, the Wolverines weren't expected to be great this season, but come on, blown out by Notre Dame?
It's so bad that Rutgers is actually the best thing going in this conference.
This doesn't bode well for the Big Ten's postseason hopes as this year. The committee will rule and when it looks back at all the resumes, it will undoubtedly factor in how bad the Big Ten looked early in the year. Even if Michigan State runs the slate within the conference, it won't carry much weight. There's always next year ...
Not a great week, but still managed to pull even. I would have been one game over .500 if I'd double-checked my picks as I meant to play Ball State against Iowa, but inadvertently listed CMU as the opponent.
As always, I'll tweet any insights I come up with post-article each week. You can follow me at @gregvara.
Cream of the Crop (Week: 1-1; Season: 1-1)
Thursday
Houston at BYU: Couple things in play here. First, I am a little worried about the ease at which the Cougars cruised to victory last week and the possibility of letting up in this spot. But they've been here before, and I think they can handle it. Second, Houston has not looked good and, no, a 47-0 drubbing of Gambling State does not change my opinion. BYU has the defense to slow Houston, but Houston has no chance of slowing BYU's offense.
Side: BYU -19.5
Saturday
Wyoming at Oregon: As mentioned last week, Oregon is deadly early in the season. I should have taken my own advice and either stayed away from the game or sided with Oregon last week, but I got a little too fancy. Won't happen again. Yes, this number is huge, but the Ducks come at their opponents in waves and never let up.
Side: Oregon -43
UCLA at Texas: Neither has looked impressive to this point in the season, but the difference is, I think UCLA has potential, while Texas does not, at least not this year. Texas will be ready to go after a butt whooping at home last week, but the fact of the matter is, the Horns don't have the horses to hang with UCLA.
Side: UCLA -7
Best of the Rest (Week: 0-2; Season: 0-2)
Friday
Baylor at Buffalo: I saw a stat last week regarding Baylor and the points it scores at home, or the average differential or something to that effect, and it was very impressive. The only problem is that stat only factored in home games, and we all know how much home-field advantage matters in college football. That said, I don't see a scenario in which Buffalo even slows Baylor, but I'm not sure about Baylor's defense at this point. Buffalo has been in two high-scoring games already, and though this number is high, there's enough firepower to get over it.
Total: Over 67.5
Saturday
Indiana at Bowling Green: I don't know much about either of these teams yet, but there was a big jump in the total early in the week and this is one of those under-the-radar games. So, the odds-makers may have goofed.
Total: Over 69
East Carolina at Virginia Tech: The Hokies have had a habit of letting down in spots like this over the past few years, but I like what I saw from them last week and their win at Ohio State could serve as a turning point in the program. A loss this week, or even a tight win would take some of the shine off the win last week at Ohio State. So, I expect a solid effort in all phases and a comfortable victory.
Side: Virginia Tech -11
Minnesota at TCU: Yes, the Big Ten is down this year, but that doesn't mean that the teams from that conference can't cover big numbers as dogs. Minnesota has held up its end of the bargain so far this year, and I think the Gophers can be competitive this week as well.
Side: Minnesota +13.5
PASSing Thoughts (Week: 3-1; Season: 8-2)
Saturday
N.C. State at South Florida: I may be late to the party here, but if you've followed N.C. State at all, you know the Wolfpack is off to an awful start this year. Perhaps getting away from home will help them, but they've got a long way to go. If they start poorly, it could be another long Saturday.
Side: South Florida +1
Iowa State at Iowa: Iowa has some major issues, but the Hawkeyes have yet to pay for their poor play. This is a big rivalry in the state, and I expect the Hawkeyes to give their best effort of the season, but I don't think it will be enough against an Iowa State team that played very well last week against Kansas State.
Side: Iowa State +10
Georgia at South Carolina: Tough matchup. We've got Georgia, which is doing what it always does, playing well early in the season. Then there's South Carolina, which has played well below expectations, but is always up for the big games. Georgia has a little too much hype behind it, which worries me and people have all but given up on the Gamecocks, so you know which way I'm leaning here.
Side: South Carolina +5.5
Southern Miss at Alabama: Bama got some frustration out last week, but even in doing so, the Tide wasn't as impressive as I would have liked them to be. With a little urgency removed from its close call during Week 1, expect them to let up just a little. They'll win with ease, but 47 is a huge number.
Side: Southern Miss +47
