Opening Day in the Big 10

[joeybalboa]

<img src="http://www.vegassportsline.com/images/pics/big10.jpg">
Opening day in the Big 10
July 10, 2005
Joey Balboa

If anything was a sure bet during the opening weekend of '04, it was the Big 10 at home! Look at what the top teams in the Big 10 did last year on opening day...


All teams played @ home

9/4/04 - Wisconsin 34, Central Florida 6
9/4/04 - Iowa 39, Kent State 7
9/4/04 - Ohio State 27, Cincinnati 6
9/4/04 - Michigan 43, Miami (Ohio) 10
9/4/04 - Penn State 48, Akron 10
9/4/04 - Illinois 52, Florida A&M 13
9/4/04 - Minnesota 63, Toledo 21
9/4/04 - Indiana 41, Central Michigan 10
9/5/04 - Purdue 51, Syracuse 0


ALL BLOWOUTS, ALL COVERS


Look at who's opening @ home in '05...

9/3/05 - Rutgers @ Illinois
9/3/05 - Ball State @ Iowa
9/3/05 - Northern Illinois @ Michigan
9/3/05 - Kent State @ Michigan State
9/3/05 - Ohio @ Northwestern
9/3/05 - Miami, OH @ Ohio State
9/3/05 - South Florida @ Penn State
9/3/05 - Bowling Green @ Wisconsin

I can definitely picture a repeat performance of last year, maybe with one or two slip-ups. You'll notice a couple of teams who got blown out last year on opening day at a Big 10 stadium are on the block again. Bowling Green was actually supposed to be the sacrificial lamb for Oklahoma last season but played them tough, eventually losing 40 - 24. You might want to think twice about betting against them when the go to Wisconsin. Wisconsin is not nearly the team that the '04 Sooners were.

[WildBillPicks7]

Nice info there, however, F A M U was off the board last year...

I look for BG, Miami-O and USF all to give the home teams more than they bargained for. The early lines thus far are not out for those games however, more than likely each of the B10 teams will be 2 TD or more favs..

GL

WB:thumbs:

[FlyersFan]

The one team that seems to come up huge every first game vs. the MAC is IOWA. Watch out laying with OSU in the first game vs. Miami (ohio). They will be without their starting QB due to a 1 game suspension, and they have TEX on deck in CBUS (can't wait) the next weekend.

[joeybalboa]

I agree with you both. I think Ohio State was giving up 2 touchdowns last year and their victory was the least decisive. Maybe Michigan State will shape up to be one of the better picks.?

[joepa66]

Northwestern, Michigan and Iowa are solid bets.....:thumbs: