Taking a look around on a off week my thoughts on the rest of season...

[BBHorn86]

yFirst off we can only play them one week at a time so we'll see where things stand after OSU next Saturday night...

That said, I am concerned we might have a let down against Purdue. They are a desperate team and can score points. We need to be ready to play them a with our A game or could be upset.

Maryland is not that good which means our victory is less impressive although we did beat Minnesota who looked solid today.

Iowa is beatable but again we must play our A game. They will not beat themselves.

Indiana on the road is a MAJOR concern. This team plays hard and now has some confidence. I don't have a warm and fuzzy about this one. My guess Indiana looks at us as a beatable opponent.

If we were playing Rutgers at home or at noon there I think we could roll but at 8:00 PM in a hostile environment not as confident. I think we win because we have more talent but I expect them to play their best game of the season against us.

Michigan State is a tough call. It depends on which team shows up. If they are on it will be an up hill battle if they are un-motivated we win.

Overall I see no better than 7-5. Maybe 8-4 but that means we don't stub our toe against one of the lesser teams on the road and take out either Iowa or Michigan State.

I expect we'll be more competitive against OSU than Michigan but really don't see us being much of a threat to beat the Bucknuts this season.

 

[cyrizzle]

I completely disagree. Purdue and Rutgers will be easy wins for us based on talent alone, and the rest are toss-ups, including OSU.

 

[PSUBluebird]

Not very impressed by Indiana QB but that game always seems tougher than necessary. If we get some defensive guys back and offense continues to improve, aside for OSU, every game is over 75% winnable. Iowa game is probably toughest but they don't seem to have good defense. I think it all depends on our offensive production scoring points and letting our defense rest during long drives. Can't afford any key injuries.

 

[Ian]

8-4, #5 in B1G, Florida bowl against a good SEC team. Book it!

 

[bxle]

When you refer to Rutgers as a hostile environment, are you referring to their parking lots?

 

[Jerademan74]

yFirst off we can only play them one week at a time so we'll see where things stand after OSU next Saturday night...

That said, I am concerned we might have a let down against Purdue. They are a desperate team and can score points. We need to be ready to play them a with our A game or could be upset.

Maryland is not that good which means our victory is less impressive although we did beat Minnesota who looked solid today.

Iowa is beatable but again we must play our A game. They will not beat themselves.

Indiana on the road is a MAJOR concern. This team plays hard and now has some confidence. I don't have a warm and fuzzy about this one. My guess Indiana looks at us as a beatable opponent.

If we were playing Rutgers at home or at noon there I think we could roll but at 8:00 PM in a hostile environment not as confident. I think we win because we have more talent but I expect them to play their best game of the season against us.

Michigan State is a tough call. It depends on which team shows up. If they are on it will be an up hill battle if they are un-motivated we win.

Overall I see no better than 7-5. Maybe 8-4 but that means we don't stub our toe against one of the lesser teams on the road and take out either Iowa or Michigan State.

I expect we'll be more competitive against OSU than Michigan but really don't see us being much of a threat to beat the Bucknuts this season.

Come on, grow some balls! We will be at least 8-4. Purdue is as bad a team as it gets and Rutgers is as bad, if not worse! Indiana and MSU will be tougher, but are both beatable. OSU will be our only game we won't be favored to win. Look at things positively. We have the best RB in the B1G, if not the entire NCAA. We have a QB who gets better each week and is a gamer. We have the best group of WR's in the B1G. Our secondary is close to being as good as any team I've seen in the country. Not to jinx things, but our FG kicker is perfect this season. Our punting and kick off people are vastly improved. Our weaknesses are the OL, and our LBers. The OL is getting better and we should have 2 of the 3 starting LBs back by as early as next week. The glass is half full, not half empty!

 

[bdgan]

yFirst off we can only play them one week at a time so we'll see where things stand after OSU next Saturday night...

That said, I am concerned we might have a let down against Purdue. They are a desperate team and can score points. We need to be ready to play them a with our A game or could be upset.

Maryland is not that good which means our victory is less impressive although we did beat Minnesota who looked solid today.

Iowa is beatable but again we must play our A game. They will not beat themselves.

Indiana on the road is a MAJOR concern. This team plays hard and now has some confidence. I don't have a warm and fuzzy about this one. My guess Indiana looks at us as a beatable opponent.

If we were playing Rutgers at home or at noon there I think we could roll but at 8:00 PM in a hostile environment not as confident. I think we win because we have more talent but I expect them to play their best game of the season against us.

Michigan State is a tough call. It depends on which team shows up. If they are on it will be an up hill battle if they are un-motivated we win.

Overall I see no better than 7-5. Maybe 8-4 but that means we don't stub our toe against one of the lesser teams on the road and take out either Iowa or Michigan State.

I expect we'll be more competitive against OSU than Michigan but really don't see us being much of a threat to beat the Bucknuts this season.

That was a depressing post but not without merit.

1. OSU - Very little chance even at home and with an extra week to prepare. They have too many play makers. I just hope we don't have any players injured in that game. We'll need them the rest of the season.
   
2. @ PUR - This should be a win even on the road. But the team has to be focused. No road wins are easy.
3. Iowa - Probably a tough game. They're 5-2 and beat a decent Minnesota game on the road. They also have a week off to prepare. This is the kind of game Franklin has to win.
4. @ Indy - We'll probably be a slight underdog on the road. Let's hope we have Cabinda & Bell back healthy and no more injuries.
5. @ Rutgers - This team is reeling and they're probably going to be underdogs in all of their remaining games. You're correct that PSU at night will be the biggest thing they have to play for this season but Franklin cannot afford to lose. I don't think he will.
6. MSU - What's up with this team aside from injuries? I expect a better team to arrive in Happy Valley but will it be good enough? Sooner or later Franklin is going to have to beat one of the top 3 teams in his division. If not this year, when?

Losses vs. OSU and at Indiana = 8-4 if we beat the rest. We're going to learn a lot about this team in the next few weeks.

 

[84Lion]

Overall I see no better than 7-5. Maybe 8-4 but that means we don't stub our toe against one of the lesser teams on the road and take out either Iowa or Michigan State.

Now 6 games into the season. Stats are becoming relevant. In the B1G, UM and OSU dominate offense at 50 and 49 PPG average. Next closest is Nebraska at 35 PPG. OSU and UM also dominate YPG; they are doing it mostly on the ground as both are tops in rushing yardage. OSU and UM are middle of the pack in passing yards but doesn't say much as Purdue, Indiana, and MSU are the top 3 teams in the B1G in passing yards (PSU is 4th BTW).
UM and OSU are also tops in total defense with 10 and 13 PPG respectively. Wisconsin is third at 15 PPG. UM and OSU are tops in YPG and passing yardage. In rushing yardage, its UM, Wisconsin, and then OSU.
It's interesting that OSU is the third most penalized team in the B1G while UM is the third least penalized (offensive stats, not sure if these are offensive penalties only or are "team" penalties).
PSU doesn't match up well with OSU, stats-wise. OSU is tops in the league in rushing offense while PSU has the third-worst rushing defense in the league (better only than Purdue and Rutgers, not high bars to clear). PSU has a pretty decent passing offense but OSU has the 2nd best passing defense in the league, only slightly worse than UM.
PSU should be able to become bowl eligible with wins against Purdue and Rutgers. Both are away games but both teams are bottom dwellers in the B1G. Indiana is an away game and I think will be very competitive. MSU and Iowa are tossups at best. At this point, it really depends on how well PSU matures toward the end of the season vs. the competition. It looks to me like 7-5 is the likely record. Agree maybe 8-4 if the stars align. Wish it looked better but just can't see it in the numbers.

 

[BBHorn86]

Come on, grow some balls! We will be at least 8-4. Purdue is as bad a team as it gets and Rutgers is as bad, if not worse! Indiana and MSU will be tougher, but are both beatable. OSU will be our only game we won't be favored to win. Look at things positively. We have the best RB in the B1G, if not the entire NCAA. We have a QB who gets better each week and is a gamer. We have the best group of WR's in the B1G. Our secondary is close to being as good as any team I've seen in the country. Not to jinx things, but our FG kicker is perfect this season. Our punting and kick off people are vastly improved. Our weaknesses are the OL, and our LBers. The OL is getting better and we should have 2 of the 3 starting LBs back by as early as next week. The glass is half full, not half empty!

I agree the glass is half full but I'm just taking a realistic look at what might unfold. There is a chance they win them all! Still, realistically I just don't see the talent needed to beat OSU especially now that the Buckeyes have had their "scare". Indiana is no pushover especially on the road and both Iowa and Michigan State have enough horses to beat us. I just want to see this team mature enough to win the games they are suppose to win and play tough competitive football against OSU, Iowa and MSU. To me that says we are on schedule. I know it is not fair to compare this team with the past few seasons but I just don't want another Illinois in 2014 or Northwestern in 2015 hopefully you understand what I mean.