Our “Big Ten Game of the Year” hit the win column as the Michigan Wolverines (-13) defeated Iowa, 20-6. It seems that nothing comes easy and this game was no different. I decided to pull the trigger later Tuesday after my number one scout at Iowa felt QB Tate wouldn’t be anywhere near 100 percent. I felt like this Michigan defense might be the best unit the Wolverines have had since their 1997 championship team. That alone convinced me the Hawkeyes would struggle; obviously, that turned out to be the case.

I was hoping Michigan’s offense would be more successful and for those of you who watched the game, the final few minutes were impressive. I personally think I walked over a mile walking back and forth during this time. For those of you who trusted our selection, we certainly thank you. The biggest thanks go to Kirk Ferentz, who employed a conservative offensive style and settled for field goals to make sure he wasn’t shutout in the game.

Even more gratifying were our results from the weekend. We finished 6-1 in college football and 4-1 in the NFL. This represented a net gain of 34 units and was the best weekend we’ve had all season. After enjoying the celebration, it’s time to turn the page and focus on a similar result for next week’s games.

This is the time of year that one looks for kits that have just packed it up, are finished, and you can certainly put a fork in them. The first team that comes to mind is the Northwestern Wildcats, who suffered tragedy when the season began with the sudden passing of coach Randy Walker. Since then, things have never quite gone right for them and the loss to New Hampshire at Ryan Field on September 9 should have signaled a buyout to blow this team away. Losing quarterback Brett Basanez to graduation has significantly hampered his offense, although they did pull out a huge 35-point lead last week against the Spartans. Unfortunately, they were unable to hold this lead and quarterback Drew Stanton woke up and led a late drive for a game-winning field goal to cap the score at 41-38.

This must be demoralizing for the Cats who will now travel to Ann Arbor as 33-point underdogs. It’s always hard to put up 33 points in a conference game. However, Michigan’s second team can cover this number. Michigan certainly won’t be looking ahead when they play Ball State next week. As for the Wildcats, things don’t get any easier as they must face Iowa, Ohio State and Illinois to finish out the season. I don’t see direct wins and I hope they cover only one of these four games.

Another team that some might think has fallen into the “pack it up” mold is Temple. I would really disagree with this assumption even though they have been beaten by 50+ points multiple times. Am I on the grass? Certainly not. I just have a feeling this team will give it their all this week against a Bowling Green club that has numerous problems of its own. These two teams met in 2005 and the Falcons won 70-7. Temple will remember this game and be ready to pay them back for that beating. Both teams have played a common opponent in Buffalo. The Bulls beat Temple at UB-Stadium, 9-3. The following week, Buffalo went to Bowling Green and lost, 48-40. Few would give a damn about this game, but as a 20 point underdog it might be worth checking out.

It should be a big game in the ACC this weekend when Miami heads to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech. One of my scouts told me the Hurricanes are getting all their suspended players back and they’ve had a great week of practice. This is a big game for the ‘U’ as a loss here and their BCS hopes may end. The Canes have defense in place, as they haven’t allowed an opponent to run more than 100 yards against them. The problem in South Beach has been offense and they will face a tough defense at Tech. Assuming no critical turnovers occur deep in their own territory, the ‘under’ looks like the best bet.

The Big Boys also excelled this week with a 4-1 record, including going 4-0 on Sunday. Two of the games featured wins by outright underdogs and the Atlanta/Pittsburgh game was the most entertaining showcase of the week. Unfortunately, Dallas didn’t show up Monday and clearly this team is in trouble. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe keeps getting opportunities to act, and yet he can’t seem to get out of his own mess. I felt quarterback Tony Romo should have started the season for the Boys, as his mobility gives this team the best chance for success. Dallas is now down to three straight road games and I feel like they have dug themselves too big a hole to climb out of.

With baseball season winding down and college basketball season over a month away, I encourage you to try our hockey service during the month of November. Our handicapper Max had an outstanding season in 2005-2006 and I expect him to start turning a profit once the trends of new-acquisition teams become apparent.

This is the time of year that I love being a Wisconsin resident. The fall season is an amazing time for fishing and hunting. Nothing is more relaxing than relaxing in the woods with pheasants or ducks. I can’t tell you how many times over the course of a year I’ve made a major in-game decision while sitting on a blind duck! Something is very special to me and this is one of my guilty pleasures.

This week we will go with our “Big Three” and all games will feature college teams. As of this writing, our best games will be in the Big Ten. If you need more information about this special package, please call our athletic office directly at (866) 238-6696.

That’s all for this week