Tweet
Lots of games that could be close this week. Not as clear-cut as last week (or at least as last week seemed to be when making picks.)
Minnesota Crookston @ Concordia-St. Paul - After seeing Concordia the first few weeks of the year I had high hopes for them. Then for whatever reason they seem to have taken a step backwards. I fully expected them to dominate Mary last Saturday, but that didn't happen. Crookston is looking for their second win of the season and they may see this week as an opportunity for them to pull an upset. I'm not enough of a gambler to say for sure that will happen, so I'm going to go with the safe pick.
U-Mary @ Augustana - I don't see this one being close. I think Augie's defense will score early and often. Vikings win by at least three scores.
Minnesota State @ Bemidji State - Will Bemidji be deflated after last week's loss to UIU? Or will they use that as the motivation they need to take down the top team in the conference? On paper this should be a pretty good game. Once again, though, I'm going to go with the save pick with Mankato. Until some team finally takes them down I'm not sure it would be prudent in the Pick'Em contest to pick against them.
Wayne State @ Minot State - Long road trip for the Wildcats, but I don't think it will affect their ability to come back home with a win. Minot has some good things happening, but they just need more time to develop the program.
Minnesota Duluth @ Winona State - Admittedly, with what looks like the loss of Duluth's starting QB Larson and one of their best defensive players in Balts, this game appears to have gotten a lot more competitive. The Bulldogs are pretty deep, so the impact should be minimal but there's no denying there will be an impact. On the other side, Winona is in a similar situation having lost some key players earlier this season. I really feel like Winona has a shot at taking down Duluth this weekend. But like I said with 'Kato, until someone does I'm not going to pick against them.
Upper Iowa @ St. Cloud State - Who is Upper Iowa this year? I can't figure them out. I got a chance to see St. Cloud in person last weekend and I was quite impressed with both sides of the line. They're a very physical team. I think they can cause the Peacocks some issues. But then again, I've missed picking the Peacocks correclty most of the year, so what do I know?
Sioux Falls @ MSU Moorhead - As a USF fan, 4-3 is not where I figured we would be at this point in the season. To make matters worse, the three losses were by a combined 7 points, and all losses could probably be pointed back to mistakes made by the Cougars more so than getting outplayed. It's not fun when other teams beat your team, but it's even tougher when your own team beats themselves. Moorhead has had a good season so far and this looks like another tough outing for the Coo. I'm hoping they can clean up the errors they've been making the last couple weeks and get back to looking like the inspired team that took down Augie and Minot. Our playoff hopes are pretty much gone, along with a shot at the MWB. The only thing I'm hoping for at this point is that we can take 2 of the next four games and extend our winning season streak to 25. Both teams have a better rushing attack, and both teams are better at defending the run. It will be interesting to see if either team (or both) switches things around in an attempt to exploit the weakness of the opposition? Or will this just be a ground and pound clock burner that's over in 2 hours? If it goes mostly ground and pound then I have to pick USF due to the 1-2 punch of Gabe Watson and Colton Myles.
Northern State @ Southwest Minnesota State - Tough pick. I really could see this one going either way. I figure playing at home gives a slight advantage so I'm going with the Mustangs. But I may come back and change this one before Saturday.
Minnesota Crookston @ Concordia-St. Paul - After seeing Concordia the first few weeks of the year I had high hopes for them. Then for whatever reason they seem to have taken a step backwards. I fully expected them to dominate Mary last Saturday, but that didn't happen. Crookston is looking for their second win of the season and they may see this week as an opportunity for them to pull an upset. I'm not enough of a gambler to say for sure that will happen, so I'm going to go with the safe pick.
U-Mary @ Augustana - I don't see this one being close. I think Augie's defense will score early and often. Vikings win by at least three scores.
Minnesota State @ Bemidji State - Will Bemidji be deflated after last week's loss to UIU? Or will they use that as the motivation they need to take down the top team in the conference? On paper this should be a pretty good game. Once again, though, I'm going to go with the save pick with Mankato. Until some team finally takes them down I'm not sure it would be prudent in the Pick'Em contest to pick against them.
Wayne State @ Minot State - Long road trip for the Wildcats, but I don't think it will affect their ability to come back home with a win. Minot has some good things happening, but they just need more time to develop the program.
Minnesota Duluth @ Winona State - Admittedly, with what looks like the loss of Duluth's starting QB Larson and one of their best defensive players in Balts, this game appears to have gotten a lot more competitive. The Bulldogs are pretty deep, so the impact should be minimal but there's no denying there will be an impact. On the other side, Winona is in a similar situation having lost some key players earlier this season. I really feel like Winona has a shot at taking down Duluth this weekend. But like I said with 'Kato, until someone does I'm not going to pick against them.
Upper Iowa @ St. Cloud State - Who is Upper Iowa this year? I can't figure them out. I got a chance to see St. Cloud in person last weekend and I was quite impressed with both sides of the line. They're a very physical team. I think they can cause the Peacocks some issues. But then again, I've missed picking the Peacocks correclty most of the year, so what do I know?
Sioux Falls @ MSU Moorhead - As a USF fan, 4-3 is not where I figured we would be at this point in the season. To make matters worse, the three losses were by a combined 7 points, and all losses could probably be pointed back to mistakes made by the Cougars more so than getting outplayed. It's not fun when other teams beat your team, but it's even tougher when your own team beats themselves. Moorhead has had a good season so far and this looks like another tough outing for the Coo. I'm hoping they can clean up the errors they've been making the last couple weeks and get back to looking like the inspired team that took down Augie and Minot. Our playoff hopes are pretty much gone, along with a shot at the MWB. The only thing I'm hoping for at this point is that we can take 2 of the next four games and extend our winning season streak to 25. Both teams have a better rushing attack, and both teams are better at defending the run. It will be interesting to see if either team (or both) switches things around in an attempt to exploit the weakness of the opposition? Or will this just be a ground and pound clock burner that's over in 2 hours? If it goes mostly ground and pound then I have to pick USF due to the 1-2 punch of Gabe Watson and Colton Myles.
Northern State @ Southwest Minnesota State - Tough pick. I really could see this one going either way. I figure playing at home gives a slight advantage so I'm going with the Mustangs. But I may come back and change this one before Saturday.
Comment