Week 10: Sagarin says

Time for more computer love ($10 if you can name who wrote the '80s song by that name):

Last week, Jeff Sagarin's computer picks went 5-2 overall, and four of his 5 winners met or exceeded his predicted victory margin. He was dead-on with the Penn State win and way close than the oddsmakers on PSU, MSU and Minny. You can't blame him for not foreseeing Juice Williams' 3 interceptions at Wisconsin or Northwestern's minus-5 turnover margin at Indiana.

Illinois by 3.5 over WISCONSIN (Loss-Wisky by 10)
Northwestern by 12 over INDIANA (Loss-IU by 2)
NORTHERN ILLINOIS by 12 over Bowling Green (NIU by 3)
Penn State by 7 over OHIO STATE (PSU by 7)
Michigan State by 12 over MICHIGAN (MSU by 14)
Minnesota by 5.5 over PURDUE (Minny by 11)
Notre Dame by 11.5 over WASHINGTON (ND by a million)

Here are this Saturday's predictions, with the oddsmakers' consensus in parentheses:

Iowa by 6 at ILLINOIS (ILL -2.5)
MINNESOTA by 5.5 vs. Northwestern (Minny -6.5)
MICHIGAN STATE by 10 vs. Wisconsin (MSU -4.5)
PURDUE by 5 vs. Michigan (PU -2)
INDIANA by 4.5 vs. Central Michigan (IU -2.5)
NOTRE DAME by 6.5 vs. Pittsburgh (ND -4.5)

Undefeated Ball State doesn't host NIU until Wednesday, so the numbers will change after this weekend's games, but the early Sagarin line shows the Fightin' Football Fighting Cardinals by 11.5 over the Huskies.

How 'bout that difference between Sagarin and the oddsmakers on the Illini game, huh?

LW