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Hlastradamus sees nothing but truth and beauty emerging from the Big Ten this week -- some of the Big Ten, anyhow

Sep. 13, 2012 5:07 pm
Hlastradamus sees nothing but truth and beauty emerging from the Big Ten this week.
The ever-vigilant, ever-prescient, ever-environmentally conscious prophet has paid us another visit, and in high spirits (pun intended) after going 4-1 against the spread last week. After a first week spent in the fog, he is 5-4 this season.
Only Nebraska let the seer down, but the Huskers let an entire state full of Big Red red-hots down, so Hlastradamus didn't take it personally. It only ruined a perfect week, that's all. Do you know how hard it is to win a 5-team parlay, Bo Pelini? Thanks for nothing!
Like I said, Hlastradamus didn't take it personally.
The prophet says all who are envisioning gloom and doom for the Big Ten don't have true psychic capabalities. So he is picking five, yes, five Big Ten favorites to cover the spread on Saturday, as well as an underdog in Arkansas.
Northwestern -3.5 vs. Boston College. The Wildcats have the Big Ten's only two wins against teams from BCS conferences. Today, the Cats make it three.
Purdue -24 vs. Eastern Michigan. The Boilermakers are using a two-quarterback system. Both should prosper against a bad team from Ypsilanti
Minnesota -2.5 vs. Western Michigan. Just because Hlastradamus is picking the Gophers doesn't mean any ghosts of wild horses could drag him to watch this game.
Penn State -7 vs. Navy. This is big for Penn State. It could be the difference between a 3-9 and 2-10 season.
Wisconsin -13.5 vs. Utah State. OK, Utah State beat Utah last week. That was nice. And Wisconsin lost to Oregon State. That was gruesome. And Utah State very nearly won at Auburn last year, and Wisconsin narrowly beat Northern Iowa two weeks ago, and Utah State has a three-game winning streak on the road, and ... HLASTRADAMUS IS CANCELLING THIS PICK AND IS ONLY SELECTING FOUR BIG TEN TEAMS.
At least he thought this decision out loud. Which was smart, though it frightened the livestock.
Oh, and there's this:
Arkansas +20 vs. Alabama. Come on, it's 20 points. If a preseason Top Ten team can't play Alabama within 20 points at home, what hope is there for the rest of society?