I'm up a little later than expected, so I figured I'd take the initiative and get on the OPC with a cup of coffee.  For those of you who took the time to do the math last week's scoreboard looks a little like the first quarter of a Missouri game.  Check this out:

Week 6 Franz v. Filler winner FRANZ

After six glorious weeks we're tied 3-3.

Crystal Ball Call (pick of the week): Vandy by 1 (PATERNOSGRANDAUGHTER).  This could be the greatest pick of all time.  1 point for Vanderbilt, 2 points for the spread, 2 points for the upset, and 2 points for the exact margin for a total of 7.  VANDY 14, AUBURN 13.  Runner up: OSU by 3 (LAKEERIEMONSTAR).  OSU 20, WISC 17.

What were you thinking?: Michigan by anything (BAMA HAWKEYE, LAKEERIEMONSTAR, PATERNOSGRANDAUGHTER).  Yeah I know they beat Wisconsin.  Big frickin' deal.

Franz enjoys a victory cigar in the wake of another week of supreme dominance.

Here are our Week 7 Picks:

1. No. 5 TEXAS v. No. 1 OKLAHOMA 12:00 p.m. EST, ABC

FILLER predicts OKLAHOMA by 16

(All Time Record: 57-40-5, UT). The "First Test" game. The monster recruiting classes of 2005 and 2006 are paying off in a big way for Oklahoma, the nation's #1 team. Eight Rivals100 recruits will get significant playing time for the Sooners, while five seniors pace the offensive line. Meanwhile, ESPN claimed tonight that Colt McCoy is better than Sam Bradford. Do they know something we don't?

FRANZ predicts OKLAHOMA by 10

Upset?  It's tempting, but I think the Sooners are simply the better team here.  This game comes down to the units: Oklahoma's bomber offense versus Texas' prude defense.  Oklahoma is fifth in the NCAA averaging 548 total yards of offense a game.  Texas has allowed only five touchdowns in as many games.  Tune in early for the biggest Red River Rivalry since 2004, and to see the Longhorns up a creek without a paddle.

2. IOWA at INDIANA 12:00 p.m. EST, Big Ten Network

 

FILLER predicts IOWA by 11

The "O-fer" game. One of these teams has to win a game in the Big 10. Shonne Greene is the best offensive player on the field, plus Iowa's defense has been solid in each of it's last three games (PPG allowed: 21, 22, 16).

FRANZ predicts IOWA by 7

Iowa held Javon Ringer to 91 yards last week.  Indiana is 7 and 51 when scoring less than 30.  Although both teams are riding a three-game slide the Hawkeyes have simply showed more promise in defeat -- they've lost three by a combined nine points.  Compare Indiana's 44 point spread and you see why IU is simply the sounder pick here.

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Amazingly, for the second consecutive week, the Big 10 will boast a battle of the ranked when (it seemed like only yesterday they were at the center of the national championship race) No. 14 Ohio State heads to Camp Randall to take on the (it seemed like only yesterday they were in the top ten) No. 18 Wisconsin in a scotch and soda shakeup that's suddenly a bit watered down. 

We've heard this before.  Last year, the Badger's visit to Columbus was set to be a coup de grace collision before Wisconsin crashed at Illinois, and burned at Penn State on an early October road tour.

Big game debauche-ry?  James Laurinaitis takes out Wisconsin punter Ken DeBauche on a failed punt attempt.  The Buckeyes swallowed the Badgers 38-17 in Columbus last year.

Last week, Wisconsin went on the road to face an unranked and uninspiring Michigan and got taken down in Ann Arbor town, despite leading 19-0 at the half.  And to think I called them "road tested."

Still, despite its B-Side bleed out, this Camp Randall chronicle is loaded with Midwestern might.  So much so that this half of The Rivalry, Esq. is leaving the comfort of Central Ohio and hot wing Flapper Sofa comas for a road trip to Madison.  Here are the on and off the field elements I can't wait to see in person:

The grounds for Camp Randall Stadium were employed as a training ground for Union troops in the Civil War.  This freezing rain fortress is brutal at night. 

1. Home field advantage

Despite their struggles elsewhere, the Badgers are undefeated at home under coach Bret Bielema.  In fact, they've won 27 of their last 28 at Camp Randall, the freezing rain fortress that ever so frequently blinds visiting teams in a gyroscopic trance. 

The last time the Buckeyes traveled to Wisconsin was 2003, where they faced a 17-10 loss that snapped a 19-game winning streak.

Perhaps Jim Tressel describes the atmosphere best, "You can't hear," he says. 

2. Cover 2 meets the tight end tandem

I had lunch this afternoon with a friend who made the ill-fated pilgrimage to Southern California to watch then No. 5 Ohio State sandbag the remaining scraps of its big game reputation against the then No. 1 Trojans.  He mentioned that the Coliseum scoreboard ran a "Know Your Football" feature which presciently asked the crowd in the first quarter "What's the best offense to run against a Cover 2 defense?"

The answer: Stretch the safeties with four vertical receivers, and throw to the tight end up the middle, like this:

Courtesy ESPN.  If the doodle doesn't do it for you, do a You Tube search for Ohio State v. Florida, or Ohio State v. LSU, or Ohio State v. USC.  I see a pattern.

The question is can Wisconsin quarterback Allan Evridge, who struggled to keep his pants up at Michigan (54.1 CMP%) get the ball downfield to Travis Beckum, argubly the best tight end in the country?

3. TP vs. The Red Sea

Ohio State's famed frosh quarterback Terrelle Pryor hasn't faced a hostile environment since taking over full offensive rein.  Will the 12-man barrage of U.C. Berkeley rejects UW undergrads be enough to stunt his senses and force slip ups?

4. P.J. and the Bean

Will one or both megaton tailbacks have a breakthrough night?  This meat and potatoes match up will determine just how variable each team needs to be on offense.  The Rivalry, Esq. thinks one will be hot and the other cold.  As for who, we don't have a clue.