Northwestern Wildcats vs. Michigan Wolverines

Final Score: Michigan-38 Northwestern-31

This will definitely be the most thrilling game of the day unless Alabama comes back from their 20-0 deficit against Texas A&M on a Hail Mary pass. If you didn't watch the game or haven't seen the replay, I highly suggest you take a look. 

Recap:

With 3 minutes remaining in the game the score was 31-28 Northwestern. They had the ball at the Michigan 41 on a 4th down and 1. Michigan had zero timeouts remaining and Northwestern was trying to put a nail in the coffin. A Colter, QB, run appeared short but after the chain measurement, Northwestern had gotten a first down by one half of an inch. Unable to stop the clock this game appeared over. 

After 3 running plays, Northwestern had to put with 25 seconds remaining. A poor punt was returned by Jeremy Gallon to the Michigan 37 still with only 18 seconds left. On first down replacement QB, Devin Gardner, could not find an open receiver so he looked to utilize his legs. After noticing the QB spy, Gardner back tracked and flung the ball 55 yards down the field. There he found Roy Roundtree who made a spectacular catch after the ball had been tipped up by the Northwestern defender. The clock stopped because of the first down and Michigan clocked the ball with 7 seconds remaining. Brady Hoke elected to kick the game tying 25 yard field goal and was correct. This sent the game to overtime. In overtime, Gardner had a 1 yard run counting as his 4th total TD of the game. On the ensuing possession, Michigan made an excellent play on 4th and 2 to seal the game. 

Implications:

Northwestern and Michigan both are now sitting at 7-3. The major difference though is that the Wolverines are 5-1 in the Big 10 while the Cats are only 3-3. This game kept alive Michigan's Rose Bowl hopes. Now up on Nebraska by half a game, a Cornhusker loss would push Michigan to the top of their division. Penn State and Nebraska are currently tied at 20 apiece. Northwestern is bowl eligible and should be in a pretty solid bowl. These last few games should be interesting. I think that Nebraska will lose a game but the game at the Horseshoe will be the deciding factor whether Michigan or Nebraska plays Wisconsin in the Big 10 championship.

College Football Upset Alert

Here is my Upset Pick for Week 11 of the College Football season.

Penn State Nittany Lions (6-3) vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-2)

Penn State, although ineligible, is #2 right now in the Big 10's Leaders Division. Penn State opened the season with two embarrassing losses but got back on track by reeling off 6 straight wins. After falling apart in the second half against Ohio State, the Lions sit at a solid 6-3. Nebraska is atop the Legends division and cannot afford to lose. The hungry Wolverines sit one game back because of the tiebreaker and a Nebraska loss paired with a Michigan win, catapults the Blue to the top. 

Penn State led by Senior QB Matt McGloin has been playing this entire season off passion. They don't have anything to play for except revitalizing the Penn State program. It took them two weeks to wake up and last week they were undermatched against an unbelievable Buckeye team, but they realize they can now play spoiler. If Penn State sticks to the game plan of running the ball and containing Taylor Martinez they have an excellent shot today.

Nebraska has a must-win today. They are at home against an unranked Nittany Lion squad. While Michigan does still have Ohio State on their schedule, a loss would let Michigan control their own destiny. Because of Ohio State and Penn State's ineligibility, a Big 10 championship win would put the Cornhuskers in the Rose Bow. When Nebraska loses, it is because Martinez doesn't hold onto the ball. I see him turning it over too much today in a shocking upset.

Prediction: Penn State-21 Nebraska-17