The Sports Truth

Detroit Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson enjoyed himself a fine rookie season, but he, like many of his teammates, who trail 2-1 in the Fall Classic, is struggling in the World Series. The reason?

Probably St. Louis Cardinals pitching, which has really stepped it up. But Perhaps a visit to this week’s WWE Smackdown tapings in the Motor City wasn’t the best idea… especially considering how distracting certain WWE Divas can be. No wonder he can’t find his way on base…

On the left, we see Granderson getting cozy with Layla El. On the right, teammate Joel Zumaya and Granderson both pose with Kelly Kelly. One can only wonder if Ivan Rodriguez and ALCS MVP Placido Polanco (also hitless in three games against St. Louis) were also in attendance — and if these sultry divas are somehow in kahoots with Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, who’s looking for any advantage he can get (especially in the midst of Gamblergate).

Granderson, 25. refers to himself as a huge WWE fan and considers DXX, the Ultimate Warrior and WWE Hall of Famer Junkyard Dog as his favorites.

He says he’s already planning on attending another WWE event in Detroit April 1, the night before the 2007 Major League Baseball season. This may impact his chances of being tabbed to start in the outfield of a certain Sports Truth general manager’s fantasy baseball team for a second consecutive season.

My fantasy football team needed a wake-up call.

Reggie Wayne delivered it.

The newly-acquired wideout caught seven passes for 122 yards and a score, giving Mr. Britney Spears (me) a badly-needed boost at receiver and raising the bar for a group of underachieving teammates. Wayne’s 23 points were not enough to propel us to a demonstrative, 138-91 victory on their own, but they sent a message in the early going that this was a new team.

New name. New lineup. New mentality.

When we suffered a humiliating loss in Week Six to fall to 2-4, we made a decision. This was not about to be a lost season, and if we were going to fall short of our goal (every season’s goal is winning the title), we were at least going down like men. We were going to play smash-mouth football and leave it all on the field. Nothing less than 110 percent effort would be tolerated from here on out.

To that effect, Olindo Mare and the Miami defense have both been issued their unconditional release. They weren’t buying into our philosophy, and are officially looking for other work. We’re not kidding around.

Also answering the bell was star running back and #1 overall pick Larry Johnson. He had been lackluster through the first six games, but ran for 128 yards and a pair of touchdowns Sunday against the Chargers. That was good enough to negate the strong effort from our opposition’s LaDainian Tomlinson. It was that matchup that concerned our coaching staff most. We felt at some other positions, we were stronger. We were right.

In his first career start (for me), Philip Rivers threw for 266 yards and two TDs. A commendable effort and not one sign of the yips. Chester Taylor ran for 169 yards, including a 95-yard touchdown scamper. Tony Gonzalez and Javon Walker each eclipsed the century mark in receiving yards and hauled in a combined 15 balls.

The rout was on. “Warm up the bus” chants rained down upon the defeated Darkstar Dragons. The fact that the Dragons’ GM is also a personal friend of mine, rather than one of the several GMs in my league I don’t know, made the victory all that much sweeter. A win is a win, don’t get me wrong — but the $h!t talking potential is amplified when you can put a dejected face to your victim.

Of course, it won’t mean anything if we don’t back it up this week.

We’re still in 8th place out of 14, and have little margin for error if we want to earn one of the six postseason berths. No more letdowns are permissable.

The slumping Hard Dawgs (2-5) are on the agenda this weekend, and with our 3-4 mark and one-game win streak, we’re feeling like this one’s pretty much in the bag. It’s not overconfidence talking. Just our dearth of talent, and of course, our new mentality.

Smash-mouth, baby. Smash-mouth.

Jane Murray, 26, is not a professional marathoner. But since she actually trains for, runs in, and completes marathons pretty damn fast, the Long Island native certainly qualifies as interview material by Sports Truth standards. After all, our editor routinely pulls muscles stepping off the sidewalk on the way to the “office.”

Murray, who will take part in her second New York City Marathon November 5, could definitely kick my ass, but was kind enough to participate in an interview with the Sports Truth. Below, she opines about current and past TV shows, what it’s like to date across Yankee-Red Sox fan lines, why she runs, and how she’s going to lay the smack down on Lance Armstrong a week from Sunday.

Q: As the six people who have actually read the proudest athletic moments on our Sports Truth staff bio page know, there are some dubious ones. As a former D-I lacrosse player and serious runner, what ranks highest on your list of your athletic achievements?
A: One of the greatest moments in athletics occurred during my senior year of college, when we beat Lafayette to qualify for the Patriot League tournament. I had 15 saves in the 12-8 victory. Completing my first marathon was definitely another career highlight.

Q: I once ran two miles. I rule. Anyway, what inspired you to start running marathons?
A: Once lacrosse was over, I missed competing, so I began running races in NYC and eventually decided that I wanted to run a marathon.

Q: What size shoe do you wear? How is that working for you?
A: 7.5 for my running shoes. 7 for street shoes.

Q: You’ve participated in, and completed this race before. Is your approach to running it a second time any different?
A. Definitely. The first time I ran, I just wanted to finish and felt like it was something I needed to prove to myself that I could do. This time it’s much more competitive. I want to beat Lance Armstrong.

Q: He is so overrated. And going down. You heard it here first. In preparation for your first New York City marathon, you were actually living in Manhattan. You’ve since moved to Boston. Do you find training for the NYC event any more difficult there? What is your practice route of choice?
A: It was exciting to train in NYC because the energy level was so high and there were plently of people that you could tell were going through the same grouling process. I love training in Boston, and running around the Charles is a beautiful training route. However, it feels a bit isolated.

Q: What advice would give a marathon-running hopeful (God help them)?
A: Find a good training program but make sure you listen to your body and don’t over train.
Q: What’s it like being a Yankees fan in Boston… and dating perhaps the biggest Red Sox fan in the city?
A: I’m sort of used to the Boston nonesense, however I did notice a lot more people wearing Yankees attire here. I live with a fellow Yankees fan, so it makes it a bit easier to take. As far as dating a Sox fan, well, I’ll leave it at that.

Q: Fair enough. Who’s your favorite character on The West Wing and why?
A: This is a tough question. I think it’s Sam Seaborn. He’s clever, easy going, and just makes me laugh in every scene that he’s in. I just love how he seems so clueless all the time.

Q: If you had to watch a show that’s currently on TV, and not DVDs of The West Wing, which would you choose and why?
A: Scrubs. It’s very witty and commical, yet heartfelt.

Q: Alright, enough of this nonsense. Back to running! What is the most difficult stretch of the New York Marathon’s course?
A: I think it’s the Bronx for sure! That is where you hit Mile 20, the “wall” and then coming back into Manhattan before you get to the park. There are a fair amount of hills and it’s when your body starts to break down a bit.

Q: Do you feel confident that you can defeat Lance Armstrong at this event? Or at least cover the Sports Truth’s official spread of Jane +56:12?
A: Yes.

Q: Do you have an agent? If so, can we talk to him/her about an endorsement deal with the Sports Truth?
A: No agent, but I do have a sponsor. We can talk business offline.

The World Series has been entertaining thus far, and when it resumes this evening in St. Louis, things will have heated up considerably — and we’re not just talking about the change in weather from frigid Detroit.

We’re talking about Gamblergate. Detroit beat St. Louis 3-1 in Game 2 to even the series 1-1, and in the process, may have cheated. Possibly. No one really knows.

With or without the mysterious brown sludge on the palm of his pitching hand, Kenny Rogers (right) was nearly unhittable. He certainly was un-scoreable. But did he get caught red (brown) handed? And does it matter?

At 8:23 Sunday night, Rogers took the mound with a smudge on his pitching hand. The Cardinals said something to the umpiring crew after the first inning, and when the Gambler came out for the second frame, it was gone.

Four more shutout innings and Rogers ties the legendary Christy Mathewson for the all-time single postseason record. He hasn’t surrendered a run in 23 innings during the playoffs. Astounding. A little too much so?

Rogers said it was dirt on his inner palm. Of course, Rogers said a lot of things, some of which makes sense, some of which sounded like a guy with a very selective memory, or one trying to cover something up.

An ESPN video analysis of Rogers’ left hand during his previous starts during the ‘06 playoffs appears to show a similar substance. If it was dirt, that is perfectly legal, according to MLB rules.

But no one has inspected Rogers’ hand. According to Steve Palermo, the head of the World Series umpiring crew, the umps “observed” the substance as dirt. Observing isn’t the same thing as inspecting. We couldn’t make this stuff up.

If it wasn’t dirt, as many have insinuated, what would it have been? And how would that have juiced his pitches? And how wouldn’t an umpire notice in between throws? The whole thing is very peculiar. And gets weirder. Rogers was told by the ump crew, among other things, that he should probably clean his hand off. Palermo said the objective in telling him to do so was not a warning, but to remove any doubt that one was needed.

But why didn’t Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa discuss the situation with the media after the game? And why did Rogers say that he was never spoken to about the substance, or asked him to wipe it off?

According to Palermo, La Russa never requested the umpires inspect Rogers’ left hand. If not, then why is he still talking about it now? La Russa is the kind of old school manager that often preaches how the game be played the right way. Wouldn’t calling Rogers on this alleged impropriety be up his alley?

But regardless, no “inspection” was made. Is that because La Russa decided Rogers really did have an accidental — and legal — mixture of dirt and rosin on his hand? Or because Tony didn’t want to press the issue with a friend and respected adversary, Tigers manager Jim Leyland, in the other dugout?

“It’s not important to talk about,” La Russa said afterward.

Yes, Rogers pitched a scoreless first inning with the gunk on his hand, whatever it was. Then he pitched seven more scoreless innings without it. In fact, one of the two hits he gave up came during the first. He even walked someone in the first as well.

It’s not like the guy is injecting himself with steroids in between innings. But even if Rogers didn’t do anything wrong, this episode is mysterious, and has certainly raised the stakes of a Fall Classic some felt would be awfully boring and short-lived.

So now we root for the Series to reach a Game 6. Why? So Rogers and his dirty left hand can make their scheduled start in Detroit. Long live Gamblergate.

Washington Redskins lineman Ethan Albright may have worked his tail off to make it to the NFL, establishing himself as one of the league’s best and most consistent long snappers, and a special teams player who has appeared in all 16 games for each of the past 10 seasons (Buffalo, 1996-2000; Washington, 2001-05).

But that’s not enough to win any respect from John Madden and EA Sports, the makers of Madden NFL 2007. Upon realizing that he had been saddled with the video game’s worst overall rating, 53, Alright unleashed his wrath against Madden in a highly-amusing, sometimes-profane tirade. Here’s what he had to say:

Hi, John, my name is Ethan Albright.

I play line for the Washington Redskins. You probably already knew that, so I’ll continue. I am writing in regards to the overall player rating of 53 that I have received in Madden NFL Football 2007. I feel that this is f**king bullsh!t and you should kiss my mother-f**king a$$.

Ahmed Carroll was rated a 78 and the Packers just cut his ass on a Tuesday morning after his performance in a Monday night game. That is pretty terrible. The worst part is that his overall rating was sniffing 80.

You know what, John? Two can play this game. I rate you a fucking 12. I rate you a fucking 12 in Ethan Albright Football 2000-ever… except for in the category of ball-licking. That is where I will spot you a 98 rating. You will receive this score because I will never give your blubbery ass a 99 in any category. Take that, pencil-d!ck. Go do Al Michaels or something.

Boom. Score one for Red Beard.

It’s also pretty wonderful that my awareness rating was 59. You make it sound like I wake up in the morning, helplessly sh!t and piss myself, then lose three of my teeth before I discover that I am trying to eat a rock for breakfast. F**k, John, I understand you saying that I am slow and lacking athleticism, but a rating like this pretty much labels me as retarded.

Rod “He Hate Me” Smart has a 52 in this category. Electronic Arts is saying that seven rating points separate me and the breathing embodiment of the perfect oxymoron. Rod Smart struggled to arrange words in sentence form. Cave men had better hold of the English language. The only actions that separate point values of ignorance at this embarrassing level are things like using your own toothbrush to wipe your a$$.

I basically edged out Rod by my lack of sh!t teeth. If I take a night school class, could you bump me up to a 60?

I guess I just can’t fathom the fact that I am the absolute worst player rated out of the entire NFL. F**k, man, there are some sh!tty players out there. Amongst everyone, I was rated the absolute worst.

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Rumors are circulating that the robbery of Celtics guard Sebastian Telfair (right) and the shooting of rapper Fabolous may be linked.

Friends of Fabolous were recently caught on camera snatching a $64,000 chain off the neck of Telfair in New York.

Twenty minutes later, the same tape shows an individual who allegedly shot Fabolous fleeing in a gray car.

The video shows one of Fab’s boys approaching Telfair outside Sean (Diddy) Combs’ W. 21st St. restaurant early Tuesday morning. One man can be seen grabbing the chain from Telfair’s neck while another keeps watch. After the robbery, the thieves ducked into Diddy’s restaurant, Justin’s.

Upon tailing the suspects into the restaurant, Sebastian saw them laughing with members of Fabolous’ crew, the Street Family. Telfair then made a call from his cell phone.

Then, 23 minutes later, a camera outside the restaurant captured the gunman who shot Fabolous in a nearby parking lot driving off. The rapper was not believed to be the target, authorities believe. Not that they necessarily know much when a bunch of thugs start capping each other.

Nonetheless, despite the circumstantial evidence and the fact that Celtics coach Doc Rivers suspiciously lied about Telfair’s whereabouts after the point guard left the Celtics-Knicks preseason game at halftime (!?) to try and pick the perpetrator out of a police lineup, his lawyer insists he is innocent and will be absolved of any wrongdoing.

“The [security] tape completely supports everything my client said happened that night,” Ed Hayes, Telfair’s lawyer, said. “He’s a lovely young man. It was outrageous what these punks did, and he will press charges.”

Hayes said the Celtics star merely called a family member and has shared all the cell phone numbers he called with police.

Tuesday, Sebastian went to the precinct and looked at lineups full of suspects that included members of Fab’s crew. He was not being able to pick out his attackers. He will return to the station later this week to look at images pulled off the security tapes.

Over the weekend, Telfair reiterated that he is not involved in the shooting of the rapper otherwise known as Skylar John Jackson (left).

“I wasn’t being investigated for any shooting,” Telfair told reporters on Friday at the Celtics’ practice facility in Waltham, Mass. “My necklace was snatched from my neck.”

“I was in an unfortunate situation, if you want to say I’m a bad person because I was out with my fiancee, then that’s what it is. I know who I am, my teammates and this organization know who I am,” he added.

New York police say Telfair is still being investigated. Rivers said he is getting a bad rap.

“He didn’t do anything. His name is in a bad circle. The same thing could happen to you or me,” Rivers said. “I don’t know how you stay out of this. I mean, he should be able to go to dinner. Sebastian’s character will show he’s a good guy.”

Last February, the Portland Jail Blazers, who traded Telfair this offseason, fined him after a loaded gun was found on the team’s private jet at Boston’s Logan Airport.

The 2006-07 NBA season is right around the corner, and in preparation, The Sports Truth’s respected insider has been breaking down all the key roster moves, training camp reports, preseason game film and even fantasy implications. Leaving no stone unturned, below is his extensive Eastern Conference preview, with his thoughts on the West to come later in the week.

ATLANTIC DIVISION

The Atlantic Division will have the weakest winner in the league. The team that comes away with this division will probably be the most likely upset in the first round. New Jersey cruised to an easy division championship last year and they should run away once again. Boston and Toronto are young and talented, but just don’t have enough to be a factor in the East. New York and Philadelphia will both have to suffer another brutal season before they can really fix their problems.

BOSTON CELTICS

Last Season: 33-49, 11th in East
2006-2007 Prediction: 41 wins, 2nd in Division
Estimated ‘06-’07 Payroll: $60.6 million
Key Addidions: Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, Rajon Rondo, and Leon Powe
Key Losses: Raef Lafrentz and Orien Greene
Why they should be better: They finally have the players to fulfill their up-tempo style. Paul Pierce had his best season as a pro last year and the C’s did not even go to the playoffs. Always looking for a trade partner, GM Danny Ainge has rebuilt the team once again bringing in Telfair to run the point and Ratliff to man the middle, while Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak take care of the scoring. If Telfair can solidify the point position, the running Celtics could pose a problem for their slower counterparts in the Atlantic Division.
Fantasy Options: Pierce is worthy of first-round selection, but everyone after him is pretty much a crapshoot. Al Jefferson, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins and Gerald Green are all worthy of late selections in keeper leagues.
Outlook: It’s time for the younger players to step up. Pierce will do his thing, but he needs help around him. Tony Allen, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Leon Powe and Telfair all have the talent to be stars and none of them have been on this Earth for 25 years, but they need to buy into the up-tempo system and use their athletic ability on offense and defense.

NEW JERSEY NETS

Last Season: 49-33, 1st in Division
2006-2007 Prediction: 48 wins, 1st in Division
Estimated ‘06-’07 Payroll: $66.6 million
Key Additions: Marcus Williams, Josh Boone, Hassan Adams, and Mikki Moore.
Key Losses: None
Why they should be better: Increased athletic depth off the bench… okay, that’s sounds trivial, but the bench the Nets survived with last season was old, slow and pretty much ineffective. Antoine Wright was a bust in his first season, but he could be rejuvenated on a second unit with Williams, Boone, Adams and Moore.
Fantasy Options: Jason Kidd is not the fantasy stud he once was, Vince Carter has too many terrible shooting nights and Richard Jefferson is basically the third option in this offense. All of this means Carter is worthy of a second-round selection while Kidd and Jefferson should fall to the third and beyond. Nenad Kristic is a good option at the center position.
Outlook: Some would say they underachieved last year, but I would say they overachieved. They basically maxed out their ability thanks a 10-game winning streak in the second quarter of the season that gave them some breathing room. They need their younger players to give Kidd, Jefferson and Carter a rest. New Jersey should win this division, but Boston and even Toronto will play an up-tempo style that could give them troubles.

NEW YORK KNICKS

Last Season: 23-59, 15th in East
2006-2007 Prediction: 22 wins, 5th in Division
Estimated ‘06-’07 Payroll: $140.5 million
Key Additions: Jared Jefferies, Renaldo Balkman and Mardy Collins
Key Losses: Jackie Butler
Why they should be better: Hope. Alan Houston, Jalen Rose, Maurice Taylor, Shandon Anderson, Eddie Curry and Jerome Williams should all be off the roster at the end of this season. Maybe Isiah Thomas can find a fool who would be willing to give up some young talent or draft picks for one of these expiring contracts. If he does, at least the Knicks and their fans can hope for a better season in 2007-08, but it won’t happen this year.
Fantasy Options: Not many here. Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis are worth drafting, but don’t build your fantasy team around them. Channing Frye showed promise last season before getting hurt, if they give him 35 minutes per game, he could provide good numbers as a center.
Outlook: Another dreary year. The Knicks are just another New York team that believes throwing money at their problems will solve everything — it just does not work. Thomas needs to find a way to weed out the bad players from the good players. The Knicks need to develop Quentin Richardson, Jamal Crawford, Frye, Nate Robinson, Balkman, David Lee and Collins into role players a superstar would like to come play with in 2007.

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No pulsating intro music or pyrotechnics are necessary when the Sports Truth’s Starting Five takes the floor. Primarily because our budget won’t allot for such things. That would be so cool, though!

Every Friday, our panel of experts takes a current sports topic and sounds off on it — five times over. These guys have been researching constantly, poring over endless data and bouncing ideas off each other in preparation for this feature. Prepare to be amused, perplexed, enraged and maybe a little awed by their collective brilliance.

This Week’s Topic: THE WORLD SERIES

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1. Did you think the Mets were going to pull it out in Game Seven after their first two batters singled in the ninth?

EVAN CHRISTOPHER: Without a doubt. Beltran looking at strike three in the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded will go down as one of the worst choke jobs in all sports history.

LUCAS DWYER: Maybe I was just rooting for the Mets to win because a win by the home team is always more exciting, but Wainwright was having difficulty with his control and with two on, one out, and Reyes at the plate, you have to like their chances. Five feet further towards right field and it’s a tie ball game.

MICHAEL BRIAN: Did I ever! I saw visions of Gibson with Floyd hobbling up to the plate. Instead he struck out. Looking. Good times.

MICHAEL STEPHENS: No way. I was overwhelmingly confident that the 83-win Cardinals and their rookie closer were going to escape that jam by fanning two monster sluggers looking.

2. Scrappier player: Brandon Inge or David Eckstein?

MICHAEL STEPHENS: Eckstein grabs all the headlines, but Inge plays a huge role for Detroit and might be the king of unsung scrappiness… if such a thing existed. Inge. Doesn’t his last name just sound like he’d be the type of guy to get his uniform dirty and do all the little things? Really I just like saying Inge.

LUCAS DWYER: Without question, David Eckstein. Have you seen how much he chokes up on a bat? Or the way he throws? He’s like a little leaguer surviving in the MLB on hustle alone. Tremendously fun player to root for.

EVAN CHRISTOPHER: I’ll go with Eckstein, but it’s hard to debate scrappiness when it’s really not even a human quality.

MICHAEL BRIAN: Can’t all of us baseball fans vote, perhaps in some sort of ballot handed out at games, to get Eckstein out of baseball? Has there ever been a more annoying player? We get it, ass; you’re here because of your hustle. But it’s called a walk. You can walk to first base.

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[Home team in CAPS. Spreads accurate as of Friday, 5:30 EST]

LAST WEEK: 2-11 SEASON: 37-46-4

San Diego (-5) over KANSAS CITY
Is anyone else still reeling from San Diego’s loss to the Ravens a few weeks ago? How shocking was that? Besides the gambling implications of that loss, the Chargers are good and the Ravens are not. How did they lose that game? Even with Schottenheimer? Is it possible, though, that Marty realized how atrocious of a loss that is and put Marty-ball to sleep? LaDainian Tomlinson and the Chargers certainly have been a different team ever since.

Jacksonville (-9.5) over HOUSTON
I’d rant and rave about not fearing the big spread on this one, but the Big Spread Corollary hasn’t been to loss-proof so far. Nevertheless, we’re gonna put it back to the test against a team that is still suffering from Reggie Bush and even Vince Young withdrawal. Speaking of Young, he’s surprised me with how effective (the word “good” seems too strong right now — but his team is winning games) he has been.

New England (-5.5) over BUFFALO
Can anyone figure Buffalo out? They might end up being one of the best 3-13 teams ever. I’m not saying they’re good, but they’re not winning games and headed for that kind of season when, realistically, they should be like 7-9, maybe 8-8 with some breaks. Sadly, no breaks for them this week, as the quietest best team in the NFL marches on in relative obscurity. Don’t agree? Who would you pick if the line was INDIANAPOLIS (-3) vs. New England. I thought so.

ATLANTA (+2.5) over Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh crushed a banged-up Kansas City team in Pittsburgh and now the bandwagon is up and rolling again. Well, I’m not interested in the ride. I don’t really like Atlanta either (you can only get by with the 26th-rated passing offense for so long) but they’re tough at home.

Green Bay (+5) over MIAMI
I don’t really like picking all these road teams, but shouldn’t people be punished for putting money on Joey Harrington over Brett Favre? That’s as ridiculous as Jeff Suppan winning the NLCS MVP award! Oh, wait a second… what is the world coming to?!?!

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[Cue The Pundit’s Patented Loud Booming Voice & Pulsing Intro Music and Pyrotechnics]

This week, 4-1! For the year, 22-8! As Mike Wilbon would say, “who’s your boy?!” Except for the Florida Gators punking out against Auburn, the Pundit’s college football prognostication genius is evident again. Is any more bragging about the sheer magnificence of the pundit necessary? Bow down, freshman football waterboys!

[Cue the Drum Roll]

THE PUNDIT’S POWER FIVE

1. Ohio State. Hmmm… the Pundit calls a win by 3-4 TDs and gets it. Damn, is the Pundit good or what?!?!
Next week’s opponent: Indiana
Prediction: The Hoosiers made Iowa look stupid this past week but won’t do it again Troy Smith & Co. The Buckeyes will win by 28 or more. The only concern for them at this point is getting bored before the Michigan game.

2. USC. The Sun Devils were quite a bit sharper (haha) than the Pundit thought they would be, and the Trojans struggled… but still won.
Next week’s Opponent: Bye
Prediction: N/A

3. West Virginia. Syracuse looked scrappy in the first half, but the Mountaineers pulled away in the second half, as predicted. Who is your daddy? The Pundit… that’s right.
Next week’s opponent: UConn
Prediction: The Huskies are a I-AA team trying like hell to get people to believe they are a I-A squad. WVU won’t struggle in this one and will win by 35 in a rout.

4. Michigan. Even without Mario “Mr. TD” Manningham (pictured), the Wolverines topped Penn State in a close one. Again, the Pundit was only off by three points. The Pundit is even better than HE thought!
Next week’s opponent: Iowa
Prediction: The Hawkeyes will rebound from their unexplainable loss to Indiana and give Michigan a good game. However, the Pundit sees the Wolverines taking this one by 10 with their solid all around attack.

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