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I hinted about it during the offseason, but now it's no longer the offseason, it's the onseason. Or something. I don't know. Why do they call it the offseason when the season is called the regular season? Shouldn't we call it the irregular season?
Anyway, this is our new weekly gambling post that will run on Thursdays every week of the Big Ten football season. It's pretty simple, really. The members of The Champaign Room - Tom Fornelli, Mark Primiano, Brandon Birkhead and Jack Cassidy -- will all compete against each other in a picks competition. Here's a quick breakdown on how it will work.
- Each participant will bet on every Big Ten game being played that weekend, and they can bet either the point spread or the over/under.
- The participant will assign an amount to their bet, which can be either $25, $50 or $100. Each participant is allowed only one $100 bet per week. Everybody starts with a $0 balance, and balances can be negative.
See? Simple. And by adding monetary values to the picks we are not just competing to see who has the best record at the end of the season, but to see who the smartest gambler is by the size of our bankroll.
So let's get to the damn picks, shall we?
Minnesota (-17) vs UNLV, Over/Under: 50
Fornelli: $25 on Minnesota -17
Primiano: $25 on Over 50
Birkhead: $25 on Minnesota -17
Cassidy: $25 on UNLV +17
From Cassidy: Rooting against Minnesota has become something of a past time for me.
Indiana (-30.5) vs Indiana State, Over/Under: NA
Fornelli: $25 on Indiana -30.5
Primiano: $25 on Indiana State +30.5
Birkhead: $50 on Indiana -30.5
Cassidy: $50 on Indiana -30.5
From Primiano: I don't want to live in a world where the Hoosiers are more than a four touchdown favorite.
Michigan State (-24) vs Western Michigan, Over/Under: 47
Fornelli: $50 on Under 47
Primiano: $25 on Western Michigan +24
Birkhead: $25 on Michigan State -24
Cassidy: $25 on Michigan State -24
From Birkhead: Western Michigan fired long time coach Bill Cubit and starting off on the road against a Big Ten team doesn't seem like a recipe for success.
Wisconsin (-45) vs UMass, Over/Under: 53
Fornelli: $25 on Wisconsin -45
Primiano: $50 on Over 53
Birkhead: $50 on UMass +45
Cassidy: $50 on Wisconsin -45
From Birkhead: Wisconsin has a lot of new pieces in place. I don't think those pieces will work well enough together to cover this giant spread.
Michigan (-26) vs Central Michigan, Over/Under: 55
Fornelli: $25 on Under 55
Primiano: $50 on Over 55
Birkhead: $50 on Michigan -26
Cassidy: $50 on Michigan -26
From Cassidy: Is this the Big Ten/MAC Challenge?
Ohio State (-33.5) vs Buffalo, Over/Under: 63
Fornelli: $25 on Ohio State -33.5
Primiano: $50 on Ohio State -33.5
Birkhead: $50 on Ohio State -33.5
Cassidy: $25 on Over 63
From Birkhead: I didn't even know Buffalo played football. Please don't kill them, Urban.
Iowa (-6.5) vs Northern Illinois, Over/Under: 51
Fornelli: $25 on Iowa -6.5
Primiano: $25 on Northern Illinois +6.5
Birkhead: $25 on Northern Illinois +6.5
Cassidy: $100 on Northern Illinois +6.5
From Cassidy: Here's my Ben Franklin pick. The Huskies should be upset about their only loss last season, even though it didn't mean anything.
Cincinnati (-14) vs Purdue, Over/Under: 55
Fornelli: $50 on Cincinnati -14
Primiano: $25 on Under 55
Birkhead: $25 on Purdue +14
Cassidy: $25 on Cincinnati -14
From Fornelli: Here's to hoping Cincinnati suffers major injuries to every contributing player while covering this spread.
Penn State (-5) vs Syracuse, Over/Under: 51 (in East Rutherford, NJ)
Fornelli: $25 on Under 51
Primiano: $50 on Penn State -5
Birkhead: $25 on Syracuse +5
Cassidy: $50 on Penn State -5
From Primiano: I know the Nittany Lions should start feeling the sanctions soon, but only a five-point favorite over the Orange? Really?
Nebraska (-21.5) vs Wyoming, Over/Under: 61
Fornelli: $50 on Nebraska -21.5
Primiano: $50 on Nebraska -21.5
Birkhead: $50 on Nebraska -21.5
Cassidy: $25 on Wyoming +21.5
From Primiano: Bo Pelini is an asshole.
Cal vs Northwestern (-8.5), Over/Under: 55
Fornelli: $50 on Cal +8.5
Primiano: $25 on Cal +8.5
Birkhead: $100 on Northwestern -8.5
Cassidy: $50 on Northwestern -8.5
From Fornelli: Listen, Northwestern has to travel to the west coast to play a late game against a team that is going to throw the hell out of the ball. I don't know if Northwestern loses but they sure as hell aren't going to cover that spread.
Illinois (-24) vs Southern Illinois, Over/Under: NA
Fornelli: $100 on Illinois -24
Primiano: $25 on Illinois -24
Birkhead: $50 on Southern Illinois +24
Cassidy: $25 on Illinois -24
From Fornelli: I'm putting my fake money where my finger mouths are.
Money On The Line This Week
Fornelli: $475
Primiano: $425
Birkhead: $525
Cassidy: $500
Season Record (Bankroll)
1. Fornelli 0-0 ($0)
1. Primiano 0-0 ($0)
1. Birkhead 0-0 ($0)
1. Cassidy 0-0 ($0)
Follow The Champaign Room on Twitter at @Champaign_Room and Like us on Facebook. You can follow Tom Fornelli on Twitter at @TomFornelli.