Big Ten Dumps Gas on Raging Fire – November 11

Yes, the Big Ten has reached $hit-show status. Yesterday, while the Michigan Wolverines were flying to State College, Pa., where they will take on tenth-ranked Penn State today, the Big Ten brass decided to hit Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh with a three-game suspension. The penalty is, of course, in reaction to the whole Michigan sign-stealing/scouting scandal that has not been fully investigated.

The suspension is for the remainder of the regular season which, for Michigan, is three games. The university immediately filed for a temporary restraining order which, if granted, would lift the suspension and allow Harbaugh to coach in today’s game. A ruling from a Washtenaw County judge could come this morning.

Why the Big Ten Suspended Harbaugh

The Big Ten has a sportsmanship policy, which Michigan violated. In-person scouting has not been permitted at the FBS level for several years now. Connor Stalions, a former staffer for the Wolverines, apparently conducted his own scouting operation. There is proof that he paid several individuals to go to the games of Michigan opponents and film games as well as the opponents’ sidelines. Using these videos, Stalions was able to decipher opponents’ signals.

There are no NCAA rules regarding the stealing of an opponents’ signals. Teams do it all the time. The reason the Big Ten acted against Michigan is because of the in-person scouting. Plus, the conference has been getting pressure from its member schools as well as the rest of the nation. 

The Ensuing Fire

When Michigan landed in Pennsylvania, players learned of what the Big Ten had done. Immediately, players began posting a one-word response to Twitter. QB J.J. McCarthy and the rest of his teammates simply tweeted “bet.” Of course, everyone and their mother thinks they know what the one-word response means, but here at Sports Hub, we get it loud and clear.

The Penn State Nittany Lions, Maryland, and Ohio State better play their best game when they face the Wolverines in the final three games of the season. With an “us against the world” mentality, Michigan is going to obliterate its opponents if given the chance. The storm brewing inside the Wolverines locker room is about to be let loose on the field. 

Michigan is the No. 5 scoring team in the nation, averaging 40.7 points per game this season. On defense, they are the nation’s best. The Wolverines allow opponents just 6.7 points per game. Only two opponents have reached double digits. Purdue scored 13 points last week in a 41-13 loss and the second touchdown came with 18 seconds left in the game against backups in a game that had long been decided. The point is that Michigan is already one of the best teams in the nation. The Big Ten just made it even better.

Big Winners at the Top of the Board

While the Big Ten was laying down the law yesterday, Sports Hub handicappers were hard at work doing what they do best – win. It was a huge day for Sports Central, the overall leader yesterday. A pair of Sports Hub expert handicappers also were on point going unbeaten and padding their already large bankrolls.

Let’s see how they did.

• Big Day for Sports Central: If you had tailed Sports Central’s picks yesterday, you would have gone 7-0 and taken home a nice fat seven hundo. That will get Sports Central’s 30-day total back up to $1123. 
• Sports Hub experts: James Acker and Jhon Walsh were next on the board, each with a 4-0 record and $400 in winnings. James hit the smorgasbord of picks – one NHL, one NBA, a CFB, and a CBB – for the sweep. He’s now up $1191 for the last 30 days and you’ll find he has college football picks in the system for today. Jhon also dabbled with two NHL picks, a CBB, and an NBA pick. The wins give Jhon a 13-8 mark for the week and $588 in winnings over the last seven days. He also has NCAAF picks you can check out in our database.
• The power of Sports Hub: It’s worth noting the recent performances of some of our best Sports Hub experts. These guys are the reason bettors need a SportsHub membership. Sal Lombardi has put together one of the most incredible 14-day runs in Sports Hub history. Over the last two weeks, Sal is 64-47 and has earned $2102. Then, there is Mario Deluca. Over the last 14 days, he’s 31-17 ($1208) and for the month he’s 59-34 with $2284 in winnings. The top-3 on the 30-day leaderboard – Mario, Nick Sabatini, and Gino Russo – are all Sports Hub experts. If you had simply made all of their picks over the last month, you would have earned $4788! That’s the power of Sports Hub!

Put the Power of Sports Hub to Work

You can put the power of Sports Hub to work today. Visit the members’ area throughout the day for the best picks in all sports. Of course, today is a huge college football Saturday. There are already several dozen picks in the system for today’s games. Over the past two weeks, the top college football handicappers are a pair of Sports Hub experts – Robert Ferguson and Al Grant. Each has correctly predicted 68 percent or more of their CFB games over the last 14 days.

While the Big Ten schedule and college football rule the day, there is much more on tap for today. Bettors have numerous choices today. Remember, you can lean on our Sports Hub experts for picks in all sports. We’ve got them. Be sure to use them.

Here’s a look at today’s schedule. 

1. Big Ten clash: At noon, No. 3 Michigan is at No. 10 Penn State. We should know by then if Harbaugh was granted the temporary restraining order. Regardless, there is a huge football game in Happy Valley today. A win keeps Michigan in the mix for a Big Ten championship and a College Football Playoff berth. Food for thought: PSU head coach James Franklin is 12-24 against teams ranked in the Top 25 and just 3-16 against teams ranked in the Top 10.

2. The rest of the CFB schedule: There are a number of other crucial games on the college football schedule today. You can always visit our Week 11 NCAAF picks page to get you ready for today’s action. Of course, check out all of our college football handicapper picks in the members’ section. No. 18 Utah is at No. 5 Washington and No. 13 Tennessee battles No. 14 Missouri. Later, No. 9 Ole Miss plays at second-ranked Georgia. It will be an interesting day in college football.
3. CFL Division Championships: Yes, there’s Canadian football too today. Montreal is in Toronto to face the defending Grey Cup champion Argonauts in the East Division championship. BC takes on Winnipeg in the West Division title game. The winners will meet in the 110th Grey Cup final next weekend.
4. Four NBA games: There are just four games on the NBA schedule. Toronto (4-4) plays Boston (6-2) and Cleveland (3-5) takes on Golden State (6-3) in games featuring top contenders in each conference.
5. Saturday on the ice: It’s a big day in the NHL with 12 games on the schedule. So far, the Boston Bruins (11-1-1) and defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas (12-2-1) are the top two teams in the league. Vancouver (10-2-1) is a big surprise in the Western Conference. The Rangers (10-2-1) lead the Metropolitan Division and trail only Boston in points in the East.
6. College hoops: While college football rules the day, there is a full slate of college basketball games too. No. 6 UConn, No. 7 Houston, and No. 8 Creighton all play today. Check out the database for CBB picks.
7. Huge day in soccer: All of the world’s major international soccer leagues play today. The MLS playoffs continue. There are five matches each in the English Premier League, Germany’s Bundesliga, and Spain’s La Liga. Italy’s Serie A has three matches and France’s Ligue 1 has two. Our soccer handicappers will be busy today. Be sure to check out their picks.
8. Golf: Round 3 of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship is today. Alex Noren has a two-stroke lead heading into today’s action. Round 3 of The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge has already started. Emily Kristine Pedersen was the leader after two rounds.
9. Tennis: The finals of both the Sofia Open and Moselle Open are today. 

Big Ten, Michigan Biggest Trending Sports News

Could there possibly be anything bigger right now than the Big Ten and its disciplinary action against Michigan? The story will dominate the day right up until kickoff at noon when the Wolverines take on Penn State. 

The Big Ten is trending.

• Big Ten rules: The conference sent a 13-page letter outlining what basically is a long-winded version of Harbaugh being suspended for three games. Michigan countered with their own legal mumbo jumbo as well as the filing for the temporary restraining order.
• Big Ten oopsie: By disciplining Harbaugh and Michigan, the Big Ten did not follow its own rules. The Big Ten has its own set of rules which require due process for all schools in all situations. The investigation into what Michigan supposedly did or did not do is not yet complete.

• Big Ten, NCAA always send wrong message: The Big Ten in this case and the NCAA in all cases always send the wrong message when handing out discipline. In situations of wrongdoing, the Big Ten and NCAA punish players within a program who had nothing to do with the wrongdoing. Think back to Michigan’s opponent today, Penn State. Remember the whole Jerry Sandusky thing? The NCAA hammered Penn State, which did nothing but affect the players in the program at that time. They weren’t the ones molesting little boys for two decades.
• Speaking of the NCAA: The College Football Playoff committee is set to present a 5+7 model to its board for the new 12-team CFP beginning in 2024. The five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven-highest ranked teams would make up the playoff field in this scenario. With the current rankings, that would mean the No. 12 seed would be Oregon State, a huge long shot…who lost to Washington State…which is 1-5 in Pac-12 play. Ummm…yeah. At least the CFP will make a ton of money, right?

There you have it. It’s another glorious day of college football. Be sure to visit our handicappers in the members’ area for picks on the top games today. Plus, you’ve got plenty of other sports to choose from. I’ll be back tomorrow with another recap of how our expert handicappers performed and more outstanding content. See you tomorrow!