Scrambled dregs

Good afternoon from chilly-but-not-as-arctic-as-you-might-think Minneapolis. No precipitation projected for tonight. A thought occurred to me this week -- eight of the 11 programs in the Big Ten are "young" programs in their fifth year or earlier, and the other three are battling for the championship. MSU and the other seven pups have a lot to play for in the final four weekends of the season.

    Interesting to consider that MSU hasn't won seven or more games in three straight seasons since the mid-50s under Duffy Daugherty. Very good chance this team does it if it wins tonight. And I like the Spartans in this one. Here's a different prediction from a Minnesota beat writer. And similar thoughts from another. If Minnesota's offense breaks loose against this defense, that's a sure sign that the Iowa loss lingered and affected the Spartans' preparation this week.
    Other random thoughts:
    * Indiana 7, Iowa 0, end of the first quarter. All it would take is something wacky like this to redefine the Big Ten race. A Hoosiers upset (don't get too excited) would make a multiple-team tie at two losses a possibility again. Iowa loses at Ohio State. Ohio State loses at Penn State. Penn State loses at MSU.
    * You may see Trenton Robinson return to the field today, although I don't know if he'd be ready to return kicks. And he's a backup on defense anyway. It'll be interesting to see if MSU sticks with Baker, switches to Martin, or if Robinson is healthy enough to try it on KR. He definitely looked promising on the first return against Northwestern.
    * Watched Gameday from Oregon. Is Desmond Howard ever going to improve? Wild cackling is the only contribution I can detect.
    *My pick for surprise MSU player of the night: Brian Linthicum. A huge game for him has been brewing for a while.

    Talk to you later from TCF Bank Stadium.