Indiana has better corn than Iowa, all the more reason an upset is brewing in Bloomington…

I’m getting lazy with my titles and I apologize for that. But, the title says it all. One team remains from our fall sports family as the Whitko Wildcats football team defeated Churubusco last week to set up a date with undefeated Woodlan tonight for the sectional championship. More on this later.

It’s been a weird week as girls basketball started its season. It seems way too early for winter sports, probably because it was 70 degrees most of the week. I don’t like this move by the IHSAA, it screws with the girls teams too much, but I have accepted the fact that it’s not going to change. I mentioned last week that I won’t be making any winter sports picks until the boys start up in a few weeks, at which point I will do both boys and girls basketball games.

I’m not going to spend much time on the Colts pick this week, but I do want to promote this article from ESPN.com

It discusses a different angle of Peyton Manning’s impact on football in the state of Indiana. Peyton comes back home to Indy this weekend for a game with the Colts. I’m biased, but I think he is the greatest QB of all time for a lot of different reasons.

I was there when he broke Marino’s single-season touchdown record and when he came back with the Broncos two years ago. He is why I bleed blue for the Colts. This Sunday he needs 282 yards to become the NFL’s all-time leading passer and win will put him in first place on the list of most wins by a QB in NFL history. Manning is on the verge of completing two huge milestones, as a Denver Bronco, that could be accomplished in the Circle City where his legend began. Talk about coming full circle.

Let’s get to it.

Last Week: 4-1
Overall: 59-30

High School Football Sectional Championship 11/6

Whitko (6-5) at No. 4 Woodlan (11-0), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: I liked what I saw from the Wildcats last week. Very few people outside that community gave them much of a chance but they still won. Whitko overcame a 21-6 deficit to hold on for a 34-27 victory over Churubusco thanks to stellar defensive play, excellent blocking and a fantastic effort from Garrett Elder.
Elder is the real deal and he will once again be the focus of this game. The line did a great job setting up blocks for the backfield last week, if that can be repeated than Whitko obviously can win. Woodlan provides a tough challenge, obviously, but the Woodies are far from unbeatable.
(I’m kidding, do you really think the team is the Woodlan Woodies? Man, that would be classic.)
The Warriors are undefeated for a reason, but they have been pushed by other successful teams. Whitko has a good aura about itself right now, the team plays with the level of confidence that you want to see at this point in the season. I don’t know enough about Woodlan except that it will take a great performance to defeat them.
I saw the new James Bond film, SPECTRE, last night. There is a point in which Bond asks Moneypenny if she thinks he is finished, she replies by saying that she feels he is just getting started.
I like to go off instinct sometimes and right now my gut is telling my that Whitko is just getting started.
Nick’s Pick: Whitko 27, Woodlan 24.

College Football 11/7

No. 5 Notre Dame (7-1) at Pittsburgh (6-2), 12 p.m.
The Scoop: The Irish made it through a big test last week, even though it was Temple. Notre Dame is now flirting with a College Football Playoff berth, but the road is not any easier this week. Pittsburgh and ND have both beaten Virginia and Georgia Tech and both have also lost close games on the road to top-10 opponents Iowa and Clemson, respectively. I like this Notre Dame team a lot, say what you will about Brian Kelly. He’s a jerk, I get it, but this is also the best coaching job that he has done to date for the Irish. I’ve got a weird feeling about this game even though I correctly predicted a breakout performance for DeShone Kizer last week. I think Kizer can have another big game, but I feel like Pittsburgh might play spoiler here. Again, just a gut feeling.
Nick’s Pick: Pittsburgh 31, Notre Dame 27.

Illinois (4-4, 1-3) at Purdue (2-6, 1-3), 12 p.m.
The Scoop: I am the Prophet of Purdue. The Wizard of West Lafayette. The Redeemer of Ross-Ade!
I followed a weird hunch and picked the Boilers over Nebraska last weekend. Purdue followed suit and won. Then it comes out that head coach Darrell Hazell’s job is reportedly safe for next season. Before you know it the Boilers will be in a bowl game and bringing top recruits…all because of me!
Okay, so, I’m probably not the sole reason for last week’s win, but I’m pretty confident that I had a role.
However, this just seems like a typical game for Purdue to have a let down, though Illinois is good at screwing up as well.
Sounds like it’s coin flip time! *flips coin*
Nick’s Pick: Purdue 23, Illinois 20. Overtime

No. 9 Iowa (8-0, 4-0) at Indiana (4-4, 0-4), 3:30 p.m.
The Scoop: Dan Dakich tweeted out earlier this year that “Iowa will Iowa eventually.” This is something that I truly agree with. The Hawkeyes always find a way to blow their promising season, a few years back it was in a game at home with Northwestern. Indiana had a much needed bye week and returns to the field healthy. Historically the Hoosiers have played well against Iowa, for whatever reason. As an IU football fan, I believe the Hoosiers will win this game. A win here would mean the Hoosiers would just need to beat Michigan, Maryland or Purdue to get to a bowl. So, I can totally see a scenario where they upset Iowa, only to break my heart later on.
Iowa will Iowa eventually, and so will the Hoosiers.
Nick’s Pick: Indiana 45, Iowa 35.

NFL Week 9 11/8-11/9

Denver (7-0) at Indianapolis (3-5), 4:25 p.m.
The Scoop: This one could get ugly.
The Colts had a roller coaster ride last week at Carolina and the road only gets tougher this week. Indy is coming off a short week, breaking in a new offensive coordinator, might be without T.Y. Hilton and taking on the league’s best defense. Yeah, not looking forward to this as a Colts fan.
I give Indy a fighting chance because, well, the Colts always seems to play better against better competition. But, there just isn’t much to say about this game, Denver is far superior.
Nick’s Pick: Broncos 34, Colts 21.

Chicago (2-5) at San Diego (2-6), 8:30 p.m. Monday Night Football
The Scoop: I wonder if ESPN wishes it could flex to a different game this week.
On paper, this is an awful MNF game. But, considering the fact that both teams lack a good defense, this could be a shootout between Jay Cutler and Phillip Rivers and that will make for a great game. I’m excited to watch this game unfold, I really think there will be a lot of fireworks but I don’t know that the Bears will have enough in the end. Chicago has struggled to finish games the past two weeks, so I’ll give the edge to the home team.
Nick’s Pick: Chargers 43, Bears 38.