Hilfestellungen » the games, it would be really nice if we c

Ohio State fans need to root for Michigan. Seriously.The Buckeyes loss last Saturday to Penn State has created this somewhat uncomfortable situation, where their fans have to pull for their hated rival. Heres why: The sixth-ranked Buckeyes can win a three-way tiebreaker in the Big Ten East among themselves, Michigan and Penn State if all finish 8-1 in the conference, which would mean the Buckeyes beating the Wolverines in the regular-season finale.If Michigan were to lose before Nov. 26, Ohio State would need another Penn State loss to win the division and move on to play for the Big Ten title with an 8-1 record.Of course, the Buckeyes still need to take care of their own business, and that starts Saturday at home against Northwestern. As for No. 2 Michigan, a short road trip to Michigan State is up next. The Spartans have owned the rivalry lately, but they also currently own a five-game losing streak.Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio built a Big Ten power on a foundation of victories against Michigan. Seven in the last eight meetings to be exact. The Spartans have also won two of the last three Big ten titles, beating Ohio State along the way each time.It is a long shot, but nothing would be more Michigan State than beating Michigan and in the process helping to eliminate Ohio State.The picks:(hash)GOACCNo. 25 Virginia Tech (minus 4+) at PittsburghThe Hokies would be tough to catch in the ACC Coastal with victories against North Carolina, Miami and Pitt ... VIRGINIA TECH 27-24.FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTSNo. 22 Navy (plus 8) at South FloridaThe Bulls allowed nearly 300 yards rushing to Temple last Friday night ... USF 38-32.MARQUEE MATCHUPSNo. 3 Clemson (minus 5) at No. 12 Florida StateThe Tigers only victory in Tallahassee since the Seminoles joined the ACC in 1992 came in 2006 ... FLORIDA STATE 35-31.No. 4 Washington (minus 10) at No. 17 UtahA somewhat unexpected Pac-12 game of the year ... WASHINGTON 28-20.B1G GAMESNo. 2 Michigan (minus 23) at Michigan StateBig brother strikes back; the Wolverines havent been favored by this much against the Spartans since 1992 ... MICHIGAN 35-14.Northwestern (plus 27) at No. 6 Ohio StateThe Wildcats last victory in Columbus was in 1971; Northwestern has beaten the Buckeyes once since ... OHIO STATE 35-24.No. 7 Nebraska (plus 8+) at No. 11 WisconsinThe Huskers are 1-5 on the road against ranked teams since joining the Big Ten in 2011 ... NEBRASKA 23-20.ROAD TESTSNo. 8 Baylor (minus 3) at TexasNo. 10 West Virginia (minus 3+) at Oklahoma StateThere will be one less Big 12 unbeaten after this weekend ... TEXAS 38-31; WEST VIRGINIA 27-26.No. 13 Boise State (minus 13+) at WyomingThe Broncos are 10-0 all-time against the Cowboys ... BOISE STATE 31-23.No. 15 Auburn (minus 4+) at MississippiThis will be the sixth ranked opponent the Rebels have faced, though two no longer are ... AUBURN 33-28.CONFERENCE CALLSNo. 5 Louisville (minus 31+) at VirginiaAnother chance for Lamar Jackson to do fun stuff ... LOUISVILLE 45-21.No. 14 Florida (minus 7+) vs. Georgia at Jacksonville, FloridaTennessee needs a Gators loss; the Vols can send a thank-you card to the Bulldogs ... GEORGIA 21-17, UPSET SPECIAL.Kansas (plus 40) at No. 16 OklahomaFrom 1995-97, the Jayhawks won three straight against the Sooners; Kansas has not beaten Oklahoma and lost the last two meetings by a combined 106-14 ... OKLAHOMA 53-7.No. 18 Tennessee (minus 13) at South CarolinaPart I of the Volunteers schedule was about surviving; Part II is about not screwing up ... TENNESSEE 28-10.No. 24 Penn State (minus 11+) at PurdueWant to throw away all that positive momentum from a huge upset? Lose to Purdue ... PENN STATE 35-14.TWITTER REQUESTSMiami (minus 2+) at Notre Dame -- (at)nashman92The Hurricanes have lost three straight and the Irish are off to their worst start since 2007. Not exactly the way to revive rivalry ... NOTRE DAME 28-24.Maryland (plus 5) at Indiana -- (at)TheDudeBecksThe Terps are a victory away from bowl eligibility under new coach DJ Durkin, a season after winning three games ... INDIANA 27-24.UCF (plus 9) at Houston -- (at)brianmctaggartMaybe the bright side of Houston losing two of its last three is the Cougars might be able to keep their coach another year? Nah, probably not ... HOUSTON 37-24, BEST BET.Texas Tech (plus 8) at TCU- (at)iamDougWarrenFirst to 50 wins? Not so fast. The Red Raiders have lost four games in the last two seasons in which they have scored 50 points ... TCU 62-45.---Record: Last week 13-9 straight; 3-19 vs. points.Season: 116-45; 68-88-3.Upset specials: 2-6.Best bets: 1-7.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP---APs college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.orgCheap Mariners Jerseys . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. Wholesale Mariners Jerseys . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. https://www.cheapmariners.com/ . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. Seattle Mariners Gear . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. Stitched Mariners Jerseys . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season.As Jurgen Klopp prepares to take Liverpool to Wembley for Sundays Capital One Cup final against Manchester City, he sat down with Sky Sports to discuss fan expectations, cup finals, why hes not Santa Claus and his own take on his first five months at Anfield...Such is Jurgen Klopps charisma, you sense he could get his message across with only glares, glances, screams and smiles. But his English is impressive too. And yet, just occasionally, even hes reminded that this is not his native tongue.There was the time at his opening press conference when he spoke of delivering titles. In Germany, the word title and trophy are interchangeable. He was not promising the Premier League but rather the sort of trips that will take Liverpool to Wembley on Sunday. Another example came earlier in this competition when, after the semi-final victory over Stoke, Klopp told Sky Sports that Liverpool will win the cup regardless of their opponent in the final. Sometimes I dont use the words will and want in the right way, he explains.The German word will is the English word want, so thats a little bit of the problem. Of course, I am not sure that we will win this but we want to, for sure. Thats the only reason you are part of a competition like this.Liverpool havent been part of these occasions enough. While its only four years since the club won the Capital One Cup under Kenny Dalglish, Klopp is still able to call it a long time without fear of contradiction. Expectations are always there at Liverpool.Raising those expectations can be a delicate balancing act. Roy Hodgson paid the price for dampening them, while Brendan Rodgers brought hope before crushing disappointment. Klopp feels like the man to unleash them, but he too acknowledges the scale of the task. Aguero v Sturridge Could this be the key battle in the Capital One Cup final on Sunday? The whole situation is a challenge, he says. Liverpool is a club with a big, big, big history and all the clubs in the world have a big history if the present is not too successful. If you have never had success then nobody knows how it is but in Liverpool everybody knows how it was. Thats part of the problem.There is a lot of pressure on the situation. Thats normal. The challenge is to stay cool enough to handle the pressure in the moment so that you can succeed in the future. It needs time, nobody wants to hear it but thats the truth, if you want to have success in the future you have to be ready to work now. Thats the job.There are many reasons why Rodgers lost that job. But for all the transfer follies, a final-day thrashing at Stoke, the loss of key players and Premier League matches, for Liverpool fans returning to Wembley, its memories of an FA Cup semi-final that will flood back on Sunday.The sight of a disjointed team tactically outwitted by Tim Sherwoods Aston Villa ended Rodgers hopes of delivering silverware and crystallised the situation at Anfield. If that brings bad memories, Klopps own return to Wembley sparks mixed emotions. Jurgen Klopps previous Wembley experience ended in Champions League defeat The 2013 Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich couldve been his crowning glory. But Arjen Robbens late goal denied his side. It was two things, one of the best days in my life and one of the worst days in my life, he admits.Thats how it is if you go to a final and cant win it. The qualification for the final was a great journey and to lose the final is not the best thing, of course. But its a great stadium so it was not because of the stadium. Everything is okay with me and Wembley.Although Klopp won the double with Dortmund in 2012, cup finals havent been particularly kind to the 48-year-old German. He still recalls Mats Hummels being denied a second-half goal that would have given his side the lead over Bayern in the 2014 cup final.It was a goal and everybody saw afterwards that it was a goal at a very important moment and it would have decided the game, he recalls. But the referee disallowed it and then they make the goal so you lose the final.Even his final match as Dortmund boss failed to provide the perfect ending - beaten 3-1 by Wolfsburg. So any empathy with his Manchester City counterpart Manuel Pellegrini, a man looking to bow out with a trophy, comes with a caveat. I lost my last final with my former club so its not a guarantee, he says.Just because you want to give a present doesnt mean you can give a present. I have maximum respect for the work Manuel did but we are not Santa Claus, they have a few other opportunities and if they want they can take one of these. I have maximum respect for the work Manuel did but we are not Santa Claus. Jurgen Klopp on why there will be no presents for Man City Klopp gives the impressiion that he fancies his chances against Pellegrini and its easy to imagine why after that 4-1 away win in November.dddddddddddd Liverpool overwhelmed City that day with an energy that brought the worst out in their hosts. They seemed sluggish by comparison.It was really good, says Klopp. It was one of our best games, for sure, but it was necessary against Man City because you cant play at 60, 70, 80 or 90 per cent, you have to bring your best on the pitch. Thats what we did in this game.Usually you use the last two or three games before to analyse but in this case when you have already played against each other you use that game too. We will do the same but its different. More important is the moment. That was long ago. Simon Mignolet believes winning the League Cup this weekend could have a similar effect on Liverpool as it did on Chelsea at the start of Jose Mourinhos reign Of course, in that time the style of Man City didnt change, they break the rhythm all the time, they play really cool and slow until they speed up and they accelerate and they have outstanding individual quality.You have to try to give them as many questions as possible in the game, so they cannot do what they want to do, whats easy for them, whats their plan. So we will be prepared, no doubt about this, and we have to show our best performance. Man City 1 Liverpool 4 Will Liverpool win again? Five clues from the last clash. Those performance levels have fluctuated more than he would have liked since arriving to much excitement in October. So whats Klopps verdict so far? Not great, he says. It could have been better, it could have been worse. But we feel in a good way, thats the truth.We know about all our problems. We know about all our good things that we have done until now. Of course, at the end we can say it is not enough points, thats how it is, but there are always reasons for this, thats all we can say.What I recognised since Ive been here, every one of the players is obviously keen to win titles, to win cups - its not possible for us this year in the league to win something so we have to be fully concentrated in this tournament. We have to handle the pressure.If you want something with all you have, it sometimes makes the pressure too big. Football is a game and you have to act like youre in a game, you have to gamble, you have to be cheeky, enjoy the game, if you only feel pressure then you cannot play your best football.How cheeky hell be on Sunday remains to be seen. There wont be a repeat of the infamous 1996 FA Cup final - I heard about this, one time in the past there was one Liverpool squad who came in white suits - but his squad will be suited up. And they will be ready.Its a final so its not important how good you are usually, it is only important how good you are in this game so its a big chance for us. Its a chance and thats all I need. You should not waste opportunities of winning titles and cups and Im ready for winning something. You should not waste opportunities of winning titles and cups and Im ready for winning something. Jurgen Klopp on the search for silverware this Sunday Im not the guy to sit here and say for sure, we will win it because I know football. [But] for all the effort of our supporters - the time, money and kilometres - they put in to go to the games, it would be really nice if we could celebrate this big thing together.And in the perfect setting? The name is a really good sound. Wembley, Klopp adds, appearing fascinated by the very word as it tumbles from his lips. Going there is one of the best things you can do in life - sports life - and one time is not enough.Im there for a second time… hopefully with a better ending.Also See:Lessons from Man City 1-4 LiverpoolKey battle: Aguero v SturridgeCapital One Cup final previewLiverpool handed injury boost ' ' '