MEET MISTER BIG TEN.

Do you believe?

We had another great weekend with our picks, going 7 of 8 for the day. Our only mis-step was Ole Miss choking at Auburn. As I've said before, Ole Missy is one of the toughest teams to predict. You say win, they lose. You say lose, they win. Frustrating. We also came close to missing out on the Georgia-Tennessee game as the Vols and Dawgs battled to the end in what is sure to be a classic, and Ohio State escaped Evanston with a late game win over Northwestern.

But, thru six weeks, we are batting an incredible 85%. And that, my friends, translates into some serious cash and a higher income bracket.

 

Special Guest. Special Insight.

Mister Big Ten in Vegas

Today we welcome Francisco Castelan (aka Fran, Franny, Fran the Man, Pancho) as he provides a special perspective on Saturday's matchup between Northwestern and Wisconsin.

Most likely you've never met Fran but he's an important behind-the-scenes player at Woolard's Weekend Winners.  Fran is our "runner." What's that you ask? It's pretty straightforward. As we post our predictions every Friday, Fran is responsible for communicating our picks to our Las Vegas sports book where rubber meets the road. While Fran could handle all of this with a simple phone call to Vegas, he prefers flying to this desert oasis and personally submitting our picks. We're not sure but we think he has a thing for limos, show girls, and playing the tables. In any event, Fran is a high roller when it comes to making things happen.

Unique Background

Fran is "MISTER BIG TEN."

Fran at NU's Ryan Field

Having grown up in Chicago, Fran graduated from the University of Illinois where he developed his love for Big Ten football as a Fighting Illini.  Yearning for brats and brews, Fran headed north to Madison, Wisconsin where he majored in Badger football while earning a masters degree. Then, after a brief stint at the University of Wyoming where he managed their rodeo program, Fran heeded the call of the Second City and returned to Chicago where he joined Northwestern University as one of the lead academic advisors for pre-med students in Evanston. He can personally attest that the team has several future doctors currently on the gridiron.

So, Fran knows his Big Ten football: the trials and tribulations at Illinois. The 'jump around' craziness at Wisconsin. And now the resurgence of Northwestern Wildcat football, Chicago's Big Ten Team.

Fran is prepared to provide his prediction for the Wildcat-Badger contest, but first, a little Q&A with Mister Big Ten.

Time for Q&A with Mister Big Ten.

WWW:  Any big differences between Wisconsin and Northwestern football?
FRAN:   The biggest thing is the atmosphere. Madison is a true college town and the entire community is all about Badger football in the fall. With Northwestern, the football vibe is more contained to campus. Plus being located so close to Chicago there's a lot going on, not just NU football.

WWW:  There seems to be a resurgence with the Widlcat program. True?
FRAN:  Until the last few years Northwestern had hit or miss success. But now with the team's success, there's a lot of momentum building in Evanston. Really neat to see that.

Corso and Company on campus

WWW:  There was some excitement at Northwestern last week. What gives?
FRAN:   Excitement, you bet!  ESPN's College Game Day was on campus for the Ohio State-NU game, plus the Mike & Mike show set up right across from my office. So we had a lot of on-campus buzz all week and the students, faculty, and fans really

got into it. Sort of helps when you have NU alumni in high places.

Can't beat the taste of a brat

WWW:  What exactly is a Wisconsin brat and what makes them so tasty?
FRAN:   A Wisconsin brat is a German sausage (red or white) that is boiled in onions, butter, and beer. PBR is always a good option for the beer. Once it's boiled, you slap those babies on the grill. Pure heaven!

WWW:   What's your favorite football memory?
FRAN:   Hands down it's got to be the 2000 Rose Bowl in Pasadena where I saw Ron Dayne run like a maniac and rack up 200 yards on 34 carries. He was named MVP as the Badgers won 17-9 over Stanford. Great game, great experience!

Football at The Friendly Confines

WWW:  As a Cubs fan, how do you feel about Northwestern playing games at Wrigley Field?
FRAN:   First, I live about 3 blocks from Wrigley so you can't beat the convenience! But I think it's pretty cool to see Big Ten football played there, especially as Northwestern positions itself as Chicago's Big Ten Team. So far no footballs have been lost in the ivy.

WWW:  Last question. Any hope for the Cubs?
FRAN:   There's always next year!!

FRAN'S TAKE ON NORTHWESTERN vs WISCONSIN

Wisconsin rumbled with Ohio State two weeks ago and was sent into a bye week licking their wounds, while Northwestern maintained its top 20 ranking after being run over by a late surging Ohio State last week. Both of these teams are looking to bounce back and pride is on the line. It will be interesting to see how Northwestern handles a Wisconsin team that left a bad taste in their mouth on their last encounter (Badgers won 70-23 in 2010).

Ready to roll north to Camp Randall

Working at Northwestern, it was magical to see Big Ten football come to life on campus and to see ESPN and football being the focus of homecoming - truly inspiring of a building football team and fan base. Typically any sport-related energy on the NU campus is focused on golf, women’s lacrosse, soccer, engineering and being premed (not necessarily in that order).  The inside scoop? My scouts, who also happen to be premed, have brought to my attention the secret weapon for NU football this season. The Wildcats not only bring the smarts to the field, they come prepared with their latest weapon- a good night’s rest - and mandatory nap time on game day.

Wisconsin football was my first real introuction to hard core college football, so from my perspective, the Wildcats will need to be ready for a larger crowd and a larger game in Madison. Northwestern football will get a feel for a true homecoming football game at Camp Randall.

Even though the Badgers are not ranked, the offense, led by running back Melvin Gordon (68 carries/698 yards and 7 TDs for the season) will bounce back after a tough loss to Ohio State and eventually take the game. It will be a battle both in the air and on the ground from both teams. Northwestern will need to close the deal in the second half if they are going to be able to take out Wisconsin, but only if they can build a hearty lead in the first half.

I'm cheering for a breakout TD catch by Jared Abbrederis (averaging 114 receiving yards/game) to kick off the first quarter. And as those beer boiled brats are moved to the grill, the cheers will be echoing from the streets of the State Capitol all the way to the shores of Lake Michigan. Well, maybe to the shores of Lake Wisconsin.

I'm betting on the running games to be established by the second quarter - - just in time for the cheese curds to be coming out of the deep fryer. And if Wisconsin did their homework watching NU vs. Ohio State film from last week, their oversized lines should be ready for Northwestern. NU will need to bring speed and grit to a Wisconsin team that has had 13 first round draft picks in the last 15 years.

This Badger means business

So, I’m making the call that the Badgers take this one 34-27. So everyone get ready to Jump Around!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for our winning picks for Saturday!

MAKE MO MONEY WITH MARK®