Illinois at Washington
UW -13.5, Over/Under 65
All of Washington’s shakiness makes this game a lot more compelling than we thought it would be a month ago. Still like the Huskies to win big – again maybe not as big to start the year – but should still cover two TDs. That over looks fat and juice too considering UW’s defense has given up 68 points in two games. I see this one playing out like this…Illinois keeps it close for the first half and at the break its 24-21. Washington opens up in the second to win 45-31. Get the cover and the over.
Indiana at Bowling Green
IU -8, O/U 72.5
Bowling Green is a decent MAC team and after last week there are no guarantees with the Big Ten versus these pesky MAC clubs. I think the Falcons keep it close but the Hoosiers still cover. As for that O/U, Indiana is expected to have a pretty good offense, even if they took things slow opening week. BGSU’s defense was obliterated week one by Western Kentucky and gave up 59 points. The problem is something like a 38-28 final while high scoring doesn’t get you over that huge figure Vegas has posted. Personally I think there are better games to bet on than this one but since we are going to throw down for all these games I’ll take Indiana.
Iowa vs Iowa State
UI -11, O/U 49
Stay away, stay away, stay away!!! Iowa is too inconsistent to bet right now. Damn the logic, full degenerate gambling ahead. Iowa’s offense has been so bad thus far and the defense is at just 18 points allowed per game so far…that is a recipe for making the under a safer bet. I’m not sure there is enough degenerate blood in me to even take a stab at the spread. Gut says take the points but I would be keeping my money in my wallet on that side of the game.
Maryland vs West Virginia
UM -3.5, O/U 60.5
Is Maryland a good team? We don’t know what to make of them after that ragged performance at USF. Is WVU a good team? We seem to be pinning a lot on a competitive loss to Alabama. Vegas has these teams essentially dead even with that spread. I’ll keep away from that but the over looks tasty. WVU put up 23 against the Crimson Tide and is averaging almost 40 a game. As for the Terps they may have only scored 24 a week ago but six turnovers has been known to affect your scoring ability.
Michigan vs Miami (OH)
UM -32.5, O/U 51.5
The RedHawks are lousy. They haven’t won a game since 2012. Michigan has had a whole week to read about how the season is lost, Hoke is on the hot seat and other criticisms. I expect this one to look a lot like the week one blowout UM enjoyed. Not only do they cover, but I think they can hit the over/under single handedly. This is my lock of the week.
Minnesota at TCU
TCU -15, O/U 49
Gary Patterson has made a lot of money being a stellar defensive-minded coach and I trust his brain power to be able to shut down a very one-dimensional Gopher team. The opposing defense isn’t too shabby either as the Gopher D has only given up points late in games with the subs. Two good Ds has me liking the under. In fact, I think Minnesota’s defense will manage to keep this thing pretty close close. Give me the points in a low scoring game – I’m thinking something like 24-21, 24-17…somewhere on that block.
Nebraska at Fresno State
NU -10.5, O/U 62
What a difference one game makes. No way this would barely be a double digit spread if Nebraska had put in a good performance against McNeese State. Fresno has been god awful through two weeks scoring 20 points per (112th) and giving up 55.5 per (127th). I think the Huskers did us all a favor by playing poorly in a game Vegas didn’t put a line on since the result is this – a gift wrapped game to bet on. Huskers easily cover and thanks to Fresno’s defense this game goes well over. Now that I think about it, this might be my lock of the week. Love how the sports book is basically giving us money for this game and Michigan!
Ohio State vs Kent State
OSU -32, O/U 49
OSU hasn’t done much to inspire confidence with that big a spread but Kent State has been down right stinky so far. They managed just 14 points against Ohio and 13 points against South Alabama – both home losses. After a rough game against Tech, I expect the Buckeyes defense to salivate over facing such a struggling unit. I could see OSU holding them to 10 points or under. In fact a shutout feels more likely than the Golden Flashes scoring two TDs. With that in mind does OSU have enough oomph to get that over or cover? I’m not sure about the Over, but I do think they can put at least 35 up on Kent State…I’ll take the Bucks winning big but the O/U scares me a little too much.
Penn State vs Rutgers
PSU -3, O/U 51.5
I’m a little surprised Vegas sees this as such a toss up, giving PSU the token three points as the home team. PSU beat an American Conference team that is always well coached and then dominated a decent Akron team. Rutgers meanwhile slipped past a free-falling Washington State team and then beat up on a FCS cupcake. Penn State’s resume is a lot more impressive thus far. Penn State covers. Both clubs’ defenses have played pretty well so if you are looking to double-down on this game, I would take the under.
Purdue vs Notre Dame
ND -27.5, O/U 57
Purdue struggled to score against CMU – how will they fare against the Irish? I could honestly see this game being like a 42-10 beat-down. That gets us the Irish but not that over obviously. Sounds like we got a game plan on what feels like a completely unwatchable game.
All other teams are either idle or the games are off.
Lightning Round:
Illinois/Washington – Washington, Over
Indiana/Bowling Green – Indiana
Iowa/Iowa State – Stay Away (degenerate tip – Under)
Maryland/West Virginia – Over
Michigan/Miami (OH) – Michigan, Over
Minnesota/TCU – Points, Under
Nebraska/Fresno – Nebraska, Over
Ohio State/Kent State – OSU
Penn State/Rutgers – PSU (possibly the Under if feeling lucky)
Purdue/Notre Dame – Notre Dame, Under
Big Ten and Counting 