Illinois vs Wisconsin
Wisconsin -26, Over / Under 51
Can Wisconsin even score 28 points? Well that was the joke I made last week against Maryland and UW cruised to a 25 point win. The thing is Illinois isn’t nearly as good as Maryland. Badgers steamroll the worst team in the league.
Indiana at Maryland
Indiana -4.5, O/U 53
With the rash of injuries Maryland has had, I’m going to take the Hoosiers breaking through for their first league victory, pulling away in the fourth to win by ten and get the cover. I hate that over/under though, avoid that. If Maryland wins it is probably a shootout. If Indiana wins it is probably because of their defense which has been playing well, for example they slowed down MSU a couple weeks ago.
Iowa vs Minnesota
Iowa -8, O/U 43
I’m telling you, with Iowa take the under! Until this offense can play a full sixty minutes of good ball and until new OC Brian Ferentz can call a fully consistent game plan, I don’t trust them to put up a ton of points. Factor that in with a good defense and you have the making of a lot of low scoring games featuring Iowa. As for the spread, I’m going with Minnesota. Not that I think they win in Iowa City (although they honestly could) but the fact that the spread is OVER a whole touchdown makes me feel very good since Iowa will probably win a typical Iowa-Minnesota game, 10-9.
Michigan vs Rutgers
Michigan -24, O/U 44
Can Michigan even score 24 points? Okay, fine, I’ll stop. Here’s the thing, RU’s defense hasn’t been too shabby. Washington struggled to score, Purdue couldn’t score, Illinois couldn’t score, and some other fine play has me thinking Rutgers won’t give up that many points, maybe like 30-40. That means if Rutgers just backs into a touchdown or two, it makes the odds of Michigan covers that much smaller. Take the points.
Michigan State at Northwestern
MSU -2.5, O/U 42
Probably a dumb thing since I picked NU as the team with the best upset potential this week BUT, the Cats have struggled against top-end teams this year. For instance Penn State and Wisconsin both pulled away. Michigan State is ranked, beat Michigan, and has a good defense, I think Sparty pulls away late, too.
Nebraska at Purdue
Purdue -5.5, O/U 54
I know the Huskers have had their troubles this season but you all caught Purdue last week against Rutgers, right? Take those points because the Cornhuskers are winning outright.
Ohio State vs Penn State
OSU -7, O/U 70
Two fantastic offenses means the over is toast. Each score in the 30s with at least 42 points probably being needed to pick up the victory. I’m also going with the Buckeyes. Lots of good teams have crashed and burned in the horseshoe. Buckeyes take it, 45-35.
Lightning Round for Non-Readers:
Illinois/Wisconsin – UW
Indiana/Maryland – IU
Iowa/Minnesota – Points, Under
Michigan/Rutgers – Points
Michigan State/Northwestern – MSU
Nebraska/Purdue – Points
Ohio State/Penn State – OSU, Over
Big Ten and Counting 