Iowa at Illinois
- Illinois -3.5, Over/ Under 36.5
Lot’s of things scaring me about the spread: 1) will Illinois be hungover after the big Wisconsin win? 2) Could Iowa’s 8 straight wins in this series give them some random confidence / boost of some sorts? 3) Night home energy – sometimes it actually jukes you up too much and you come out and fail to perform. As a result…I’m going to only bet the under. If Iowa wins, it’ll be low scoring. If Illinois wins, it is probably because Iowa has about 0-10 points. Even a dominate 24-0 Illinois win doesn’t cover the over. Therefore, play it safe and bet yet another Iowa under.
Michigan at Indiana
- UM – 22.5, O/U 59.5
I might be kicking myself not taking the over but after Indiana burned me on the over against Nebraska, I’m going to play it a tad conservative and just take Michigan to put up a ton of points in this one and cover.
Purdue at Maryland
- UM -3.0, O/U 59.0
The game of the week is expected to be incredibly tight and Vegas agrees with just a 3 point spread on this one to generate action for the books. The last two Purdue games are nowhere near that over and Maryland’s game against MSU was also low scoring thanks to some good UM defense so the recent trend would indicate to take the under. Factor in a sleepy noon start, I’m talking myself into the under. I’m also tempting fate by double dipping into this pool and taking Maryland. The Terps weren’t too many plays away from taking down Michigan and as important as the win was at Minnesota for Purdue, I think that game spoke more about poor coaching prep by the Gophers staff than anything Purdue really did. I mean they had 10 points for nearly the whole game, it wasn’t that dominate of a win. With these bets now made, I’m fully prepared for a Purdue victory, 42-35.
Nebraska at Rutgers
- NU -3.0, O/U 50.5
With RU’s defensive chops (OSU notwithstanding) I want no part of the over since I have no idea what these teams will generate points wise. I do think Nebraska is the more talented team. They pick up a major road win and cover.
Wisconsin at Northwestern
- UW -10.5, O/U 44.0
Wisconsin is underachieving and not playing up to their full potential. Northwestern is just bad, bad. What does that mean for this game? I have zero clue. Personally I’d stay away…but if you really, really, really want to have some action in this game, I’m inclined to take Wisconsin. I expect Jimmy Leonhard to let the offense open things up a little and I expect the players to ball out for their new coach. Am I already sweating and regretting my pick? You bet I am!
Ohio State at Michigan State
- OSU -27.0, O/U 65.0
I don’t love that big of an over because OSU hasn’t been dropping 50+ bombs on teams like I expected them to this year so I’ll play it safe and just take the Bucks to cover.
Bye Week:
Minnesota, Penn State
Lightning Round for Non-Readers:
Illinois/Iowa – Under
Indiana/Michigan – UM
Maryland/Purdue – UM, Under
Nebraska/Rutgers – NU
Northwestern/Wisconsin – UW
Ohio State/Michigan State – OSU
Big Ten and Counting 