The Big Ten performed shockingly well in Week 1, going 17-1 outright with Minnesota being the only loser. On Betting the Big Ten, we hit on many of the blowout wins but suffered more close losses, as Michigan narrowly missed covering by one point. On the whole we went 6-10-2. The only way to go is up.
Here are our picks for this week's slate of Big Ten games. All lines are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. Please bet responsibly.
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Duke had been favored in this game earlier in the week, but the spread has since crossed the bridge over to Northwestern. In a game between two academic power houses on the shores of Lake Michigan, I'll take the Wildcats to cover.
Prior to Week 1, this game was sitting at Texas -2.5. Following the Longhorns' thrashing of Colorado State and Michigan's perceived struggles against Fresno State, the line jumped all the way up to 7.5. Interestingly, while just eight percent of the total bets are on Michigan, according to The Action Network, 95 percent of the money is on the Wolverines. That's good enough for me to take the Wolverines.
Drew Allar and Penn State looked damn good at West Virginia in Week 1. However, I think they're primed for a letdown spot here against Bowling Green. The Falcons have experience at quarterback, as former Missouri and Indiana quarterback Connor Bazelak now plays there. Call it a hunch, but I like Bowling Green to not get totally humiliated.
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Akron looked okay at times during the first half against Ohio State before the wheels fell off in the second half. However, injuries took their toll on the Zips. While Akron is a step up in competition over Howard, I like the Scarlet Knights to cruise yet again against a hampered Akron team.
The Cy-Hawk game is one of the more underrated rivalries in college football. That's largely because of how unwatchable it's been in recent years due to some inept offense. The Hawkeye offense was one of the main stories nationally last week, as Iowa scored 40(!) points. Call me cynical, but I don't believe things have changed that much. The under has hit five years in a row in this rivalry. I love a good, long trend.
Aidan Chiles and Michigan State struggled mightily against Florida Atlantic in Week 1 with Chiles vowing to be better in the postgame press conference. However, the schedule gets much more difficult with a feisty Maryland team hosting the Spartans. In the past two years, Maryland has been favored by just over a touchdown each time and each time they've covered. I bet that continues.
I'm a bit perplexed as to why this spread is so low. On paper, Washington looks like the far superior team and hosts a small school traveling cross-country. My hypothesis is Vegas doesn't quite know what to do with Washington just yet, as it boasts a brand new roster and coaching staff. For now, I'm cautiously hoping the Huskies are easy money here.
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Both teams are coming off absurd blowouts that didn't tell us much about the makeup of either team. When these two teams met head-to-head in 2023, Kansas was favored by 3.5 and won by 11. This Kansas team doesn't appear as good as the 2023 team was on paper, but I don't believe in Illinois whatsoever. Give me the Jayhawks.
Western Michigan was pesky last week against Wisconsin, covering the 24-point spread with ease. However, if the Broncos struggled to stop Wisconsin's version of an Air Raid offense, I find it hard to believe they'll stop Ohio State's vaunted offense.
This could be the best game of the week outside of Michigan vs. Texas. It will be fascinating to see Dominic Raiola's performance against a shaky Colorado defense. Last year, Colorado handled the Cornhuskers easily, winning 36-14. I'm certainly no Deion believer, but 7.5 is too many points for me to lay to feel comfortable picking Nebraska.
Oregon looked abysmal last week, so this seems like the perfect opportunity to exercise some demons. Boise State struggled to contain Georgia Southern's offense and gave up 45 points. I can only imagine what Oregon will do.
USC's performance in Week 1 was shocking to me. I knew a win over LSU was possible, but certainly not likely. However, I think the national audience is getting swept up in the hysteria of an early season victory. USC is laying a ton of points against a historically pesky Utah State team. I'm banking on a let-down week here for the Trojans.