Big Ten Football Odds: The Best Bets In Week 8
The Michigan Wolverines football team is back in action this weekend against Northwestern in one of five Big Ten Conference games. This week is a calm before the storm before settling division races on the field.
One way to make them more interesting is to take a look at the betting angles. Each week for the rest of the year, we will look around the conference and what Vegas says about the Big Ten matchups and what some intriguing plays might be.
RELATED: Staff Predictions For Michigan Football vs. Northwestern
RELATED: Maize And Blue Breakdown Podcast: Northwestern Week
Last week was far from the best introduction on this website for me. A 1-4 mark (that would have been 2-3 if the Northwestern pick was not switched) casts a shadow over what has been an otherwise pleasant experience at The Wolverine thus far. We will be better this week and attempt to climb out of the 27-31 hole this season has created.
Here are the hypothetical plays this week across the conference. Odds are via the Vegas Insider Consensus. The times listed are Eastern.
Northwestern at No. 6 Michigan (-23.5), o/u 50.5 – 12 p.m. ET, FOX
Michigan faces a gauntlet in the second half of the season, but this matchup provides some much-needed relief coming out of a bye week. They will be able to win this game the way they did in non-conference play by running the ball down Northwestern's throat and emptying the bench.
Pick: Michigan (-23.5)
Illinois at No. 7 Penn State (-23.5), o/u 45.5 – 12 p.m. ET, ABC
At the time of this post, we are still unsure what is going on with Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford's injury status. We saw how big the dropoff was for the Nittany Lions in the Iowa game. PSU is coming off of a bye week, too. This is an identical point spread to the Michigan game, but it feels riskier.
Pick: Under 45.5
Wisconsin (-3.5) at No. 25 Purdue, o/u 40.5 – 3 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
Iowa's loss to Purdue last week means everyone on the Big Ten West controls their own destiny, including Wisconsin. Even with the Badgers' struggles this season, they still might have something to say about how they factor into the division race. Here comes a hangover game for the Boilermakers.
Pick: Wisconsin (-3.5)
Maryland at Minnesota (-4.5), o/u 54.5 – 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Maryland has come back down to earth after a 4-0 start, experiencing blowouts at the hands of Iowa and Ohio State. Minnesota is coming off of a pretty thorough win over Nebraska last week. Head coach PJ Fleck and the Gophers have an opening in the West division and they will take advantage of it this week.
Pick: Minnesota (-4.5)
No. 5 Ohio State (-21) at Indiana, o/u 58.5 – 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Indiana was able to keep an explosive offense quiet last week in a 20-15 loss to Michigan State, but it will not happen again. OSU is on the warpath once again and coming off a bye week. The Hoosiers might be a thorn in their side for a bit, but this game will not be the classic last year's was.
Pick: Over 58.5
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