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GUYS DID YOU HEAR ABOUT IOWA?! Oh, you did? Well then. Other than that minor, barely-worth-mentioning upset, very little else in the Big Ten was surprising last week. Nebraska took down Minnesota in the most-debated game of the week, and Michigan State showed signs of a pulse against lowly Rutgers. It seems that Week 12 will be more of the same, with just one game really looking like a contest. How will this week’s games go down? Let’s find out!
Big Ten Week 12 Preview
#2 Ohio State (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) at Michigan State (3-7, 1-6)
Saturday, 12:00 PM at East Lansing, MI
Line: Ohio State -22, O/U: 54
Ohio State put a drubbing on Maryland, beating the Terps 62-3. For the first time this season, Michigan State found itself on the winning end of a Big Ten game, defeating Rutgers 49-0. Unfortunately for the Spartans, Ohio State still has College Football Playoff on its mind – whether that’s through the Big Ten Conference Championship or otherwise. Urban Meyer goes for style points in this one.
Prediction: Ohio State 49, Michigan State 10
Iowa (6-4, 4-3) at Illinois (3-7, 2-5)
Saturday, 12:00 PM at Champaign, IL
Line: Iowa -10, O/U: 45.5
Iowa landed one of the biggest upsets in college football this season, besting then-undefeated Michigan 14-13 on a last second field goal. Illinois . . . did not have as good a week as the Hawkeyes, losing to Wisconsin 48-3. At this point it’s hard for me to envision anything but Iowa demolishing the Illini, so of course Iowa will win an ugly, close game.
Prediction: Iowa 24, Illinois 21
Maryland (5-5, 2-5) at #18 Nebraska (8-2, 5-2)
Saturday, 12:00 PM at Lincoln, NE
Line: Nebraska -13.5, O/U: ???
Maryland ran into another buzz saw from another top B1G East team, losing to Ohio State 62-3. Nebraska went into halftime trailing Minnesota 17-10 before shutting out the Gophers in the second half and winning 24-17. Like I said earlier in the season, Maryland feasted on an easy non-conference schedule and a crossover schedule that included Purdue to win four straight games, but would then struggle to win two more to get to bowl eligibility. Luckily the Terrapins still play Rutgers, so they should get to six, but it will not be this week.
Prediction: Nebraska 27, Maryland 14
#7 Wisconsin (8-2, 5-2) at Purdue (3-7, 1-6)
Saturday, 12:00 PM at West Lafayette, IN
Line: Wisconsin -28, O/U: 49.5
Wisconsin pummeled hapless Illinois last week to the tune of 48-3. Conversely, Purdue got annihilated by Northwestern 45-17. I’m not really sure what else needs to be said about this game, other than the Badgers are going to have fun toying with the Boilermakers.
Prediction: Wisconsin 49, Purdue 17
Indiana (5-5, 3-4) at #3 Michigan (9-1, 6-1)
Saturday, 3:30 PM at Ann Arbor, MI
Line: Michigan -24, O/U: 52.5
Indiana gave Penn State as much of a fight as the Nittany Lions could handle – but fell by the somewhat deceiving score of 45-31. The Michigan War Machine was left kaput by the scrappy underdog Iowa Hawkeyes, tossing the Big Ten – and College Football Playoff race – into chaos. Look for the Fightin’ Harbaughs to exact revenge against the Hoosiers, setting up an exciting showdown next week against the Buckeyes.
Prediction: Michigan 49, Indiana 24
Northwestern (5-5, 4-3) at Minnesota (7-3, 4-3)
Saturday, 3:30 PM at Minneapolis, MN
Line: Northwestern -1.5, O/U: 46
Northwestern’s resurgent offense continued its renaissance, defeating Purdue 45-17. Minnesota fought hard against Nebraska but succumbed 24-17, most likely playing themselves out of the B1G West race. Despite Northwestern’s recent run of success, I think Minnesota is still a severely underrated team, and keep the Big Ten West conversation interesting for at least one more week.
Prediction: Minnesota 24, Northwestern 17
BSD Staff Picks
Well would ya looky here – we’ve got a tie! Last week Aaron took Minnesota over the Cornhuskers, which was the difference between him and Dena. With just 2 weeks to go in the regular season, Aaron and Dena are neck-and-neck – with another couple contestants just one game back. This is why we play the game ladies and gentlemen!
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At this point in the season, we know pretty much how good these teams are. As such, most of these games are unanimous. The only game that’s getting any real action is Minnesota-Northwestern, with a handful of people taking the Wildcats. Oh, and Eli is on his crazy train, taking Maryland over Nebraska. We shall see! On to another weekend of Big Ten action!