Big Ten Preview and BSD Challenge - Week 4

There are still a handful of out of conference games remaining, but the meat of the Big Ten schedule officially kicks off this weekend. There are a handful of interesting games this week, so read on, make your own picks, and see if you know better than the masthead!

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Nebraska (0-2, 0-0) at #19 Michigan (2-1, 0-0)

Ann Arbor, MI

Saturday, September 22nd, 12:00 PM

Line: MICH -18

Well this should be an interesting game. Michigan’s defense is definitely legitimate, and their offense has shown improvement the last few weeks. I don’t think Nebraska is quite as bad as their first two games would indicate, so I’ll take Michigan to win, but not to cover.

Michigan 35, Nebraska 20

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#23 Boston College (3-0) at Purdue (0-3)

West Lafayette, IN

Saturday, September 22nd, 12:00 PM

Line: BC -6.5

Welp, so much for the Purdue hype this year. I had them as a darkhorse for the West, but it seems that Jeff Brohm is still figuring things out. BC will slowly strangle the life from the Boilermakers, and cover in a low-scoring affair.

Boston College 21, Purdue 10

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Buffalo (3-0) at Rutgers (1-2)

Piscataway, NJ

Saturday, September 22nd, 12:00 PM

Line: BUFF -3.5

Strangely Buffalo is actually secretly decent? Rutgers is going to struggle in every game from here on out, and I expect this to be one of them. It’s virtually a toss up, but I’ll go with da Bulls to close the casket on Rutgers’ season just 4 weeks into the year.

Buffalo 35, Rutgers 28

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Minnesota (3-0, 0-0) at Maryland (2-1, 0-0)

College Park, MD

Saturday, September 22nd, 12:00 PM

Line: MD -3

A week ago I would have picked Maryland in this game. Getting mollywhopped by Temple? Well that just may move you down a few rungs on the ladder. I’d like to think Maryland at least gets back on its feet, but I don’t see them winning this game. Give me Minnesota.

Minnesota 28, Maryland 24

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Tulane (1-2) at #4 Ohio State (3-0)

Columbus, OH

Saturday, September 22nd, 3:30 PM

Line: OSU -35

Do I have to write about this game? Ohio State will score a lot, Tulane will not.

Ohio State 56, Tulane 10

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#24 Michigan State (1-1, 0-0) at Indiana (3-0, 0-0)

Bloomington, IN

Saturday, September 22nd, 7:30 PM

Line: MSU -4.5

This should be a really fun game. Michigan State stumbled hard losing to Arizona State, and Indiana is somehow undefeated. I’m going with Michigan State to win but not to cover.

Michigan State 31, Indiana 28

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#18 Wisconsin (2-1, 0-0) at Iowa (3-0, 0-0)

Iowa City, IA

Saturday, September 22nd, 8:30 PM

Line: WIS -3.5

Hands down the most interesting game of the week. Wisconsin played with fire the first few games and finally got burned by BYU. Iowa, meanwhile, has quietly dispatched its opponents with no muss or fuss. I’m going to throw a wildcard out there and say that Wisconsin loses this game, shockingly ending its playoff hopes in mid-September.

Iowa 28, Wisconsin 24

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BSD Challenge

Through the first quarter of the season, we have a barn burner in the BSD Challenge standings.

Aaron has taken a two-game lead over yours truly, who in turn has a two-game lead over a pack of pickers, before things get really messy. Picking against the spread, rather than straight up, has proven to be more difficult, as most weeks the best writers go just one or two games over .500. I’ll keep you updated on the running throughout the season.

For this week, check out the staff’s picks below. For reference, the line used for the Penn State - Illinois game was PSU -26.5. The masthead was unanimous for the following games:

• Penn State -26.5 over Illinois
• Minnesota +3 over Maryland
• Ohio State -35 over Tulane

That leaves five games up for grabs:

Like me, several people think Nebraska will compete with Michigan, while a few writers think that Purdue will make a game of it against Boston College. We’re also evenly split on the Buffalo-Rutgers pillow fight.

I’m the only one that thinks that Indiana will keep it close against Michigan State, while most of the writers think Wisconsin covers their game at Iowa.

What do you think, dear reader? Who ya got in week four?