This week should help define what teams should compete for the upper middle tier of the conference. We already know about Ohio State and Michigan State, but this week, we’ll find out more about Illinois, Northwestern, Nebraska, Iowa and Penn State.
There’s not necessarily the marquee matchup like last week with Michigan State, but there are several games that could help the Big 10 change a bit of their perception.
Or this week could be disastrous, confirming what many in the nation already believe.
Here are two games we’re watching this week in the Big 10.
Big 10 Season: 15-13 ATS
Last week: 9-6 ATS
Northwestern at Duke (-3.5)
Northwestern’s victory against Stanford is still one of the Big 10’s biggest wins of the season. The Wildcats will now attempt to register another big win when it travels to Duke.
We believed the Wildcats would enter this season with an edge, based on how they fared in the last few seasons. Northwestern has done a good job of competing during Pat Fitzgerald’s tenure, but it hasn’t done a great job of finishing the game.
Duke is 2-0 straight up and against the spread. The Blue Devils have hammered its two opponents, winning by an average of 42.5 points per game.
We’re not buying the Blue Devils as a dominant force yet. Duke had to replace several weapons on offense from last year. It also had to replace a four-year starter on the offensive line. We like the fact the Wildcats have already played a quality team, which should give the Wildcats more of an edge than what Duke can claim with the home-field advantage. — Go against the chalk with Northwestern
Western Kentucky at Indiana (-1.5)
We don’t believe in Indiana. The Hoosiers trailed last week at halftime against Florida International, before utilizing FIU turnovers to win by two scores.
While the Panthers did defeat an overrated Central Florida team in week 1, they aren’t as good as the Hilltoppers.
Western Kentucky has defeated Vanderbilt and Louisiana Tech already this season, and Louisiana Tech should be decent. Both of those games were close, so that gives us enough confidence that the Hilltoppers are ready to not only compete on the road, but beat the Hoosiers.
Western Kentucky should be able to score plenty of points and won’t turn the ball over like Florida International did last week. Be confident in the non-power-five conference team to not only cover, but win. — Go against the chalk with Western Kentucky
Other Big 10 games with a spread
Odds provided by Oddsshark
Illinois at North Carolina (-9.5)
South Florida at Maryland (-7)
UNLV at Michigan (-34)
Kent State at Minnesota (-24)
Air Force at Michigan State (-26)
Nebraska at Miami (-3)
Virginia Tech (-6.5) at Purdue
Troy at Wisconsin (-35)
Northern Illinois at Ohio State (-35)
Pittsburgh at Iowa (-6)
Rutgers at Penn State (-10)
