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Big Ten Football Round-Up;

Marc U. NFL
Braxton Miller

Miller and the Buckeyes take their unbeaten record into Bloomington tonight.

This week in the Big Ten Conference there really is nothing in the way of what you’d call a ‘great match-up’ but there are several games that offer enticing wagering opportunities. One thing is for sure in the Big Ten this year and that’s the fact that you can’t be sure about anything. I thought Michigan would struggle at Purdue, nope. I thought Minnesota would knock off Iowa in a close one, nope. I was sure Northwestern would go into Happy Valley and stop Penn State, nope. Just another weekend in the Midwest…

Iowa (+8) at Michigan State - As amazing as it sounds, Iowa is a grand total of four points away from being undefeated right now with a one point loss to Central Michigan and a three-point loss to Iowa State. The Hawkeyes rank near the bottom of the FBS in scoring and passing which could play right into the hands of MSU. The Spartans are 15th in the nation in points allowed, but they have offensive issues of their own as they rank 100th in scoring. I look for this to be a low-scoring affair and have a hard time seeing Sparty win by anything over eight. Take the Hawkeyes.

Northwestern (-3 1/2) at Minnesota – I really like what Head Coach Jerry Kill is doing at Minnesota but I think the Gophers got a dose of reality last week in getting thumped by Iowa. They return home to play the Wildcats who also came back to Earth with a loss to Penn State which was their first of the season. Northwestern has a little bit more athleticism than Minnesota especially at the skill positions so I like the Wildcats to win outright today.

Montee Ball

Ball looks to lead the Badgers past Purdue in Ross-Ade Stadium today.

Wisconsin (+1) at Purdue – Last week was widely believed to be one of the biggest games in Purdue Football history with Michigan coming to town and  struggling. Purdue had played Notre Dame better than the Wolverines had so hopes were high for an upset. A 44-13 loss later and the heads were down in Indiana. Wisconsin knows it will face a stacked box in an effort to shut down Montee Ball and the running game. The Badgers are one of the worst teams in the FBS in passing yards and the Boilers will force them to throw as best they can. Purdue is very well balanced between the pass and run and will need to remain that way if they want to win. Games like this are tough coming off emotional and disappointing losses like the Boilers had last week. In what amounts to a ‘pick’em’ game, I like the Badgers.

Illinois (+25) at Michigan – This huge spread is a combination of Michigan’s return to prominence under Brady Hoke and the complete disaster that is Illinois in 2012. The Illini are in the bottom third of nearly every offensive category in the nation and are giving up nearly 29 points per game. Michigan has improved defensively each week of the season and last week they looked to get more offense from guys not named ‘Denard Robinson.’ I think that continues this week and with the weather perhaps being rainy I think UM keeps it on the ground a lot. Can’t believe I’m going here, but take Michigan to win very big today.

Ohio State (-17 1/2) at Indiana – The Hoosiers blew a 17-point lead to Michigan Sate last week in losing by four. Ohio State beat the Spartans by one point so we should assume this will be fairly close right? Wrong. The Buckeyes just scored 63 points against Nebraska and I have no doubts that the ‘Meyer Machine’ will keep cranking tonight in Bloomington. Look for big numbers by Braxton Miller and big points on the scoreboard as I like the Buckeyes to cover.

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