Big Ten: Week 6 Preview

Kain Colter and the Northwestern Wildcats will look to upset No. 4 Ohio State.

After a pair of fairly indifferent weeks, the Big Ten schedule takes on an air of respectability this week as conference play kicks off in earnest.

All eyes will be on Evanston, Ill., Saturday night as No. 4 Ohio State faces No. 16 Northwestern in a prime time showdown that should test the mettle of the Buckeyes. Earlier in the day, No. 19 Michigan will look to rebound from a pair of subpar performances as it host Minnesota, losers against Iowa in its Big Ten opener last week.

BettingSports.com now brings you a preview of both of these games as well as a quick foray into the rest of the Big Ten schedule on this first Saturday in October.

No. 4 Ohio State at No. 16 Northwestern

Ryan Field, Evanston, IL, 8:00 p.m. ET

Urban Meyer is on the hunt for an18-0 start to his OSU career.

Braxton Miller returned to the Buckeye fold last Saturday, leading Ohio State (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) to a 31-24 victory over a 23rd ranked Wisconsin (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten). Miller, who missed two-plus games with a knee injury, completed 17 of 25 passes for 198 yards and four touchdowns, and ran for another 83 yards. Simply put, it was business as usual for Urban Meyers team.

The Buckeyes will face another tough challenge this week, taking a road trip to Northwestern (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten), another unbeaten side. The Wildcats will enter the game with an extra week of rest following last Saturday’s bye, which could be an important factor in the game.

The Wildcats will be looking to start the season 5-0 for the second straight year, something it hasn’t done since Teddy Roosevelt was in office. They’ll have starting running back Venric Mark back on the field after he missed three games with a leg injury.

Ohio State has won four straight meetings between the two schools, and 33 of 35 dating back to 1964. The two sides have not faced each other since November 2008.

The Buckeyes opened as favorite. The spread opened at 5.5 but has subsequently shifted to 7.5. OSU is 4-1-0 ATS this season while Northwestern is 2-2-0 ATS.

The total opened at 70 but has slipped to as low as 58 as game day has approached. Ohio State (3-2-0) has favored the over while Northwestern (2-2-0) has split the over/under evenly.

Minnesota at No. 19 Michigan

Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI, 3:30 p.m. ET

Devin Gardner has thrown eight interceptions already.

After unconvincing victories over Akron and Connecticut, No. 19 Michigan (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten) will look to stand up and be counted Saturday afternoon. Not only will the Wolverines attempt to prove themselves worthy of their AP status, they’ll also look to retain the Little Brown Jug against long-time rivals Minnesota (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten).

The Golden Gophers failed to regain one trophy last weekend – losing 23-7 to Iowa and watching Floyd of Rosedale make a beeline for Iowa City – and are expected to let another slip by this weekend. But Michigan’s play of late suggests this might not be the blowout some expect.

Devin Gardner will need to take better care of the football. He’s thrown eight interceptions already this season, including two last week against the Huskies and three against the Zips. Meanwhile, the Wolverines as a team have lost three fumbles over the last two games. Lack of ball control against the Gophers could prove costly.

Still, history favors the Wolverines. Michigan leads the all-time head-to-head 72-24-3. The Wolverines have won the last five meetings and 16 of 17. The Gophers have beaten the Wolverines just three times (1977, 1986, 2005) since 1968.

Michigan opened as the favorite but a spread that stood at 21 has slipped to 19. The Wolverines (2-2-0 ATS) failed to cover in each of their last two games. Minnesota (2-2-0 ATS) has failed to cover twice in three games.

The total opened at 52 and has slipped to 49. Both schools have split the over/under evenly in their first four games of the season.

Around the Conference

Iowa will look to build on last week’s win over Minnesota.

After defeating Minnesota in its conference opener, Iowa (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten) will look to continue setting the pace in the Legends Division. The Hawkeyes host Michigan State (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten) in a game that will serve as the Spartans’ conference-opener.

Iowa scored a 19-16 victory at Spartan Stadium last season, making it five wins from the last seven against the Spartans. In fact, the Hawkeyes own a 23-19-2 advantage in the all-time head-to-head but Michigan State is a team that needs to win in order to find its own identity. Iowa opened as a two-point favorite but that number is down to 1. The over/under opened at and remains at 38.

Nebraska (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten) will open the Big Ten portion of its schedule with a visit from Illinois (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten). The Cornhuskers own a 6-2-1 record over the Fighting Illini, but the two schools have not met since 1986. Having had an extra week to prepare, Nebraska’s dominance may well continue in Lincoln.

The Cornhuskers opened as favorite with the spread at 10.5 but that number has slumped as low as 8 with some sportsbooks. The over/under opened at 72 but has crashed down to 60.5.

Indiana (2-2, 0-0 Big Ten) will look to do something it has never done before on Saturday: beat Penn State (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten). The Hoosiers are 0-16 all-time against the Nittany Lions, a trend that dates back to the first meeting between the schools in November 1993. The Hoosiers have had two weeks to prepare for this game and will be playing at home. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Penn State has also had a fortnight to prepare.

The Nittany Lions are narrow favorites on the road, with the spread opened at 4 and subsequently shifting to 3. The over/under opened at 58 and has climbed to 66 ahead of kickoff in Bloomington.

After last week’s loss to OSU sent the Badgers sprawling out of the AP Top 25, Wisconsin (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) will take the week off before welcoming Northwestern to Madison in Week 7. Gary Anderson’s side is by no means out of the Big Ten championship hunt, but needing the Buckeyes to lose two looks like to tall an order from this vantage point.

Purdue (1-4, 0-1 Big Ten) will also be idle this weekend. The Boilermakers are licking their wounds after three straight losses and the prospect of a visit from Nebraska next Saturday is hardly likely to pick up spirits in West Lafayette, Ind.

BIG TEN SCHEDULE

Week 6

Saturday (All times ET)

12:00 Penn State (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten) at Indiana (2-2, 0-0 Big Ten) (matchup)

12:00 Illinois (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten) at Nebraska (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten) (matchup)

12:00 Michigan State (3-1, 0-0 Big Ten) at Iowa (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten) (matchup)

3:30 Minnesota (4-1, 0-1 Big Ten) at No. 19 Michigan (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten) (matchup)

8:00 No. 4 Ohio State (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) at No. 16 Northwestern (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten) (matchup)

Bye: Purdue, Wisconsin

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