Big Ten college football picks, odds in Week 5: Michigan faces road test, Minnesota welcomes opportunity
Minnesota is the only team from the Big Ten West unbeaten in league play. The Gophers are 10.5-point favorites against Purdue. Northwestern and Iowa are also unbeaten, but they are double-digit underdogs against Big League East teams. Minnesota is one of six teams from Big 10 that have not played in the conference championship game. The team that finished 11-2 last season won the division with a head-to-head victory over Wisconsin. Michigan is on the road against No. 11 Penn State. It's a big week for college football in Big ten.
No. 4 Michigan is playing Iowa. Michigan beat Iowa 42-3 in the Big Ten Championship Game last December. Iowa has scored just four offensive touchdowns in four games. The Wolverines beat Maryland 34-27 last week.
Purdue and Minnesota are playing each other in a game that is expected to be low-scoring. The Gophers defense is ranked first in the nation in yards allowed per game. Purdue's quarterback Aidan O'Connell is injured and he missed the Boilermakers' 28-26 win over FAU in Week 4.
Rutgers is playing No. 3 Ohio State. Greg Schiano worked for the Buckeyes for three years. Rutgers' margins of defeat against Ohio state so far have been 39 points (2021) and 22 points in 2020.
Penn State is favored by 25.5 points at Northwestern. Northwestern has lost three straight games since a win over Nebraska. The Wildcats just unveiled plans for a new $800 million stadium.
Illinois has won over Virginia, Wyoming and Chattanooga. Wisconsin has not shown it can beat a quality opponent by more than a touchdown. Illinois is a 7-point favorite.
Michigan State is playing at home against Maryland. The Terrapins have more firepower and better defensive ability. Michigan State's defense is ranked 97th in the nation.
Nebraska and Indiana are both bad defenses. The last time these teams met, Indiana won 38-31. SportsLine's computer model has returned more than $3,100 in profit over the past six-plus seasons.
