Big Ten college football picks, odds in Week 8: Ohio State faces stout defense, Penn State aims for redemption

Purdue is 5-2, 3-1 in the Big Ten West. Wisconsin is 3.4, 1-3 in Big League West and is a slight underdog at Purdue. If Purdue wins, Purdue will be alone atop the standings ahead of Illinois (6- 1,3). If Wisconsin wins and Illinois loses, Illinois takes over first place.

Iowa plays Ohio State at home. The Hawkeyes are favored by 30 points. Iowa's pass defense is the best in the country. Ohio is unbeaten and the team is preparing for a big trip to No. 16 Penn State next week.

Minnesota Golden Gophers take on No. 16 Penn State Nittany Lions. Minnesota has struggled recently, scoring just 24 points in two games. Last week, Michigan dominated the game and won 41-17. Mohamed Ibrahim has surpassed 100 yards in five games this season. Penn Nissans are taking on their former coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca. The over-under is 44.5.

Wisconsin Badgers are playing their first home game since the firing of Paul Chryst. The Badger defense has been very good under interim coach Jim Leonhard. Purdue has the best defense of Jeff Brohm's tenure. Boilermakers put up 608 yards and 43 points in a win over Nebraska last week.

Maryland is a 14-point favorite against Northwestern. Northwestern is on a five-game losing streak. The Terrapins beat Indiana last week. Wisconsin beat Northwestern 42-7 two weeks ago. Northwestern lost 17- 7 at Penn State on Oct. 1.

Rutgers is favored by three points at Indiana. The Hoosiers are one-dimensional and Rutgers is a very good rushing defense. Rutgers won 38-3 at the Hoops last season. SportsLine's computer model has returned more than $3,100 in profit over the past six-plus seasons.