Big Ten Football: Best bets for Wisconsin-Iowa, Michigan-Rutgers, USC-Ohio State, more

For as disastrous as the Michigan football season has been, at least we’ve had some success here on Betting the Big Ten. In Week 8, the Michigan vs. Indiana under easily (and I mean easily) cashed while UCLA, Minnesota, and Illinois also covered. Our only blemishes were not seeing Wisconsin’s upset coming and falling just 2.5 points shy of the over in the Rutgers vs. Northwestern matchup.

I can’t complain about a 4-2 week. On the season, we sit at 48-39-1.

Week 9’s slate is a bit sparse as there isn’t a ranked matchup in the Big Ten. Ohio State travels to USC in arguably the biggest game of the conference slate, but USC’s loss last week certainly dampens the excitement. Big Noon will be at Iowa vs. Wisconsin, of all places.

As always, all lines are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. Please bet responsibly.

Wisconsin at Iowa (-3.5), O/U 36.5, Noon ET

This has got to be the lowest total in history for a game in which Big Noon Kickoff is in attendance, right? In the past four matchups between these schools, Iowa is 4-0, with two being boring slugfests in 2022 and 2023 followed by two blowouts in 2024 and 2025. However, Wisconsin is hot. The Badgers have covered the spread in four of their last five games. Iowa, meanwhile, is 1-2 ATS as a favorite. Give me Wisconsin.

The pick: Wisconsin +3.5

Illinois (-2.5) at Maryland, O/U 54.5, Noon ET

Maryland opted for the mid-season firing of Mike Locksley instead of letting him finish out the season. Interestingly, there’s a significant trend in which schools that fire their head coaches tend to cover the spread in the immediate few weeks following the firing. With 75% of all bets on the Fighting Illini but the spread refusing to budge, this indicates that Maryland has some big money on it.

The pick: Maryland +2.5

Michigan (-14) at Rutgers, O/U 46.5, 12:30 p.m. ET

For as abhorrent as the Michigan offense has been, Rutgers’ defense has quietly been just as bad. The Scarlet Knights rank 128th in the country in scoring defense. For contrast, Michigan’s defense is 15th. I want Jason Beck fired as much as the next Michigan fan, but this game should be an opportunity to exorcise some demons for the Michigan offense.

The pick: Michigan -14

Minnesota at Indiana (-20.5), O/U 41.5, 3:30 p.m. ET

A lot of this line depends on the health of Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover. He obviously wasn’t healthy this past Saturday, as we saw him complete one second-half pass…to the Michigan defense. While some may view this as a get-right game for Indiana, I view it as the opposite. Minnesota is 5-2 ATS this season and 3-1 as an underdog. Indiana is an astounding 1-7 ATS and 0-5 at home. I don’t see the Gophers winning, but I can absolutely see them staying annoyingly close.

The pick: Minnesota +20.5

Northwestern at Oregon (-3.5), O/U 47.5, 3:30 p.m. ET

The news that Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is out for the season caused this spread to drop from 7.5 down to 3.5. Understandably, 69% of all bets are on the Wildcats, according to The Action Network. I may regret this, but I’m going to follow the public here. Autzen Stadium hasn’t exactly been a house of horrors for opponents this year as Oregon is 2-5 ATS and 1-3 at home. Northwestern is 5-2 ATS as well.

The pick: Northwestern +3.5

Nevada at UCLA (-22.5), O/U 44.5, 4:15 p.m. ET

UCLA continues to be undefeated both on the moneyline and against the spread. I can’t claim to know much about this Nevada team, but I’m going to continue picking the Bruins until they lose or fail to cover.

The pick: UCLA -22.5

Purdue at Penn State (-7.5), O/U 54.5, 4:15 p.m. ET

Per The Action Network, 97% of all bets in this matchup are on Penn State. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a percentage that high before on one team in my life. How has the spread reacted? It hasn’t moved a muscle. Big money is on Purdue. Give me yet another underdog.

The pick: Purdue +7.5

Ohio State (-6.5) at USC, O/U 51.5, 7:30 p.m. ET

This game is the great unknown this week. What will Ohio State’s offense look like without quarterback Julian Sayin? Will Lincoln Riley be able to save his job and keep the Trojans in the playoff race? Time will tell. However, I’m going to ride with the known quantity at quarterback. Give me USC.

The pick: USC +6.5

Washington at Nebraska (-7.5), O/U 49.5, 8 p.m. ET

Washington has been playing better football as of late, covering in two of their last three contests and in the process nearly knocking off USC and defeating Purdue. However, Nebraska is an analytics darling this season. The Cornhuskers are 6-1 ATS this season and have covered in four straight, even in back-to-back devastating losses against Indiana and a Dylan Raiola-led Oregon team. Look for Nebraska to finally put it together and get back in the win column this week.

The pick: Nebraska -7.5