College football pick, Big Ten odds in week 11: Penn State is right against Nebraska

One of the Big Ten mantras this season might be “expect the unexpected”. In the first three weeks of the conference roster, we saw Indiana and Maryland become the talking point for the East Division, with Northwestern also starting strong at 3-0. Additionally, Wisconsin has been limited to a single game following a COVID-19 outbreak on its schedule. Speaking of COVID-19, Maryland has also experienced an outbreak and its showdown with Ohio State No.3 was called off this week.

With this game off the books, much of the attention turns to the No.10 Indiana as the Hoosiers try to go undefeated. Indiana entered the 2020 season after an 8-5 campaign – the first time since 1993 that the Hoosiers have won eight games in one season. Indiana has beaten Michigan and Penn State so far this season and the sky could really be the limit for this group.

Let’s take a closer look at the schedule for this week’s Big Ten conference.

This is certainly not the start Minnesota expected to the 2020 season. After losing their first two games, the Golden Gophers got back on track with a dominant victory over Illinois last week. Star running back Mohamed Ibrahim continued his dominance but could hit his first roadblock against Iowa. While I don’t expect him to rip off 200 yards on the ground, Ibrahim is still going to do enough to pace Minnesota’s attack. Iowa slowed down the state of Michigan last week, but I don’t see that trend continuing. Give me the Minnesota and the points. Picks: Minnesota (+3.5)

If you said Penn State would be 0-3 to start the season with losses to Indiana, Maryland and Ohio State, I wouldn’t believe you. Penn State isn’t quite the squad a year ago and probably didn’t beat Ohio State, but it’s a struggling group. While the defense definitely misses Micah Parsons, the shortcomings of the offense are responsible for the majority of their fights. If the Nittany Lions are to dominate the Cornhuskers, quarterback Sean Clifford needs to play smart and limit turnovers. Nebraska isn’t exactly an offensive juggernaut, so I think Penn State is finally getting back to its way of winning. Pick: Penn State (-3.5)

Rutgers scored one of the Big Ten’s most shocking opening week victories with a 38-27 victory over Michigan State. Unfortunately for the Scarlet Knights, they encountered a pair of ranked, battle-tested teams in Indiana and Ohio State to follow. On the other hand, Illinois gave up its first three games and didn’t score more than 24 points. While not ideal, I’ll gladly take over in this one. This just makes too much sense considering Illinois and Rutgers are in the bottom two in the conference in terms of point surrender. While these aren’t the two most powerful offenses, there will still be plenty of points scored in this one. Choose: over 52

# 10 Indiana in the State of Michigan

If this game was played last weekend it could be difficult. However, the state of Michigan was absolutely burnt down by Iowa and made this one a bit easier to predict. Michigan State is giving up 37.0 points per fight, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and his company to get their well-oiled machine rolling. Look for a balanced offense to get the job done and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the Hoosiers took a huge lead in the first half. Pick: Indiana (-7.5)

# 23 Northwestern at Purdue

I really don’t think a lot of people would have thought this game would feature an undefeated pair of teams. Northwestern has been one of the Big Ten’s most impressive teams so far and Peyton Ramsey has been great. The Wildcats were tested last week when their game against Nebraska broke down. It wouldn’t surprise me if this one were close enough on Saturday, but Northwestern will be making enough plays on both sides of the game to secure a victory. Choice: Northwest (-3)

No. 13 Wisconsin, Michigan

It’s definitely one of the weirdest games on the Big Ten calendar this week. Wisconsin only have one game under their belt and Michigan have given up back-to-back games against Michigan State and Indiana. Will the COVID-19 layoff affect the Badgers in their first comeback? We really don’t know who will be under the Wisconsin center when the team is on the pitch. Offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph has revealed former starter Graham Mertz is staying on COVID-19 protocols and will not disclose what quarterbacks are practicing. Usually, the uncertainty would force me to side with the underdog in this scenario, but I don’t trust Jim Harbaugh as far as I can throw him away. The Badgers are going to mount their defense and I expect the starting QB to be well prepared. It will be close, but Wisconsin takes the victory. Picks: Wisconsin (-4)

What college football picks can you confidently make in week 11? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread – all from a proven computer model that has grossed nearly $ 3,900 in profits over the past four seasons and more – and find out.