Here are the spreads on the Big Ten games this week:
Wisconsin 2.5 over Illinois O/U 42.5
Iowa 4.5 over Minnesota O/U 32.5
Ohio State 4.5 over Penn State O/U 47
Rutgers 5 over Indiana O/U 42.5
Nebraska 12.5 over Northwestern O/U 44
Michigan 24.5 over MSU O/U 48
Those look about right in my opinion. I am not sure about the Husker game, though. I think Nebraska will win but I don’t know if they will cover 12.5. I look for that to drop the closer we get to Saturday.
One thing that has been consistent since the Huskers have been in the Big 10 is no matter how good or bad the Huskers and Northwestern are they play each other tough.
John Papenhagen
I haven’t heard if Ben Bryant will be back at QB for Northwestern, and if Sims is finally healthy, I don’t know who’ll start for the Huskers, either. Both teams have a lot of injured players. I think I’d take the under. Not sure who I’d take on the spread.
Wisconsin spread is probably affected by their QB injury. I don’t know who the backup QB is.
I’d take the over in the Michigan-MSU game, though. Michigan might top 50 and MSU might score.
We’ve not done well the week after a bye recently. Hoping the new staff fixes that.
Since NW was also on a bye week, I imagine they’ll have a trick or three up their sleeves. I do expect them to sell out to stop the run and force HH to pass. 8 or 9 guys in the box may be seen. Might not help as their run D is abysmal.
The key stat may be turnovers. I hope the coaching Grant has been getting on how to hold the ball is helping. (And why didn’t he get that kind of detailed coaching last year?)
Northwestern has a pretty good secondary this year, but why pass against them when their rush defense is 106th?
Haven’t heard much on Northwestern’s search for a new head coach, I don’t really expect David Braun to be elevated and the entire coaching staff will likely be out as part of a general housecleaning.
Since we match up well against NW I think they are going to sell out to stop the run. NW isn’t going to want us to run 300 yards.
Rhule just announced that Haarberg will start at QB and Reimer will be back at LB.
I don’t believe Nebraska will beat Northwestern by 12 points.
Since Nebraska joined the Big Ten they’re 6-6 against Northwestern. When Northwestern has won, it has been by 8 points or less. Nebraska has won 3 games by 11 or more points. (Northwestern’s history is that they seldom win games in a blowout.)
So the pattern appears to be that Northwestern wins 2/3 of the close games and Nebraska’s wins are by more than 10 points about half the time.
I don’t see a reason for that pattern to change this year, but I don’t know what will happen. Ben Bryant’s status is still unclear, so I don’t know who’ll start at QB for the Wildcats.
Mike Nolan