It’s not quite the Big Ten main event weekend yet, but there is no shortage of intriguing conference games for betting desires this Saturday. Michigan and Ohio State are in look-ahead spots, the Big Ten West remains undecided, and Michigan State’s offense is in the middle of a revitalization. Let’s dig in to Illinois-Michigan and Ohio State-Maryland best Big 10 bets, odds, and picks.
College Football Odds: Illinois-Michigan Odds
Illinois: +18 (-110)
Michigan: -18 (-110)
Moneyline: Illinois (+675); Michigan (-975)
Over/Under: 41 (-110)
Michigan sticking to winning formula
Though it hasn’t been pretty, the Michigan Wolverines are again firmly in Big Ten championship contention behind a similar blueprint to what brought them success last year. They’ve established a conservative yet effective running offense while fielding one of the best defenses in football.
The Wolverines defense is having another great season. The unit isn’t quite up to last year’s numbers that featured No. 2 NFL Draft pick Aiden Hutchinson, but Michigan is again on top in defensive metrics with first-place rankings in defensive rush yards allowed per game, scoring defense, and yards allowed.
This doesn’t bode well for the Illinois Fighting Illini, who started out as one of the biggest surprises in football but have fallen back down to earth as quickly as they rose. First-year transfer quarterback Tommy Devito has been efficient but has yet to develop any consistency in the pass game. That has forced the Illini to rely on their ground game to compete.
Luckily, that rushing attack has been great. What’s the issue? They are potentially fielding third-string running back Reggie Love III after tstarting RB Chase Brown went down with an injury. It’s a massive blow to an Illinois offense that had been anemic the past few games.
The total for Illinois-Michigan is at a very low 41 points, but you can still expect Michigan to score. Even in the biggest look-ahead spot of the season, the Wolverines should roll over Illinois as it simply does not have the offense to compete against this vaunted defense. It’s one of the best bets on the board in this week’s Big Ten action.
Final Illinois-Michigan Pick: Michigan -18 (DraftKings)
College Football Odds: Ohio State-Maryland Odds
Ohio State: -27.5 (-110)
Maryland: +27.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Ohio State (-6000); Maryland (+1800)
Over/under: 63.5 (-110)
Buckeyes trying not to look ahead
On the other side of the coin in the other the massive look-ahead spot, the Ohio State Buckeyes travel to play the Maryland Terrapins in what will be a thrilling display of passing attacks.
After not looking like its elite self’s the past few weeks, Ohio State reminded everyone why they are a top-2 team in the nation by dismantling the Indiana Hoosiers. Though Indiana isn’t exactly a great measuring stick to compare to other teams, it served as a practice dummy for Ohio State to fine tune the offensive woes that have plagued them.
They now get Maryland for one last tuneup before going against Michigan with Big Ten championship implications. Maryland comes fresh off of a blowout loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions, losing 30-0 with both Maryland quarterbacks unable to generate any sort of offense.
Maryland has taken a drastic step back in its recent games, with passing metrics of 85th in Pass Success Rate and 97th in Explosiveness. The Terps are normally known for one of the most prolific passing offenses in the nation.
Turning it around against Ohio State is no easy feat, but the Buckeyes tend to take their foot off the gas in these spots. They’ve covered twice in the past 10 years in the game before the Michigan rivalry game. Hold your nose and pray that the trend follows into this year’s Ohio State-Maryland game by taking the Terrapins at no lower than +28.
Final Ohio State-Maryland Pick: Maryland +28 (Bet Rivers)
