McMaster’s Big Ten Football Pick’em: Week 10

From the heart of the Big Ten Conference in Chicago, HuskerMax’s self-proclaimed “Big Ten expert” Matt McMaster gives his picks against the spread.

Point spreads via ESPN.

Ohio State @ Penn State (+3)

Surprisingly, this is an easy pick for me. Ohio State’s offensive line is banged up, and the Buckeyes nearly lost their last matchup against Nebraska. Penn State has one of the best pass rushers in the country, Abdul Carter, who will wreak havoc in the trenches. Drew Allar, who suffered an injury against Wisconsin, should be good to go Saturday. Even if Allar is unavailable The Nittany Lions have a more than serviceable backup in Beau Pribula. This by no means will be a blowout but I think PSU’s advantage in the trenches will be too much to handle for the Buckeyes. 

The Pick: Penn State +3 

Minnesota @ Illinois (+3)

This is by far the toughest pick of the week. The Golden Gophers enter this contest playing some of their best football of the season. Minnesota’s defense is one of the best in the country, allowing just 19 points per game, and their offense is starting to figure things out. Max Brosmer is coming off his best game of the year and is taking the load off of stud running back Darius Taylor. Illinois is entering this game after an ass-kicking to Oregon. This team got outplayed in every aspect against the Ducks, but it’s hard to believe that Bret Bielema won’t have his guys ready for this one. Luke Altmyer will be tested by one of the best pass defenses in the country, and Illinois’ run game, while good, isn’t elite. I’ve been high on Minnesota for the last couple of weeks, and I think they will keep it rolling on the road 

The Pick: Minnesota -3

Northwestern @ Purdue (+1)

Welcome to the suck bowl. Two of the worst teams of not only the Big Ten but in the country will face off in a ground-shaking matchup that will be played for nothing other than pride. This game is as simple as this: I’ve seen way more good things from the Wildcats than I’ve seen from the Boilermakers, so I’ll ride with NU. 

The Pick: Northwestern -1 

Oregon @ Michigan (+14.5) 

This might be a trap line, but I don’t care. Oregon is the best team in the country, and they proved it last week when they dominated a team that dominated this same Michigan team a week ago. I understand that Michigan is riding high off their victory against Michigan State, but I can never unsee the Wolverine’s performance against the Illini. I think Oregon and Dillon Gabriels carve up this Michigan secondary that is one of the worst in the country and beat them worse than they did Illinois. 

The Pick: Oregon -14.5 (McMaster’s Lock of the Week)

Indiana @ Michigan State (+8)

Kurtis Rourke is back, and even in his absence, this Indiana team found a way to score 30 points against one of the better defenses in the conference. Even if Rourke isn’t 100%, the Hoosiers will use their two-headed monster in Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton to gash this mediocre Michigan State rush defense. The big story is Indiana’s incredible offense, but what’s been underlooked is their elite defense, which ranks in the top 10 in the country in points allowed and yards allowed per game. This Indiana team proved they are CFP caliber regardless of who was under center last week and will do it again this week. 

The Pick: Indiana (-8) 

UCLA @ Nebraska (-6.5)

I’ve watched both these teams play plenty of football, so I’m picking off of gut and eyes and no fancy stats. UCLA is better than their record shows and poses some creativity in their offensive play calling that will give this Nebraska defense some fits. This is a classic Nebraska letdown home performance after a good game the week prior.

The Pick: UCLA +6.5

Wisconsin @ Iowa (-3)

This will be a classic Big Ten West matchup. Where Iowa holds the edge in defense, Wisconsin holds the advantage on the offensive end. In games like this, I like to pick against the team with a glaring flaw. While I think Iowa’s new starter, Brendan Sullivan, is an upgrade over Cade McNamara, the Hawkeyes still have a quarterback problem. Mike Tressel’s defense exposes Sullivan in his first start, and the Badgers walk away with a comfortable victory. 

The Pick: Wisconsin +3

USC @ Washington (+2.5)

You might as well shake a magic 8-ball to choose who’ll win this game. USC is the more talented side but couldn’t close a barn door in a hurricane. After defeating Michigan, Washington has played like one of the worst teams in the country. I’ll take USC, but I wouldn’t touch this game with a 10-foot pole. 

The Pick: USC -2.5

Maryland and Rutgers are not in action this week.

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