2011 Big Ten Football Week 4 Preview, Predictions, Odds & Picks
We are providing Big 10 Football weekly matchup previews, predictions and odds for all Big 10 football teams for the games Saturday September 24, 2011. And to gain a betting edge check our out NCAA Football Handicappers as they offer their free and expert pick. Use our comprehensive and insider information to bet successfully on College Football with our recommend sportsbooks.
Last week wasn’t a great one for the Big Ten. Amidst a slew of expansion and realignment rumours a couple of ranked teams went on the road and didn’t look very good – Miami and Michigan State. I didn’t have high hopes for the Buckeyes but I though the Spartans would have been able to exploit a desperate Notre Dame team. The bright spot from last week was the play of Illinois. After beating Arizona State, they join the top 25 and since they are hosting Western Michigan this week so they should be able to stay there. Not a lot of “game of the week” kind of matchups this week but there will definitely be some storytelling around San Diego State’s visit to Ann Arbour to face their former coach Brady Hoke. Listed pointspreads are provided by BetOnline.com.
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Saturday, September 24, 2011
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Central Michigan @ Michigan State – 12:00 PM on ESPNU
The Chippewas are no MAC pushover so Northwestern better be ready to play and not looking ahead to their Big Ten opener against Minnesota next week. CMU rebounded to wallop eastern Michigan last week while NW was workmanlike against Rice. This line had already shrunk from -9.5 to -7. Let’s see if it continues to go down throughout the week.
Prediction: Michigan State 35 – Central Michigan 13 – Bet Now
Odds: Michigan State: -21.5 – Central Michigan: +21.5 – Over/Under: 49.5
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Eastern Michigan @ Penn State – 12:00 PM ET on ESPN2
As expected Penn State was pushed last week by Temple…the Owls just didn’t have enough to finish the job and claim their first victory over PSU since 1941. I like Temple a lot but this is just another example of how the PSU program is really down this year. They are still playing two quarterbacks which looks like a recipe for disaster but that will be put off a week with Eastern Michigan coming to town. EMU might be the worst team in the FBS, even if they are not, they will make Penn State look good, at least for a week.
Prediction: Penn State 45 – Eastern Michigan 10 – Bet Now
Odds: Penn State: -28.5 – Eastern Michigan: +28.5 – Over/Under: 44
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Louisiana-Monroe @ Iowa – 12:00 PM ET
The Hawkeyes had to battle back against Pittsburgh in the 4th quarter, scoring 21 points to win by 4. They are unlikely to need to work as hard this week against ULM – a 17.5 point underdog. This is Iowa’s last game before Big Ten play begins so it is the perfect time for an easy confidence booster. ULM is road weary and battered so that is exactly what they should get.
Prediction: Iowa 33 – ULM 16 – Bet Now
Odds: Iowa: -17 – ULM: +17 – Over/Under: 50.5
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San Diego State @ #22 Michigan – 12:00 PM ET
In a very light week this one gets GOW status. Michigan may be a 10 point favourite but the Aztecs should not be taken lightly. This team can score and running back Ronnie Hillman is among the nation’s leaders in rushing. This is a good test for both clubs leading into the conference season. If SDSU wins they should have a lot of momentum heading into a home game against TCU next week. Michigan has an easy opener against Minnesota but you can be sure that coach Hoke doesn’t want to have his first loss at Big Blue to be at the hands of the players and coaches he led last season. I am still not impressed with Michigan so I am going to pick SDSU in an exciting upset.
Prediction: San Diego State 38 – Michigan 31 – Bet Now
Odds: San Diego State: +10.5 – Michigan: -10.5 – Over/Under: 60.5
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Colorado @ Ohio State – 3:30 PM ET on ABC
After losing at Miami and being criticized for being too conservative, you should see a fired up Buckeye squad on Saturday afternoon. With some key players suspended you can tell rookie coach Luke Fickell was playing more not to lose than to win the last few weeks. Now that he is no longer perfect this is a great opportunity to be more aggressive. Colorado may have won last week against Colorado State but this is not a strong Buffs team. If Ohio state struggles again we might be looking at a 7-6 team that is irrelevant instead of a real Big Ten contender.
Prediction: Ohio State 27 – Colorado 10 – Bet Now
Odds: Ohio State: -15 – Colorado: +15 – Over/Under: 44.5
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Western Michigan @ #24 Illinois – 3:30 PM ET
Illinois is slowly but surely making me look good. They were solid against Arizona State last week, knocking off a top 25 school to join the club themselves. Now they just have to keep proving they belong, which shouldn’t be too hard against Western Michigan, a team destined to finish in the middle of the pack in the MAC. The Illini should be able to continue their dominance on the ground as WMU is only 75th in the nation in rushing defense. Illinois has been very stingy giving up an average of just 10 points per game and the likelihood is that WMU will be in catchup mode all game long.
Prediction: Illinois 38 – Western Michigan 14 – Bet Now
Odds: Illinois: -12 – Western Michigan: +12 – Over/Under: 53
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South Dakota @ #6 Wisconsin – 3:30 PM ET
This one is not even fair. The bad thing is that a game like this is going to mess with Russell Wilson’s Heisman candidacy because he will probably only play a half. Then again it might be a hell of a half.
Prediction: Wisconsin 70 – South Dakota 13 – Bet Now
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North Dakota State @ Minnesota – 7:00 PM ET
I guess teams in the Big Ten like playing teams from the Dakotas. Another mismatch although not quite as great as the game above. Minnesota was solid lat week beating a Miami team that is not your typical MAC patsy. Now they can even their record at 2-2 before the Big Ten season kicks off.
Prediction: Minnesota 42 – North Dakota State 13 – Bet Now
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Indiana @ North Texas – 7:00 PM ET on ESPN3
There is no such thing as a gimme if you are Indiana but this is pretty much the Hoosiers only chance to win a road game this season (@Iowa, MSU, OSU & Wisconsin to go). North Texas is winless and just got thumped by Alabama 41-0 – although they did cover the number (-47). The Tide defense completely bottled up NT star running back Lance Dunbar but he should be able to find running room against an Indiana defense giving up 177 yards per game on the ground. IU is favoured but someone has to be. The bigger question is why is this game on Worldwide Leader.
Prediction: North Texas 27 – Indiana 24 – Bet Now
Odds: North Texas: +6.5 – Indiana: -6.5 – Over/Under: 55
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#9 Nebraksa @ Wyoming – 7:30 PM
At least Wyoming is an FBS school, heck they made a bowl game just a couple of years ago. Still this is a big time mismatch though I applaud Nebraska for their willingness to make the road trip. Maybe they wanted to get in some fly fishing while pumping up Taylor Martinez’s Heisman credentials.
Prediction: Nebraska 49 – Wyoming 10 – Bet Now
Odds: Nebraska: -23 – Wyoming: +23 – Over/Under: 59
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