With the games three days away, take a look at the odds presented by DraftKings Sportsbook.
College football’s week eight has arrived, and Big Ten teams are fully in the midst of conference play.
Week eight kicks off tonight with a Sun Belt showdown between Georgia State and Appalachian State, and the Big Ten will have 10 teams in action Saturday. The conference has two games at noon, two games at 3:30 p.m. and one primetime game on ABC. Four of the games are cross-divisional matchups.
Let’s dive right into the odds presented by DraftKings Sportsbook.
Iowa at No. 2 Ohio State (-29)
O/U 49
Coming off its bye week, Ohio State will surely be a double-digit favorite in almost every game the rest of the way — every game if they are favored by 10-plus against Michigan in the regular season finale. Overwhelming Heisman favorite C.J. Stroud (+110 per DraftKings) leads the Big Ten with 24 passing touchdowns and is the reason why the Buckeyes are one of the favorites to win the national title. The team they’ll be facing — Iowa — has the second-best scoring defense and the worst scoring offense in the conference. The Hawkeyes — a gutsy but miserable watch — should get blown out in Columbus.
Northwestern at Maryland (-13.5)
O/U 51
The question in this one? The status of Maryland star quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa was carted off in last Saturday’s game against Indiana, but the ultimate diagnosis was a reaggravation of a previous injury — a sprained right MCL — that occurred against Michigan. Tagovailoa did not miss a game after the initial injury and did practice Tuesday, but it may be smart to let him rest against the basement-dwelling Wildcats with a capable backup ready to go in Billy Edwards Jr. Since beating Nebraska 31-28 overseas in week zero, the Wildcats sit at 1-5 after losing five straight. Tagovailoa or Edwards, the Terps should have no problem putting away the Wildcats in a homecoming showdown.
Purdue at Wisconsin (-2.5)
O/U 52
This classic Big Ten matchup draws plenty of intrigue. Aidan O’Connell and the Boilermakers sit tied with Illinois atop the Big Ten West, and a win against the Badgers will put their destiny in their own hands. Purdue will be favored in three of their next four games after Saturday, with the Nov. 12 matchup at the Fighting Illini potentially being the exception. Under interim (and maybe future) head coach Jim Leonhard, the Badgers have split games at Northwestern and Michigan State. Wisconsin sits in dead last in the Big Ten West and hopes returning to Madison can provide the juice it needs. Surely, Purdue would have been favored had this game been in West Lafayette.
Minnesota at No. 16 Penn State (-5)
O/U 44.5
Oddsmakers are expecting somewhat of a low-scoring battle between the Golden Gophers and the Nittany Lions. After entering the AP Top 25, Minnesota saw its division hopes dashed with back-to-back losses to Purdue and Illinois. Rutgers, Nebraska and Northwestern loom for Minnesota, so all is likely not lost, but Saturday now turns into somewhat of a statement game for sixth-year quarterback Tanner Morgan — as his status is up in the air with an upper-body injury — and company. It’s also a statement for fellow sixth-year quarterback Sean Clifford — who is dealing with an injury of his own — and Penn State, though, who need to prove that last Saturday’s blowout loss at Michigan can quickly be put in the rear-view mirror.
Note: Odds are not available for Indiana at Rutgers on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska have byes this week.
Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.