The Big Ten has released its football schedule, starting in the first week of September. Here’s a quick first look at each game with predictions and possible lines.
Pete Fiutak @PeteFiutak
Let’s have fun and just assume the Big Ten season will go off without a hitch. Done before the lines are released for the early games, here are the first guesses, predictions, and line projections for Week 1 of the Big Ten season.
Ohio State vs Illinois
Thursday, September 3
Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL
Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: The Buckeyes will struggle early on as they try to win the Fiesta Bowl as they press a little out of the gate, and then things will get back to normal early in the second quarter.
Illinois might have a slew of transfers coming in for the defensive front, but it won’t be enough as the Ohio State offensive line starts banging away and taking over. The big plays will come as Justin Fields and company start to score quickly, but the time of possession battle will lean the other way in the second half.
It’ll be more of a methodical win for OSU than sensational.
First Thought Prediction: Ohio State 41, Illinois 17
First Thought Line Guess: Ohio State -27.5
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Indiana vs Wisconsin
Friday, September 4
Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI
Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: These two haven’t played since 2017 with Wisconsin winning the last ten games since dropping a stunner in 2002.
How ugly has the series been? Over the last five games, Wisconsin has won by an average of 60 to 12 with the low mark an 83-20 squeaker back in 2010.
This year’s Hoosier team, though, should be more of a problem for Bucky.
QB Michael Penix and the offensive backfield should give the Badger D fits for about a half, and the lines are just strong enough to hold up. But the reworked UW O line will take over and super-recruit RB Jalen Berger gets into a groove.
First Thought Prediction: Wisconsin 30, Indiana 16
First Thought Line Guess: Wisconsin -10
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East Indiana | Maryland | Michigan
Michigan State | Ohio State | Penn State | Rutgers
West Illinois | Iowa | Minnesota
Nebraska | Northwestern | Purdue | Wisconsin
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Minnesota vs Michigan State
Saturday, September 5
Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI
Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: It’s the opener of the Mel Tucker era at Michigan State as his Spartans get a Minnesota team looking to prove that 2019 wasn’t any sort of a fluke.
Can the Gopher passing game get hot early on without star receivers Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman around anymore? It’ll be okay, but the running game will struggle against a Spartan defensive front will be a rock right out of the gate.
On the flip side, the Michigan State offense won’t be able to take advantage of a good defensive performance as drive after drive stalls. Minnesota will pull it out on a late field goal in a rough game with points and good offensive plays coming at a premium.
First Thought Prediction: Minnesota 20, Michigan State 19
First Thought Line Guess: Michigan State -3.5
NEXT: Penn State vs Northwestern, Michigan vs Purdue, Iowa vs Maryland, Nebraska vs Maryland
Penn State vs Northwestern
Saturday, September 5
Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA
Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: Northwestern won two in a row in the series before Penn State came up with the victory in 2017. Now both teams are in an interesting spot and it’ll only be Week 1.
Penn State has the talent and the upside – even without Micah Parsons – to pull off the Big Ten Championship with a little bit of luck, and Northwestern has the defense to show it’s a LOT better than the 2019 version that couldn’t seem to do much of anything right.
Get ready for Northwestern to muck it up.
It’s going to be ugly, it’s going to be slow, and it’s going to be exactly the way the Wildcats like it. The offense might not be able to do anything amazing, but it’ll do it at about four miles per hour to take control of the tempo.
Penn State is too good and too explosive to be held down for a full 60 minutes, but it’s going to be in for a too-tough battle.
First Thought Prediction: Penn State 24, Northwestern 17
First Thought Line Guess: Penn State -13.5
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Michigan vs Purdue
Saturday, September 5
Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: It’s the start of a brutal beginning for both teams. Michigan follows this up with a trip to Minnesota and a date with Penn State, and the Boilermakers host Iowa and Ohio State over the following two weeks.
Can the Wolverine secondary hold up against what’s coming?
Purdue will throw and keep throwing to get its amazing receiving corps involved right away, but yeah, Michigan will have one of the best groups of defensive backs in the conference.
Michigan’s running game will ease in the new quarterback in a conservative, efficient win that might not make the fan base all that excited, but it’ll be a good start.
First Thought Prediction: Michigan 38, Purdue 20
First Thought Line Guess: Michigan -16.5
NEXT: Iowa vs Maryland, Nebraska vs Maryland
Iowa vs Maryland
Saturday, September 5
Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA
Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: It’s the third ever meeting between the two teams with Iowa up 2-1 with wins in the last two games.
And this is when it tries to put a rocky offseason in the rearview mirror with a rock-solid performance against a Maryland team that’s still trying to put everything together.
The Terps will just enough offensive firepower and speed to come up with a few good scoring drives, but defensive line is going to get hammered on, and the secondary will give up two deep balls as Iowa opens it up.
First Thought Prediction: Iowa 45, Maryland 14
First Thought Line Guess: Iowa -20
Nebraska vs Rutgers
Saturday, September 5
SHI Stadium, Piscataway, NJ
Knee-Jerk Instant Analysis: Out of all the Week 1 matchups, even though it’s a few weeks from right now, this is the one most in peril after an outbreak at Rutgers.
Let’s assume that all is fine by September 5th.
The two first met in 1920 with Nebraska winning 28-0, and the three games as Big Ten brothers haven’t gone a whole lot better for the Scarlet Knights, who lost all three.
In the first game under Greg Schiano, Rutgers will get out to a hot start with surprising offensive pop and balance on the way to an early lead. Nebraska’s attack will eventually start to get the passing game going enough to take over.
There won’t be any Rutgers answers in the fourth.
First Thought Prediction: Nebraska 34, Rutgers 17
First Thought Line Guess: Nebraska -24
