Pigskin Pick'em: Big Ten Week 3 Games

Here are my thoughts and picks going into each of the Big Ten games this weekend.

Ohio State is walking into the easiest part of its schedule with showdowns this week against the two teams that have finished in two of the bottom three spots of the Big Ten East every year since 2015. But given how competitive the rest of the conference has been so far this year, there's plenty of reasons to think the other games could be entertaining.

All five other Big Ten games kick off at either noon or 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Wisconsin has canceled its second consecutive game because of a CoVID outbreak in its locker room. This week, Purdue will also be idle, as Big Ten teams are prohibited from playing games outside the conference.

Here are my thoughts and predictions for each game in the conference this week, except for the Buckeyes game, which can be found here.

Big Ten Week 3 Pigskin Pick'Em

Saturday, November 7 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time: No. 23 Michigan at No. 13 Indiana

Michigan started the season in primetime against Minnesota and made a lot of people believe that they were back on track, despite a tough offseason with some critical players opting out or moving on from the team. Their response last week against Michigan State couldn't have been worse. They desperately need a win this week, and they're playing an Indiana team that just might be the second best team in the Big Ten East this year. A loss for Michigan on Saturday and they could very seriously be looking at a 4-4 season.

Indiana knocking off Penn State wasn't a big surprise to me - on a week where I predicted mostly wrong final scores, I actually got that one right! I think the Hoosiers are building something really solid. They've got good quarterback play and they're well-balanced on offense. Michigan has better players and absolutely should win this game ... but will they? Indiana hasn't beaten Michigan in 33 years, and even though they are ranked higher, I have a hard time seeing them pull this one off.

Prediction: Michigan 31, Indiana 27

Saturday, November 7 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time: Nebraska at Northwestern

This is a pretty important game in the Big Ten West. Nebraska is well-rested ... and a little salty after what happened to them last week. Considering the final score was lopsided, their rushing attack didn't really look too bad against the Buckeyes in their first game of the season. With Wisconsin's season on life-support and Minnesota's campaign crumbling to an 0-2 start, a win for Nebraska puts them firmly in Big Ten championship chase.

Meanwhile, is there a more surprising 2-0 team in the Big Ten than Northwestern? They had a brutal 2019 season (with some bad luck, for sure) and they've rebounded with a great start this year. The Wildcats don't have a terrific offense, even though they ran up the score a bit against Maryland. That group didn't look particularly good against Iowa last week. And yet, they've got a chance to move to 3-0 and sit atop the Big Ten West. This should be a really good game.

Prediction: Nebraska 34, Northwestern 24

Saturday, November 7 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time: Michigan State at Iowa

Boy, talk about two teams that feel like they are on two totally different planets right now. Michigan State opened the season with perhaps their most embarrassing loss in recent memory and followed it with a win in the Big House. Iowa had a legitimate chance to make a run at a Big Ten West title, but the Hawkeyes have fallen completely flat and are 0-2 to start the year with losses to Purdue and Northwestern. They haven't been 0-2 in 20 years and there's a legitimate chance they fall to 0-3. I think the Hawkeyes barely squeak out a win at home.

Prediction: Iowa 23, Michigan State 20

OHIO STATE VS. RUTGERS GAME PREVIEW

Saturday, November 7 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time: Maryland at Penn State

Does any team in America need a win more than Penn State? Before the season began, they had legitimate aspirations of upsetting Ohio State and winning a Big Ten title. Now without Micah Parsons and Journey Brown, the Lions have suffered heartbreak against Indiana and were overmatched by the Buckeyes in a game that was never as close as the score indicated.

Maryland couldn't have started the season worse, but they pulled it together and played much better against Minnesota last week. It was still a game they were lucky to win, but they'll take the good fortune when they can find it. I'm not sure they'll be dancing with lady luck again on Saturday.

Prediction: Penn State 42, Maryland 20

Saturday, November 7 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time: Minnesota at Illinois

This is a battle for relevancy. Minnesota was a popular pick as a Big Ten West champion after going 11-2 last year, but they haven't looked very good at all with losses to Michigan and Maryland. Tanner Morgan is a much better quarterback than the numbers he's put up so far, but they certainly haven't been very good yet.

Illinois was embarrassed by Wisconsin in the season-opener and they lost to a bad Purdue team last week. Starting quarterback Brandon Peters remains out with CoVID-19. His backup, Isaiah Washington, is also presumed out due to contact tracing. The Illini are expected to be missing at least 12 players for this game, and they don't have much depth in the first place. This one could be ugly.

Prediction: Minnesota 38, Illinois 12

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