It’s an intriguing weekend in the Big Ten this week, as all five underdogs are at home. That is quite the rare feat, and we know that somebody is going to jump up and pull off an upset at home. So , which team will actually defend its home turf? I’m going with Michigan, despite the fact they haven’t been doing such a great job of winning at home so far this year. The three home losses this year have me thinking that the home-field advantage is less of a factor than is the Spartans’ one-dimensional offense. Michigan’s three poor defensive performances have come against Brian Johnson, Juice Williams, and Daryll Clark. Brian Hoyer is not on that level, and the Michigan front seven should be able to gang up on Javon Ringer and keep itself off the field.Otherwise, the other four road favorites should have enough in their arsenal to get wins. That includes Penn State, who is capable of making a big statement in the de facto Big Ten Championship. The offense hasn’t been slowed yet this year, and the Buckeyes will only be able to keep them in check for so long.
Northwestern at Indiana (NW -8, BTN, Noon ET)
Northwestern 34, Indiana 17
Illinois at Wisconsin (Ill -2, ESPN2, Noon ET)
Illinois 31, Wisconsin 20
Minnesota at Purdue (Min -2, ESPNClassic, Noon ET)
Minnesota 17, Purdue 16
Michigan State at Michigan (MSU -4, ABC, 3:30 ET)
Michigan 17, Michigan State 13
Penn State at Ohio State (PSU -2, ABC, 8:00 ET)
Penn State 34, Ohio State 20
