The bye week hits the Big Ten hard this week as Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Rutgers all have their breaks. That leaves only five games on the schedule and no matchups of ranked teams. The best of the bunch figures to be No. 3 Ohio State at Wisconsin. (The Gophers-Michigan State prediction will be published later in the week.)
Ohio State or Wisconsin? Purdue or Nebraska? Big Ten football picks
The Buckeyes will need to avoid a letdown after winning last week's battle with Penn State.
October 27, 2023 at 12:30AM
Two with intrigue
No. 3 Ohio State at Wisconsin, 6:30 p.m., NBC
• The Buckeyes have beaten the Badgers nine consecutive times, including in the Big Ten championship game in 2014, 2017 and 2019. Both teams want to get back to Indy, and Ohio State will take a step toward that goal, thanks to a defense that gives up 10 points per game (third fewest in the nation). Ohio State 20, Wisconsin 13
Purdue at Nebraska, 2:30 p.m., FS1
• The Boilermakers have beaten the Huskers four times in the past five seasons, but that mostly was under the Scott Frost regime. Matt Rhule has Nebraska playing tighter defense with only 29 points allowed in the three Big Ten games not involving Michigan. Nebraska 21, Purdue 10
And the rest
Indiana at No. 10 Penn State, 11 a.m., CBS
• Since losing the Hoosiers in the 2020 season, the Nittany Lions have outscored Indiana 69-14 in two games since. The trend continues. Penn State 42, Indiana 13
Maryland at Northwestern, 11 a.m., BTN
• The high-scoring Terrapins (33.4 points per game) face a Wildcats team that's struggled to move the ball without starting QB Ben Bryant. Maryland 37, Northwestern 17
Minnesota’s bench scored 50 points, including a team-leading 18 points from graduate transfer Annika Stewart, showcasing the depth that coach Dawn Plitzuweit promised.
