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Welcome college football fans to the Week 6 slate of the season! As we hit the first weekend of October, the schedule continues to narrow as we approach the full portion of B1G play.
We are still in the middle of ongoing bye weeks, so there will be just 6 games in the B1G across Week 6, starting with a Friday night game in Champaign. 5 of the games this weekend will be league matchups with a lone nonconference game in place.
Without further ado, let’s get to some picks!
Records through Week 5
- Alex Hickey: 7-3
- Paul Harvey: 6-4
Nebraska at Illinois (-3.5)
- AH: Illinois has the Big Ten’s worst run defense. Nobody in the B1G is more run-heavy than Nebraska, because that’s the only way the Huskers can move the ball. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why the Illini are favored here — although in the wake of program legend Dick Butkus’ death, expect Illinois to be at its best. But that means a dramatic win, not a cover. PICK: Nebraska.
- PH: Both teams are reeling and were blown out in Week 5. The difference I expect in this game is that Nebraska’s defense has held up pretty well in games with similar talent levels. Expect Friday night to look more like the Nebraska team fans saw in Week 1 against Minnesota. PICK: Nebraska
Maryland at Ohio State (-20)
- AH: We’ve picked at least 1 push every week, so I’m calling it right now: Ohio State is winning this game by exactly 20 points. But unlike their 3 most recent trips to Columbus, the Terps will keep the Buckeyes under 60 points. Probably a fun game for 3 quarters that gets away late. PICK: Ohio State
- PH: Maryland’s offense can score and I expect Taulia Tagovailoa to stress Jim Knowles’ defense. However, I also expect the Buckeyes to be ready to roll after a bye week, and I’m not sure what we really know about the Terp defense. PICK: Ohio State
Rutgers at Wisconsin (-13)
- AH: A sneaky referendum game regarding the overall health of the Big Ten West in its final season. The Badgers appear to be the class of the division. This is Rutgers’ best team since joining the B1G, but the Scarlet Knights very much remain an also-ran in the East. And if that still proves to be better than a likely Big Ten championship game representative… woof. Though it may be possible, Wisconsin is beating Rutgers by an average score of 42-7.5 in their previous 4 meetings. PICK: Wisconsin
- PH: The Badgers come off their bye week and looking to find some rhythm with Chez Mellusi now sidelined with a season-ending injury. Rutgers hung tough with Michigan in a Week 4 road game, but it will be interesting to see how the Scarlet Knights try to matchup with Wisconsin’s Air Road style. PICK: Wisconsin
Purdue at Iowa (-2)
- AH: The Boilers are the rare team to figure out Phil Parker’s defense, winning 4 of the last 6 in this series. David Bell was usually causing those headaches for the Hawkeyes, and clearly Iowa was happy he was gone last year. But Purdue has a new star WR with the initials DB — Deion Burks. He’ll be a handful. Pick: Purdue
- PH: Purdue might have found something with a blowout win over Illinois, but Iowa certainly lost something in starting QB Cade McNamara. That being said, there’s still something about traveling into Kinnick Stadium and walking out with a win. I’ll take the Hawkeyes, but it will need to be a classic defense and special teams performance from Kirk Ferentz and company. Pick: Iowa
Michigan (-19) at Minnesota
- AH: The Little Brown Jug literally invented the trophy game and doesn’t get nearly enough respect as an entity. Probably because the Wolverines have been regularly overwhelming the Gophers since the 1970s. That’s unlikely to change here. Stylistically, Minnesota is Michigan Lite. These teams want to win playing the same way. But it’s damn hard to beat the better version of yourself. PICK: Michigan
- PH: My biggest concern in this game is whether or not Michigan gets enough possessions to hit a high number. I’m just going to avoid overthinking this one and say the Wolverines will. Pick: Michigan
Howard at Northwestern unlisted
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.