Well, that could have gone better. Ohio State definitely could have covered against TCU and the Missouri Tigers should have covered against Purdue but, those things did not happen. Add in Wisconsin losing outright against BYU and I suffered an 0-3 week that leaves me at 4-6 after three weeks. We’ll look to “get right” with our week four picks.

The games featuring Big Ten teams are as follows: Penn State (-27.5)) at Illinois, Nebraska at Michigan (-18.5), Boston College (-6.5) at Purdue, Buffalo at Rutgers (+6), Minnesota at Maryland (-2.5), Tulane at Ohio State (-38), Michigan State (-4.5) at Indiana, Wisconsin (-3.5) at Iowa.

Penn State (-27.5) at Illinois – 9:00 on FS1

This is a big number for a conference road game but I think the Nittany Lions are finding their footing after a shaky start against Appalachian State and roughly 30 minutes of the game against Pittsburgh. James Franklin is not afraid to absolutely bludgeon opponents, as evidenced by last week’s romping over Kent State, and I think that’s what they’ll do against the Fighting Illini. Penn State has a very explosive offense and they are finding some new weapons that are making them all the more dangerous. Miles Sanders is averaging six yards per carry and KJ Hamler is a threat every time he touches the ball. A raw player coming from high school, Hamler has developed into a playmaker early in this season. More encouraging perhaps is the play of the defense. They held Pitt to six points and then limited Kent State to only 221 yards and just ten points. While a Friday night game on the road is potentially scary for a big favorite, does Illinois strike any fear into the heart? I’m betting on no. Take the Nittany Lions to win big.

Tulane (+38) at Ohio State – 3:30 on BTN

Ohio State’s offense is very capable of burying Tulane and making this one a laugher early. Taking the Green Wave as a huge underdog is a bet you will need to make while holding your nose but I think they are the right side. Tulane was close in the opening week against Wake Forest, handled Nicholls State in week two and then disappointingly lost to UAB last week. They had three turnovers against the Blazers and were still tied late. While concerning, it was not a terrible defeat. I don’t think their defense will be a complete sieve and I am counting on them to score around 17 or 21 points to cover. Situationally, Ohio State welcomes Urban Meyer back from his three-game suspension but I don’t think that will have an on-field impact on Saturday afternoon. Of more significance, OSU is coming off of their win over TCU and has a massive showdown with Penn State looming next week. I’m betting on them letting off the gas just enough to let Tulane keep it within 38.

Boston College (-6.5) at Purdue and OVER (61) – Noon on ESPN2

The Eagles were one of my favorite squads coming into the season and they have not disappointed thus far, going 3-0 and lighting up the scoreboard in the process. Last week, they survived odd off-field circumstances to post more than 500 yards against Wake Forest in a win and they waxed UMass and Holy Cross prior to that. Their offense is high-powered with multiple weapons at their disposal. Anthony Brown is in control of the attack and has found a few really good pass catchers in Jeff Smith, Kobay White and Tommy Sweeney. The engine of the offense is stud tailback AJ Dillon, a guy that the Eagles have not taxed too much so far this season. I do have some concerns about their defense and the Boilermakers offense should be able to put up some points. David Blough is now the guy (once again) at quarterback and he was very sharp against Missouri last week. The Boilers have a good running back in DJ Knox but they seem reluctant to feed him the ball. Their defense is really bad right now though. Missouri went up and down the field at will and had multiple opportunities to put the game away but failed to do so. I think BC will be more clinical and win by double-digits, dropping the Boilermakers to 0-4. I absolutely love the over (anything up to 65 points) and I’ll take the Eagles at -6.5.

Two final notes, the over/under for the Michigan versus Nebraska game has not been listed as of publication but the Wolverines have gone “over” in only one of three games and Nebraska has gone “under” in both of their contests so far. Second, I think the Indiana Hoosiers are going to win outright and I would take IU as the home team getting points. However, Michigan State is such a mystery to me that I am going to stay away. If you feel like betting that one though, I like the Hoosiers to win outright.