My goodness, we are somehow picking games for the final week of the regular season. This is a bittersweet time. I love the rivalry games and the bowl season is fantastic but the regular season being over after this weekend really stinks (but not as badly as my Illinois pick a week ago). Anyway, I was even last week and need a nice weekend to claw back to .500 (or above). The record on the year is 21-23-1. A positive, I am looking pretty good on my season win total projections.

Nebraska at Iowa (-9.5) (total of 51), Purdue (-4) at Indiana (total of 62.5), Rutgers at Michigan State (-27.5) (total of 41), Michigan (-3.5) at Ohio State (total of 57), Illinois at Northwestern (-18) (total of 58), Minnesota at Wisconsin (-10.5) (total of 55), Maryland at Penn State (-13.5) (total of 52)

Rutgers at Michigan State (UNDER 37) – 4:00 on FOX

I cannot fathom why this game is being shown at 4:00 on FOX. The Michigan State Spartans don’t have an offense with a pulse and Rutgers has not been relevant for the majority of the season. They announced that head coach Chris Ash will almost certainly be coming back for 2019. Again, I am not sure what the storyline or hook for this game is. That being said, we can bet on it! I love the under here as I don’t think Rutgers will score more than a touchdown (two at the most) and that would require the Spartans to reach the mid to high-twenties and I have seen absolutely nothing in the past few weeks that would indicate that is a possibility. Add in some cold and potentially rainy weather in Michigan and you have an under.

Michigan (-4.5) at Ohio State – Noon on FOX

The conference’s most anticipate game is here at last. Even with a victory for the Buckeyes in “The Shoe”, I find it unlikely that they would make the College Football Playoff. At this point in the season, the Buckeyes are what they are. They have a very good offense and a very porous defense (currently ranked in the 80s in most defensive categories). While we thought they had turned a corner with a strong performance against Michigan State, that appears to have say more about the MSU offense than it does the OSU defense. I know that Michigan has had very little success against Ohio State recently and it is very scary to take them as a road favorite in Columbus but I think the Michigan defense is substantially better and the Wolverines ground game is going to control the pace of the contest. I like Michigan to win by more than a touchdown.

Minnesota at Wisconsin – UNDER 55 – 3:30 on ESPN2

Neither of these teams are particularly explosive and I am counting on a heavy run game that runs the clock down and keeps either team from getting off more than 65 to 70 plays. There is a bit of a risk because it is possible that Wisconsin could continue their prolific running attack and pound Minnesota into submission but even if they do, are they going to reach the mid-30s? I like the under in this rivalry game. Wisconsin has been in control recently and Minnesota desperately needs this game to reach six wins.

Maryland at Penn State – OVER 53 – 3:30 on ABC

The Maryland Terrapins have to be absolutely sick after losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes in agonizing fashion. They did everything right on offense until the final two-point conversion play. Still, their ground game continues to be very impressive and I like Tyrone Pigrome as the quarterback for this squad. They aren’t great at passing but Anthony McFarland is an emerging star and Penn State will have some trouble keeping the Terps from making explosive plays. On the other side, Maryland’s defense has not been good at all. Penn State’s attack is a far cry from last season’s unit but they are still capable of burning this porous unit and James Franklin has shown he is not afraid to be aggressive against his “rivals”. I like the over and I would lean towards Maryland covering the two touchdown spread.