It was a light week in the Big Ten and I chose just two games but those two picks were easy winners and the perfect week moves me to 20-11 on the season. Let’s try to keep rolling! The slate is as follows:

Maryland at Ohio State (-44), Penn State (-6.5) at Minnesota, Purdue (-1.5) at Northwestern, Illinois at Michigan State (-13), Iowa at Wisconsin (-8)

Purdue (-1.5) at Northwestern – Noon on BTN

Purdue is getting better. I know they are down to their third-string quarterback but the running game is improving, the defense looks competent again and they figured out how to win a close game last week against Nebraska. This pick is not about Purdue though. I am choosing the Boilermakers because they are playing Northwestern and the Wildcats are bad. The defense is pretty good but to be frank, it is nowhere near good enough to buoy their offense. Northwestern does not score and they rarely move the ball. The issue, in my opinion, is a complete lack of playmakers that can stretch the field. Riley Lees is a nice possession receiver but he should not be the number one target for a Big Ten squad and he offers nothing vertically. There are no weapons that scare a defensive coordinator and make them worry about loading up the box or sending pressure. I don’t think Purdue will blow out Northwestern but I am confident they go to Evanston and get the victory.

Illinois (+13) at Michigan State – 3:30 on FS1

I am attempting to figure out what Michigan State has done this season to be a two touchdown favorite against a team with a pulse. The Spartans will be without top linebacker Joe Bachie (suspension) and their offense has continued to be inconsistent, at best. Meanwhile, the Illini have won three straight (Wisconsin, Purdue and Rutgers) in impressive fashion and will be coming off of their bye week. I really like the way Reggie Corbin and Dre Brown are being utilized. Corbin is averaging 5.3 yards per carry and Brown is at six yards per carry. The most surprising part of the offense is the emergence of Josh Imatorbhebhe, a breakout receiver with 16.8 yards per catch and seven touchdowns. I do not anticipate Illinois going to East Lansing and winning but I definitely like them to keep it competitive and cover.

Penn State (-6.5) at Minnesota – Noon on ABC

This is a difficult one to peg but I believe the best unit on the field is going to be the Penn State defense and I’ll take the Nittany Lions to cover on the road. PSU has only given up 21 points one time (exactly 21, to Michigan). Beyond that, it’s been a stifling defense that is really stout against the rush and the pass. I have not seen a weakness that opposing offenses can exploit. Their offense does scare me a bit as the attack too often boils down to being “KJ Hamler makes a big play or we are punting” but Pat Freiermuth has stepped up recently, particularly in the red zone and they have a quartet of running backs that combine to give them a strong backfield. Minnesota deserves a lot of credit. They survived three close games at the beginning of the season and have manhandled the five Big Ten opponents placed in front of them. However, those five opponents should be looked at: Purdue, Illinois, Nebraska, Rutgers and Maryland before their bye week. None of those five teams are in the top half of the conference and only Illinois appears likely to go to a bowl game. Again, Minnesota has beaten who they have been asked to so far and they have done so very convincingly. The passing game is much better than anticipated and the Gophers have two legitimate top-end receivers in Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson. Rodney Smith, Mohamed Ibrahim and Shannon Brooks are probably better than the Penn State backs but they have not faced a front like Penn State’s. I think the Nittany Lions will get enough pressure on Tanner Morgan to impact his ability to connect deep with his wideouts and I like the Nittany Lions secondary to slow down the passing game. This will be a fun contest but I like Penn State to emerge unbeaten (and covering).