Notable Big Ten Week 4 opening odds with Ohio State on bye

Following a perfect 3-0 run through its non-conference schedule, Ohio State now gets a week off before beginning the Big Ten slate. With the Buckeyes on a bye, there are a handful of other big matchups across the conference to keep an eye on this week.

Michigan (-1.5) vs. Nebraska – 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS/Paramount+

One of the sneaky good games of Week 4, the Wolverines travel to Lincoln to take on the undefeated Cornhuskers.

Michigan is 2-1 on the year, with its lone loss coming on the road to Oklahoma. Nebraska, meanwhile, is 3-0 to begin the season, coming away

with a narrow victory over Cincinnati in Week 1 and winning two blowouts against Akron and Houston Christian.

Freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood struggled in his last road game for the Wolverines, completing only 9-of-24 passes for 142 yards against the Sooners. Nebraska is a tough place to play, and their defense ranks 8th in the country allowing just 8.0 points per game, albeit against lesser competition than what they will face against Michigan.

Michigan State vs. USC (-14.5) – 11:00 p.m. ET on FOX

A battle of two programs looking to bounce back from tough seasons in 2024, both the Spartans and the Trojans enter this game at 3-0.

Michigan State won a 42-40 shootout against Boston College in between two multiple-score victories over Western Michigan and Youngstown State. USC already has a Big Ten win on its ledger after beating Purdue 33-17 this weekend, with blowout wins over Missouri State and Georgia Southern prior.

The Spartans are riding a streak of four-straight road losses dating back to last season, hoping to flip the script in Week 4 by winning their first away game since a 27-24 win over Maryland on Sept. 7, 2024. The Trojans have gotten excellent quarterback play from Jayden Maiava, who leads the B1G with 989 passing yards, and will look to attack a Michigan State secondary that has had trouble in the secondary over the last several years.

Illinois vs. Indiana (-3.5) – 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC

Unless Nebraska sneaks its way into the updated AP Poll, Illinois vs. Indiana is the lone ranked-on-ranked matchup in the Big Ten in Week 4.

Both of these teams have been super impressive the start the next campaign, with the Hoosiers out-scoring their first three opponents by a combined score of 92-23. Illinois has been even more dominant, out-scoring opponents 135-22 including a 45-19 victory over Duke.

Fernando Mendoza and Luke Altmeyer are two of the better quarterbacks in the conference, and both are incredibly experienced and have played in their fare share of big games. The Hoosiers likely have a bit of an advantage through the air with the dynamic duo of Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt at wide receiver, but don’t sleep on Hank Beatty for the Illini.

It is worth noting that Indiana is a slight favorite at home despite being the lower-ranked team.