Big Ten football is officially back -- well, back in full swing, that is.
Technically, Big Ten football returned last week with USC kicking off its season with a Week 0 victory over San Jose State last weekend. Now, every single Big Ten team will be in action this weekend, with games ranging from Thursday to Sunday. That includes the Spartans who will kick off their 2026 season on Friday in a home matchup against Toledo.
For yet another year, the Spartans Wire crew is back to predict every Big Ten game throughout the season, starting with Week One. Let's take a look at each of our picks against the betting spread for this week's matchups below:
UMass at Rutgers (minus-29.5)
Andrew Brewster: UMass
Cory Linsner: Rutgers
Robert Bondy: Rutgers
Eastern Illinois at Minnesota (minus-42.5)
Andrew Brewster: Eastern Illinois
Cory
Linsner: Eastern Illinois
Robert Bondy: Eastern Illinois
UAB at Illinois (minus-28)
Andrew Brewster: Illinois
Cory Linsner: Illinois
Robert Bondy: Illinois
Indiana State at Purdue (minus-36.5)
Andrew Brewster: Indiana State
Cory Linsner: Purdue
Robert Bondy: Purdue
Fresno State at USC (minus-22.5)
Andrew Brewster: USC
Cory Linsner: USC
Robert Bondy: USC
Ohio at Nebraska (minus-24)
Andrew Brewster: Nebraska
Cory Linsner: Nebraska
Robert Bondy: Nebraska
North Texas at Indiana (minus-40.5)
Andrew Brewster: Indiana
Cory Linsner: Indiana
Robert Bondy: Indiana
Ball State at Ohio State (minus-50.5)
Andrew Brewster: Ball State
Cory Linsner: Ball State
Robert Bondy: Ohio State
Boise State at Oregon (minus-24.5)
Andrew Brewster: Oregon
Cory Linsner: Oregon
Robert Bondy: Oregon
Marshall at Penn State (minus-24.5)
Andrew Brewster: Penn State
Cory Linsner: Penn State
Robert Bondy: Marshall
Northern Illinois at Iowa (minus-31.5)
Andrew Brewster: Northern Illinois
Cory Linsner: Northern Illinois
Robert Bondy: Northern Illinois
Western Michigan at Michigan (minus-28)
Andrew Brewster: Michigan
Cory Linsner: Michigan
Robert Bondy: Western Michigan
South Dakota State at Northwestern (minus-13)
Andrew Brewster: Northwestern
Cory Linsner: South Dakota State
Robert Bondy: Northwestern
Hampton at Maryland (minus-45.5)
Andrew Brewster: Maryland
Cory Linsner: Maryland
Robert Bondy: Maryland
UCLA (minus-1.5) at California
Andrew Brewster: UCLA
Cory Linsner: California
Robert Bondy: California
Washington State at Washington (minus-23.5)
Andrew Brewster: Washington State
Cory Linsner: Washington
Robert Bondy: Washington
Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame (minus-20.5)
Andrew Brewster: Wisconsin
Cory Linsner: Notre Dame
Robert Bondy: Notre Dame
Toledo at Michigan State (minus-9.5)
Andrew Brewster: Michigan State
Cory Linsner: Michigan State
Robert Bondy: Michigan State
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Spartans Wire Big Ten Football Picks: Week 1
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