It's tradition around these parts once the Ohio State football season starts. Every year (and every week of the season), we have a little friendly competition among our writers for world domination in picking the Big Ten football games and some of the bigger college football contests once conference play gets into full swing.
Preseason favorites Ohio State and Oregon have already fallen, and defending College Football Playoff national champion Indiana is getting a lot of national notoriety and looks the part (more or less) after two weeks of play for Big Ten supremacy. You can't count out teams like Penn State and USC, but those two and others will have to prove themselves to be taken seriously, especially Michigan, even after a surprise win
over Oklahoma last weekend.
So, just how will Week 3 look as we look to see improvement from all the teams, especially Rutgers, which is the only team to be winless in the conference? Our writers take turns picking all the games in the League straight up and against the spread for your wagering and reading consumption — do with it as you wish.
As a reminder, if there’s an asterisk next to the pick, that means the team will win, but not cover. If there is a tie, rather than have a cage match or old-fashioned duel, we’ll settle it with less violence and go with the tried-and-true coin flip, where George Washington has the say.
EXAMPLE: If Ohio State is favored -3.5 over Michigan:
If you think Ohio State will win outright and cover: OSU
If you think Ohio State will win, but NOT cover: OSU*
If you think Ohio State will lose: Michigan
Here are our expert picks for Week 2 focusing on the Big Ten games only. As the conference season gets underway, we'll throw in five of the best non-Big Ten games, but that'll come a couple of weeks from now.
Big Ten football picks and predictions for Week 2
Results So Far
Follow Phil Harrison: 28-5 SU, 17-16 ATS
Follow MarkRussell: 26-7 SU, 15-18 ATS
Follow Sunny Verma: 27-6 SU, 16-17 ATS
Follow Alec Lasley: 27-6 SU, 15-18 ATS
CONSENSUS PICK: 27-6 SU, 14-19 ATS
Portland State at Oregon
Friday, Sept. 18
10:30 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network (Stream fuboTV (watch here))
Betting Line | Off
The Picks:
Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) | Oregon
Mark Russell (@MarkRussell1975) | Oregon
Sunny Verma (@thesunnyv) | Oregon
Alec Lasley (@allasley) | Oregon
CONSENSUS PICK | Oregon
Kent State at Ohio State
Saturday, Sept. 19
Noon ET | Fox (Stream fuboTV (watch here))
Betting Line | Oregon -52.5
The Picks:
Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) | Ohio State
Mark Russell (@MarkRussell1975) | Ohio State
Sunny Verma (@thesunnyv) | Ohio State
Alec Lasley (@allasley) | Ohio State*
CONSENSUS PICK | Ohio State
Buffalo at Penn State
Saturday, Sept. 19
Noon ET | Big Ten Network (Stream fuboTV (watch here))
Betting Line | Indiana -40.5
The Picks:
Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) | Penn State*
Mark Russell (@MarkRussell1975) | Penn State*
Sunny Verma (@thesunnyv) | Penn State
Alec Lasley (@allasley) | Penn State*
CONSENSUS PICK: Penn State*
Akron at Minnesota
Saturday, Sept. 19
Noon ET | Big Ten Network (Stream fuboTV (watch here))
Betting Line | Minnesota -23.5
The Picks:
Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) | Minnesota*
Mark Russell (@MarkRussell1975) | Minnesota
Sunny Verma (@thesunnyv) | Minnesota
Alec Lasley (@allasley) | Minnesota
CONSENSUS PICK | Minnesota
Eastern Michigan at Wisconsin
Saturday, Sept. 19
12:30 p.m. ET | Peacock
Betting Line | Wisconsin -24
The Picks:
Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) | Wisconsin
Mark Russell (@MarkRussell1975) | Wisconsin*
Sunny Verma (@thesunnyv) | Wisconsin
Alec Lasley (@allasley) | Wisconsin
CONSENSUS PICK | Wisconsin
Southern Illinois at Illinois
Saturday, Sept. 19
2:00 p.m. ET | Peacock
Betting Line | Off
The Picks:
Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) | Illinois
Mark Russell (@MarkRussell1975) | Illinois
Sunny Verma (@thesunnyv) | Illinois
Alec Lasley (@allasley) | Illinois
CONSENSUS PICK | Ilinois
USC at Rutgers
Saturday, Sept. 19
3:30 p.m. ET | CBS (Stream fuboTV (watch here))
Betting Line | USC -23.5
The Picks:
Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) | USC
Mark Russell (@MarkRussell1975) | USC
Sunny Verma (@thesunnyv) | USC
Alec Lasley (@allasley) | USC
CONSENSUS PICK | USC
UTEP at Michigan
Saturday, Sept. 19
3:30 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network (Stream fuboTV (watch here))
Betting Line | Michigan -35
The Picks:
Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) | Michigan
Mark Russell (@MarkRussell1975) | Michigan*
Sunny Verma (@thesunnyv) | Michigan
Alec Lasley (@allasley) | Michigan*
CONSENSUS PICK | Michigan
Western Kentucky at Indiana
Saturday, Sept. 19
4:00 p.m. ET | Peacock
Betting Line | Indiana -44.5
The Picks:
Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) | Indiana
Mark Russell (@MarkRussell1975) | Indiana
Sunny Verma (@thesunnyv) | Indiana
Alec Lasley (@allasley) | Indiana
CONSENSUS PICK | Indiana
Northern Iowa at Iowa
Saturday, Sept. 19
4:00 p.m. ET | FS1 (Stream fuboTV (watch here))
Betting Line | Off
The Picks:
Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) | Iowa
Mark Russell (@MarkRussell1975) | Iowa
Sunny Verma (@thesunnyv) | Iowa
Alec Lasley (@allasley) | Iowa
CONSENSUS PICK | Iowa
North Dakota at Nebraska
Saturday, Sept. 12
7:15 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network (Stream fuboTV (watch here))
Betting Line | Nebraska -24.5
The Picks:
Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) | Nebraska
Mark Russell (@MarkRussell1975) | Nebraska
Sunny Verma (@thesunnyv) | Nebraska
Alec Lasley (@allasley) | Nebraska*
CONSENSUS PICK | Nebraska
Eastern Washington at Washington
Saturday, Sept. 19
7:15 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network (Stream fuboTV (watch here))
Betting Line | Washington -44.5
The Picks:
Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) | Washington*
Mark Russell (@MarkRussell1975) | Washington*
Sunny Verma (@thesunnyv) | Washington
Alec Lasley (@allasley) | Washington*
CONSENSUS PICK | Washington
Michigan State at Notre Dame
Saturday, Sept. 19
7:30 p.m. ET | NBC (Stream fuboTV (watch here))
Betting Line | Notre Dame -29.5
The Picks:
Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) | Notre Dame
Mark Russell (@MarkRussell1975) | Notre Dame
Sunny Verma (@thesunnyv) | Notre Dame
Alec Lasley (@allasley) | Notre Dame*
CONSENSUS PICK | Notre Dame
Colorado at Northwestern
Saturday, Sept. 19
7:30 p.m. ET | Fox (Stream fuboTV (watch here))
Betting Line | Northwestern -3.5
The Picks:
Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) | Northwestern
Mark Russell (@MarkRussell1975) | Colorado
Sunny Verma (@thesunnyv) | Northwestern
Alec Lasley (@allasley) | Northwestern
CONSENSUS PICK | Northwestern
Virginia Tech at Maryland
Saturday, Sept. 19
7:30 p.m. ET | FS1 (Stream fuboTV (watch here))
Betting Line | Virginia Tech -3
The Picks:
Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) | Maryland
Mark Russell (@MarkRussell1975) | Virginia Tech
Sunny Verma (@thesunnyv) | Virginia Tech
Alec Lasley (@allasley) | Virginia Tech
CONSENSUS PICK | Virginia Tech
Purdue at UCLA
Saturday, Sept. 19
11:00 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network (Stream fuboTV (watch here))
Betting Line | UCLA -14
The Picks:
Phil Harrison (@PhilHarrisonBW) | UCLA*
Mark Russell (@MarkRussell1975) | UCLA
Sunny Verma (@thesunnyv) | UCLA
Alec Lasley (@allasley) | UCLA
CONSENSUS PICK | UCLA
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion.
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Big Ten expert picks and predictions for college football week 3
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside. It is your sole responsibility to act in accordance with your local laws.
Gambling involves risk. Please only gamble with funds that you can comfortably afford to lose. While we do our utmost to offer good advice and information we cannot be held responsible for any loss that may be incurred as a result of gambling. We do our best to make sure all the information that we provide on this site is correct. However, from time to time mistakes will be made and we will not be held liable. Please check any stats or information if you are unsure how accurate they are. No guarantees are made with regards to results or financial gain. All forms of betting carry financial risk and it is up to the individual to make bets with or without the assistance of information provided on this site and we cannot be held responsible for any loss that may be incurred as a result of following the betting tips provided on this site. Past performances do not guarantee success in the future and betting odds fluctuate from one minute to the next. The material contained on this site is intended to inform, entertain and educate the reader and in no way represents an inducement to gamble legally or illegally or any sort of professional advice.
Prediction Markets: Certain prediction markets are event contracts regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) or other applicable regulatory authorities and are legally distinct from traditional gambling and sports betting. Eligibility requirements to participate in prediction markets differ from those for sports betting and gambling — you may be required to be 18 or older (or such other age as the applicable platform requires) and to satisfy other eligibility criteria established by the relevant platform and governing law. Prediction market trading involves financial risk and may not be available in all jurisdictions. The legal and regulatory status of prediction markets varies by jurisdiction and by platform. It is your sole responsibility to confirm that participation is lawful where you reside and to comply with all applicable laws and platform terms.
