Big Ten Football Week 11 Predictions: Picks for Every Game

There might not be an earth-stopping showdown in the Big Ten this week, but there are several games that will change the season. Iowa is fighting for a College Football Playoff spot – it hosts Purdue. USC going to Indiana will be a mid-afternoon thing, Michigan at Oregon will be newsworthy in some way, and Ohio State will try to pick its season up off the mat against Northwestern. Here are the Big Ten short previews and predictions.

Big Ten Week 11 Previews, Predictions

Big Ten Week 11 Quick Hits

• USC can go from a slight afterthought to a real CFP player if it can get by Indiana. Or the Hoosiers will get a big win that several skeptical fans have been waiting for.
• Every game is interesting and has a good story. That includes Nebraska (uhhhh, the offense?) at Rutgers, and Wisconsin trying to show it’s pretty good at Maryland.
• UCLA is 6-0 in Big Ten play, Indiana is 5-1, and Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State, Oregon, USC, and Wisconsin are all 4-2.

Jump to Each Quick Preview
– Wisconsin at Maryland
– Nebraska at Rutgers
– Michigan at Oregon
– Washington at Michigan State
– Minnesota at Penn State
– Purdue at Iowa

Illinois at UCLA

Friday, November 13
Game Time: 9:00 PM ET | TV: FOX
Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Prediction: The CFN Full Game Preview and Prediction
Consensus Line: UCLA -10.5, o/u: 47.5

Northwestern at Ohio State

Game Time: 12:00 PM ET | TV: FOX
Location: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH
Prediction:The CFN Full Game Preview and Prediction
Consensus Line: Ohio State -13.5, o/u: 44.5

Wisconsin at Maryland: The Better Running Game Wins

Game Time: 12:00 PM ET | TV: FS1
Location: SECU Stadium, College Park, MD
Maryland started to play better in a shocking win over Purdue last week – what did it do right? The offense moved well, the defense stuffed the run, and now it gets a Wisconsin team that will once again start freshman quarterback Ryan Hopkins. It’ll be the Badger defense that takes over from the start.
Maryland is 3-1 when running for 125 yards or more. The Badgers are 18th in the nation, allowing 101 yards per game.
Prediction: Wisconsin 27, Maryland 17
Consensus Line: Wisconsin -9.5, o/u: 42.5
ATS Confidence: 3 | Must See: 2.5

Nebraska at Rutgers: Will the Husker Offense Finally Work?

Game Time: 12:30 PM ET | TV: BTN
Location: SHI Stadium, Piscataway, NJ
Rutgers is in the midst of an ugly 2-7 season, but it announced this week that it’s keeping head coach Greg Schiano around. Nebraska is on a brutal four-game losing streak, and it launched offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen. Will either move matter in this?
Nebraska is No. 1 in the nation in third down defense, the offense is second in the country at converting on third downs, but nothing about what’s happening is translating into points, failing to score more than 17 in any of the last four games. On the flip side, Rutgers can’t stop anyone on third downs, and that will translate into Nebraska points.
The Huskers are 5-0 when running for more than 140 yards. Rutgers allows 186 rushing yards per game.
Prediction: Nebraska 35, Rutgers 17
Consensus Line: Nebraska -13.5, o/u: 52.5
ATS Confidence: 2.5 | Must See: 3

Michigan at Oregon: Are the Ducks Really Back?

Game Time: 3:30 PM ET | TV: FS1
Location: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR
Maybe you didn’t see Michigan’s 15-6 loss to Michigan State – you didn’t, because you were watching Alabama-LSU or Miami-Notre Dame – but the Wolverine offense didn’t work. All of a sudden, with UCLA and Ohio State coming after this, there’s a real chance 5-4 Michigan won’t even be bowl eligible.
Oregon’s offense found itself over the last two weeks. Dylan Raiola has settled in; the explosion that was missing early on in the season woke up. And yes, at No. 16 in the CFP rankings, even at 6-3, Oregon isn’t totally out of the playoff picture – it needs a lot of help, though.
This will be a bit of a low scoring fight. There will be a few big plays, and the Wolverine attack – 132nd in the nation – will have one great early scoring drive, and then stall. The Michigan defense will keep this from getting ugly.
Prediction: Oregon 23, Michigan 16
Consensus Line: Oregon -10.5, o/u: 38.5
ATS Confidence: 2.5 | Must See: 4

USC at Indiana

Game Time: 3:30 PM ET | TV: CBS
Location: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN
Prediction: The Full CFN Game Preview and Prediction
Consensus Line: Indiana -8.5, o/u: 49.5

Washington at Michigan State: Did the Spartans Turn a Corner?

Game Time: 4:15 PM ET | TV: Big Ten Network
Location: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI
Yes, the “Lucy with the football” thing has been played, but that’s really what it was for Michigan State over the first part of the Big Ten season, inventing new and creative ways to lose in soul-crushing fashion. And then a crazy thing happened – the Spartans completely dominated Michigan in a 15-6 win that could’ve and should’ve been a lot worse.
Washington has been strange. It lost at home to Minnesota, Iowa, and Penn State, and was strangely ultra-focused in wins at Purdue and Nebraska. It’ll be cold, ugly, windy, and Washington won’t flinch a lick. Michigan State is still as banged up as it was against Michigan, even worse, and it’ll make it a fight, but it won’t have the big drive it’ll need late.
Prediction: Washington 24, Michigan State 20
Consensus Line: Washington -3.5, o/u: 44.5
ATS Confidence: 2 | Must See: 2.5

Minnesota at Penn State: Can the Gophers Takeaway A Win?

Game Time: 7:00 PM ET | TV: FS1
Location: Beaver Stadium, University Park, PA
Minnesota has been maddening on the road. It was wonderful in a 27-24 win against Washington, didn’t on the plane in a 41-13 blowout loss at Purdue – beat Iowa at home the next week – and came within a bomb of a field goal of taking down Indiana.
Penn State has been super-simple. It can’t afford any mistakes. It’s 5-0 when it doesn’t turn the ball over, and 0-4 when it does. Only UCLA has forced more takeaways in the Big Ten than Minnesota, which has taken at least one away in every game against an FBS team but one … Purdue.
Prediction: Minnesota 23, Penn State 20
Consensus Line: Penn State -9.5, o/u: 41.5
ATS Confidence: 3 | Must See: 3.5

Purdue at Iowa: Are the Hawkeyes Really in the CFP Chase?

Game Time: 7:30 PM ET | TV: NBC
Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA
Iowa could use a little bit of an eye-test game. It’s 15th in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, but after all the dust settles in a few weeks, it might just make it at 10-2 … maybe. The Hawkeyes can’t slip in any way with a trip to Illinois next and Nebraska to close.
Purdue has hit a wall since the stunning 41-13 win over Minnesota. The defense hasn’t been close against accurate passing games, going 0-6 on the year when quarterbacks hit better than 57% of their throws, and 3-0 when it keeps passers under wraps.
Iowa is connecting on 64% of its passes, with Hank Brown completing 83% of his throws on Halloween against Wisconsin, and 76% last week against Northwestern.
Prediction: Iowa 34, Purdue 16
Consensus Line: Iowa -17.5, o/u: 47.5
ATS Confidence: 3 | Must See: 3

Consensus line based on BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.