Week 2 in the Big Ten comes with a different kind of energy than opening weekend. The first slate was packed with mismatches, but this one gives the conference a much sharper edge. There’s the headline heavyweight battle everyone will be talking about, plus a few other matchups that put Power 4 teams in the same ring.
The game drawing the loudest attention is No. 1 Ohio State at No.
4 Texas. That’s the kind of top-five collision that instantly shapes the conversation around the College Football Playoff, and this one is expected to be tight.
Texas is listed as a -1.5 point favorite for the Saturday night primetime showdown, which tells you just how little separates these teams on paper.
Another Big Ten spotlight game sends No. 11 Oklahoma into Michigan.
There’s plenty of intrigue here too, even if the CFP angle feels a little less pronounced. Michigan’s "win" over Western Michigan last weekend left a lot to be desired, and the Wolverines fell completely out of the Top 25 this week despite the result.
Oklahoma arrives after a 51-point win over UTEP and is favored by 5.5 points in Ann Arbor.
Minnesota also gets a chance to measure itself against a tougher opponent when Mississippi State comes to town. The Gophers opened with a 59-7 blowout of Eastern Illinois, while Mississippi State handled Louisiana-Monroe 62-13. Both teams are stepping up in class, and the line reflects how close this one is expected to be: Minnesota is a -1.5 point favorite.
Beyond those three, the Big Ten schedule is loaded from Friday through Saturday night.
Rutgers opens the week at Boston College on Friday night, with the Eagles favored by 3.5. On Saturday morning, No.
5 Indiana hosts Howard as a massive 56.5-point favorite. No.
6 Oregon travels to Oklahoma State as a 22.5-point favorite, while No. 16 Penn State visits Temple and is favored by 23.5.
Purdue gets Wake Forest in a game with a tight spread, as Wake is a 2.5-point favorite. No.
19 Washington welcomes Utah State as a 26.5-point favorite, and Illinois hosts Duke with the Illini laying 5.5 points. Michigan State takes on Eastern Michigan as a 17.5-point favorite.
Maryland heads to UConn as a 12.5-point favorite, Nebraska is a 29.5-point favorite against Bowling Green, and Wisconsin is favored by 37 points over Western Illinois. UCLA also has a home date with San Diego State and is favored by 12.5.
The nightcap on the Big Ten slate is No. 21 Iowa against Iowa State, with Iowa a 13.5-point favorite.
Then No. 14 USC closes the conference’s week against Louisiana as a 30.5-point favorite.
Week 2 gives the Big Ten a little bit of everything: a top-five showdown, a few sneaky-fascinating Power 4 games, and a long list of lines that show exactly where the conference’s heavy hitters stand heading into the weekend.
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