Last week was rough against the spread, and this slate doesn’t exactly offer much room to hide. Three underdogs with decent-sized cushions all got buried, and now the picks turn to a weekend full of conference matchups with some tricky numbers.
The one that jumps out first is Iowa at Washington, where the Huskies are laying 3.5 to a ranked Hawkeye team. That line says plenty about where oddsmakers see Washington right now.
Iowa is coming west on a short week after facing Ohio St, and there’s still uncertainty around its quarterback, with the available reports not sounding especially encouraging. Washington, meanwhile, at least flashed something against USC and may be edging toward a more workable offense.
Jedd Fisch’s decision to talk about getting John Mills more snaps at left tackle and giving Kodi Greene more reps at guard also suggests the staff sees the same issues everybody else does. Still, backing Washington means believing Demond Williams can handle a very large, physical Iowa front, and his shaky pocket presence has already shown up against far less imposing opponents.
Washington’s run game looked useful against USC, but that was against a defense that hasn’t been good. Even with Iowa’s quarterback situation, this feels like a tough ask for the Huskies.
Iowa 21 - Washington 17
Indiana heads to Nebraska as a 7.5-point favorite, and the Hoosiers are still the team to beat here until somebody proves otherwise. A year after having a Heisman-winning quarterback, Indiana has turned into a run-first operation, piling up more than 250 rushing yards per game behind Turbo Richard and Lee Beebe.
Nebraska is unbeaten at 5-0, but the schedule has been very soft, so there’s still a little skepticism baked into that record. At some point Indiana is going to lose, and a road conference game is a perfectly believable place for it to happen.
Still, Nebraska can make this one interesting. Indiana 28 - Nebraska 23
The UCLA trip to Oregon has a different feel, with the Bruins getting 11.5 points after moving to 4-0 and into the top-25. Bob Chesney has UCLA running the ball with real purpose, and Oregon has not exactly been stout against the run.
Wayne Knight, “Hello, Newman,” has been the engine of that attack at 9.1 yards per carry. There’s also a quarterback wrinkle, with Dylan Raiola more likely to start while Dante Moore is out with a concussion.
UCLA hasn’t won in Eugene since 2004, but Chesney looks like the kind of coach who can at least make the old numbers sweat. Oregon 30 - UCLA 24
Illinois at Michigan St is one of those games where the records say one thing and the performances say another. Both teams expected more than 2-3 at this point, especially Illinois, and Pat Fitzgerald’s offense at Northwestern was never going to light the world on fire anyway - that team is 125th in scoring so far this season.
Former Spartan quarterback Katin Houser has been uneven in his first year at Illinois, but the Illini have been the more functional offense of the two. That’s enough to side with them in a close one.
Illinois 27 - Michigan St 23
The USC-Penn St game brings together two fan bases that are already restless with their coaches, though for very different reasons. Penn St has dropped consecutive games to Wisconsin and Northwestern, which naturally has people wondering whether firing James Franklin was the right move.
USC fans, meanwhile, are desperate to see their own high-paid coach go. On the field, the weak spots line up neatly: USC’s defense against Penn St’s offense.
Jayden Maiava started the year locked in, but he has come back down to earth over the last two weeks against Oregon and UW. USC has issues, no question, but it’s hard to find a strong reason to trust Penn St right now.
USC 30 - Penn St 27
Minnesota closes the card as a 2.5-point road favorite at Purdue, and the Gophers have quietly become one of the nicer surprises around. They followed up their win over UW with another upset against Michigan, while Purdue arrives off a long-awaited breakthrough, snapping a years-long B1G losing streak with last week’s win over Illinois.
Minnesota should lean on Darius Taylor and the ground game, which lines up well against a Purdue defense that has struggled. With the number sitting at 2.5, Minnesota looks like the side to back if you think the streak keeps rolling.
In Other News...
Oregon Is Losing A Rival Figure Washington Fans Knew Too Well
For Washington fans, Dana Altman has been one of the most familiar faces in the rivalry for a long time, and now Oregon is losing the coach who helped define it. Altman announced his retirement after a long run on the sideline, ending a stretch that made him a constant presence in the Ducks-Huskies matchup and a familiar obstacle for Huskies followers who tracked every meeting.
The timing adds another wrinkle for a conference rivalry already in transition. Tony Stubblefield, hired before the 2024-25 season, will step in as Oregons interim coach, while Altman said his decision came from a decline in energy and his own inability to delegate. For Washington, it marks the end of an era against a coach whose name carried real weight every time the teams lined up. [Read more 🡒]
Washington's Big Ten Test Under Danny Sprinkle Just Came Into Focus
Washingtons next basketball season now has a date and a first glimpse of the road ahead. The Huskies will open the 2026-27 campaign on Nov. 2 against Colgate at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, the start of a schedule that mixes nonconference warm-up work with the kind of Big Ten grind that will tell a lot about where Danny Sprinkles program really stands.
For Washington, the bigger picture is the one that matters most: a chance to chase its first winning season under Sprinkle and its first winning Big Ten record since joining the league. The home slate should help shape that push, with Indiana, Nebraska, Northwestern and Purdue all set to come through Seattle in games that will give the Huskies plenty of chances to show whether they are ready to move from hopeful to competitive in their new conference home. [Read more 🡒]
Washingtons Offensive Line Shuffle Puts One Troubling Question Back In Focus
Washingtons offensive line has spent much of the season in motion, and the latest adjustment is designed to bring a little more stability back to the front. The Huskies are reshuffling their rotation because of injuries and performance issues, with Kolt Dieterich moving away from center and back to other spots along the line as the staff looks for the best combination.
Landen Hatchett is expected to rejoin the mix after missing the first five games with a wrist injury, which gives Washington a chance to restore a more familiar look up front. The change also brings back a question the Huskies have been trying to answer all season: whether the line can settle into a workable five or whether the next injury or weak spot will force another switch before long. [Read more 🡒]