There’s no doubt that the Big Ten is one of the toughest conferences in college football. Year after year, teams battle it out for a chance to win the conference title and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.
This season is shaping up to be another competitive one, with a number of teams looking to take home the crown. Here’s a glimpse at some of the top contenders, best bets, and sleepers alongside our Big Ten football predictions for who will come out on top in December.
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Big Ten Football Predictions: Best Bet
Ohio State To Win Big 10 Championship (-215) | DraftKings Sportsbook
Betting on favorites isn’t fun. I don’t care. This is the correct pick.
The Buckeyes should run through their conference games with C.J. Stroud putting up Heisman Trophy-worthy numbers along the way. It helps that Ohio State will warm up with five-straight home games to begin the season. They also play the meat of their conference schedule at home: Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan. Michigan State and Penn State are on the road, but the Buckeyes have enough talent and depth to emerge from that stretch to win the Big Ten East Division.
Make no mistake about it, the Buckeyes sported the top offense in college football last season. There’s an extremely good chance OSU repeats in that category while marching toward another Big Ten Championship. It doesn’t hurt when you have one of the best players in college football at the quarterback position. Stroud could easily improve on his incredible 4,435 passing yard performance last season (44 TDs, 6 INT). That’s scary for the rest of the conference. His top receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njiba proved he could step forward while hauling in 15 passes for 347 yards and 3 TDs in the bowl game. Try recreating those numbers on your Playstation 3 version of NCAA 14.
The Bottom Line
If you’re worried about the Ohio State vs. Michigan matchup at the end of the season, you could always hedge your position by taking the Wolverines as an underdog on the moneyline. The same could hold true for whoever Ohio State meets in Big Ten Championship, which will probably be Wisconsin.
However, hedging your bet shouldn’t be needed. Buckeyes’ Head Coach Ryan Day should be motivated to win this Ohio State-Michigan battle after having his College Football Playoff hopes dashed by the Wolverines last season. Did I mention this rivalry will be played in Columbus? That’s a huge advantage for the Buckeyes.
You can find Ohio State to win the Big 10 championship at several different odds depending on the sportsbook. At the time of writing this article, the -215 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook come out on top. For perspective, PointsBet (-235), Caesars (-250), and BetMGM (-225) are all more expensive.
Where To Bet: Ohio State to win the Big Ten | -215 at DraftKings Sportsbook
Big Ten Football Predictions: Sleeper Pick
Wisconsin To Win The Big 10 Championship (+1200) | Caesars Sportsbook
Wisconsin is marginally favored to win the Big Ten West. You can find them at +170 odds to accomplish that feat, which is ahead of Nebraska and Iowa. To be completely honest, the West division isn’t overly competitive. There’s a chance the Huskers or Hawkeyes surprise (don’t count out Purdue either), but Wisconsin should be able to fend them off en route to the Big 10 Championship Game.
This is a favorable schedule for the Badgers. Sure, they have to travel to Ohio State to begin Big Ten play on September 24, but things become reasonable after that. Finishing out the season against Iowa (in Iowa City) and then at Nebraska on consecutive weeks will go a long way in deciding the Badgers’ fate. Still, there’s a good chance Wisconsin will be favored in both draws. Avoiding Michigan and Penn State this season serves as a huge plus.
The Bottom Line
You know what style of play travels well in the bitter cold months to finish out the Big Ten season? Running the ball and stopping the run. This shouldn’t be a spoiler alert to anyone, but Wisconsin has a penchant for both. The Badgers still have a top-tier offensive line to go along with a solid defense. Both running backs, including breakout freshman Braelon Allen, return to bolster a strong running game that will serve as the identity of this team.
The Badgers know how to stop an opposing rushing attack too. That’s for sure. Wisconsin ranked first overall in rushing defense and total defense last season. They limited opposing teams to just 3.12 yards per carry. Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard is top-tier on that side of the football, and he’ll look to reload with eight new starters on top of that impressive foundation.
Put it all together, and this looks like nine wins and a possible Big 10 West Division Title for the Badgers. Once they get into the Big 10 Championship Game, anything can happen. In fact, you could take both Ohio State and Wisconsin to win the conference while hoping they meet in the final game, thus guaranteeing a winning ticket.
Where To Bet: Wisconsin to win the Big Ten | +1200 at Caesars Sportsbook