CFB Betting Brief: The Big 10 Returns 10-23-2020

• The Wisconsin Badgers have -1350 short odds to beat the Illinois Fighting Illini in the first Big 10 game of the season.
• The Michigan State Spartans are favored at -415 to beat the Rutgers Scarlett Knights.
• The Nebraska Cornhuskers have +1250 longshot odds to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes.

MADISON, Wisc. – The Big 10 NCAA college football season has finally begun and sports bettors at online sportsbooks have several options going into the major matchups.

Unlike other conferences that began their season without a preseason or practice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Big 10 suspended its season in August but players were still able to practice. This makes Big 10 teams come in with little to no rust.

What this does is make the games more predictable as teams are in-game shape and have been able to test out their new rosters before the first games of the season.

The Fighting Illini are 6-1 against the spread in their last 7 conference games and are 5-1 against the spread in their last 6 games as an underdog. It is also important to note that they are 0-5 against the spread in their last 5 Friday games.

Wisconsin has hit the over in their last five games as the favorite. If you are taking action, taking the over at -118 may not be a bad bet.

The Under is favored at -115 for this game and for good reason. The Under is are 7-1 in the last 8 road games for the Scarlet Knights. While Rutgers is 2-5 against the spread in October games, the Spartans are 2-7 against the spread in their last nine games overall.

With this being the first game of the season, it is unpredictable how the outcome will be. Michigan has lost their three years starting QB Brian Lewerke after he graduated, making their offense unpredictable. It may be the safest bet to ignore the spread altogether and take action on the Under.

This is a game where taking Ohio State against the spread may be the best choice. The Buckeyes are 5-1 in their last six games against the spread and are 26 ½ point favorites going in.

Nebraska’s defense was poor last season, and with most defenses struggling at the beginning of the season, it is expected that Ohio will put up major points against the Cornhuskers.

The Penn State Lions are 1-3-1 against the spread in their last five meetings in Indiana. The over is also 6-2-1 in the last nine meetings between these two programs. The Lions are 5-1 in the last 6 road games when betting on the Under. Indiana is 7-1 when betting on the over in the last eight October games.

As Penn State is favored by under a touchdown, it shows that sportsbooks aren’t too keen on either team defensively. Expect this to be a high scoring close game, where taking the over may be the best choice.

This game has seen major line movement, with the spread moving from -4 to -3 ½, to now -3. In addition, the totals have moved from 50 ½ to 51 ½ in just a few days.

The visiting team is 9-1 against the spread in the last 10 meetings between these teams. The Under is also 4-0 in the last four October games for Iowa and 6-1-1 in the last eight games.

With the Totals line showing constant movement, taking the Under at legal sports betting may be the smart choice in this matchup.

The last nine times these teams faced one another; the Wolverines were 7-2 against the spread. The over for these teams is 6-0 in the last six meetings. Michigan is also 4-0 in their last four games where they were the favorite.

If you are confident in Michigan to win, then taking them to cover 3 points is the smart move as their history with covering the spread has been promising.

The Big 10 is bringing forth a lot of betting activity for college football bettors. The NCAA CFB season is already getting off to a big start in the sports betting arena.

News tags: Illinois Fighting Illini | Indiana Hoosiers | Iowa Hawkeyes | Michigan State Spartans | Michigan Wolverines | Minnesota Golden Gophers | Nebraska Cornhuskers | Ohio State Buckeyes | Penn State Lions | Purdue Boilermakers | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | Wisconsin Badgers