Analysis

Big Ten Picks: Will The Real Huskies Stand Up Saturday Against Minnesota?

We’ll find out a lot about Big Ten teams this week, after most played Charmin-soft nonconference schedules.

Fifteen of the 18 teams will open their conference seasons this week, including 3-0 Washington. The Huskies host Minnesota (2-1) in a battle of teams with much to prove after underwhelming nonconference slates.

This felt like an easy one to place in the Huskies win column before the season began, but Washington enters the game with a lot of questions on the offensive side of the ball after narrow wins over Washington State and Utah State prior to last week’s domination of a struggling FCS Eastern Washington program.

Can Washington find a running game without its top three runners?

Will a talented — but young — offensive line gel and get more push than it has so far?

Is Demond Williams Jr. capable of carrying an offense, or just a guy?

Does the receiver room have real playmakers, or just big-time recruits?

An answer of “yes” for any of the three would go a long way toward helping answer the other question. Improved play by the offensive line will help freshman running backs Brian Bonner Jr. and Ansu Sanoe break through, along with sixth-year senior Trey Cooley. The trio has been pressed into duty with long-term injuries to Quaid Carr, Jayden Limar and Jordan Washington.

The offensive line, with a pair of 18-year-olds in Kodi Greene and John Mills playing left tackle and left guard, respectively, hopes to get a boost from the return of senior center Landen Hatchett this week. That unit being whole and playing to its potential solves many of Washington’s issues.

If the running game gets going, that allows for Williams to do more damage through the air. Williams, who currently leads the team with 150 yards on the ground, can also create more space for the backs with his dual-threat abilities.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="842"]

Washington Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. is UW’s leading rusher after three games. Credit: Blake Dahlin/Red Box Pictures/Washington Athletics [/caption]

The receiving corps took immediate hits with the loss of Christian Moss lasting just one play in the opener after transferring from Kennesaw State. The sixth-year pass catcher is likely to miss several months with an injury. Dezmen Roebuck looked like the go-to guy for Williams in the win over Eastern, as the sophomore caught nine balls on nine targets. Rashid Williams also looked strong in his return from missing the Utah State game. The unit will also need some contributions from true freshmen Jordan Clay, Trez Walker and Mason James. Each of them has shown flashes during the early part of the season.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Huskies must avoid undisciplined play that has plagued UW on a unit that looks to be very strong this season. Washington has been called for nine personal fouls this season, with eight of them coming from defenders.

Second-year defensive coordinator Ryan Walters made it clear on Tuesday that he’s seen enough of that. And a larger concern is that the lack of discipline has crept into some situations where defenders are getting out of gaps and making other mental errors.

“Yeah, it's just that it's not acceptable,” he said. “There's got to be ramifications for undisciplined play and undisciplined choices. You can't let your emotions kind of get the best of you on the field. It is a confrontational game in nature, but you've got to play within the frameworks of the rules.

“We preach being physical, being violent, and being disciplined. I am a firm believer, I know Coach Fisch is a firm believer, that you can be all three. The bottom line is, in order to do your job, you have to play physically, you have to play violently, but you also have to play disciplined. So if you don't hit all three of those criteria, then you haven't done your job.”

Big Ten Picks

Howard (1-2) +43.5 at Rutgers (0-3)
4:30 p.m., Friday, Big Ten Network

A week after covering a 56.5-point spread in an inspiring 55-0 loss at Indiana, I’m all over the Bison.
Pick: Rutgers 49, Howard 8

Northwestern (2-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten) +21 at No. 5 Indiana (3-0, 0-0)
5 p.m. Friday, FOX

This one breaks my brain. Indiana is 0-3 against the spread this year despite outscoring its big-time non-conference opponents of North Texas, Howard and Western Kentucky by a combined 145-16. Meanwhile, Northwestern is 2-0 against the spread with a prime 41-7 win over Colorado. But can the Wildcats keep this to a three-touchdown margin? I’m not willing to go there yet.
Pick: Indiana 42, Northwestern 15

Illinois (2-1, 0-0) +27.5 at No. 7 Ohio State (2-1, 0-0)
9 a.m., FOX

Not all nonconference records are created equally, and Illinois has gone from CFP contender to hoping to make a bowl game in the span of a year.
Pick: Ohio State 38, Illinois 10

UCLA (3-0, 1-0) -1.5 at Maryland (2-1, 0-0)
10:30 a.m., BTN

Bob Chesney proved he can win at Cal. Next up is beating a bad team on the East Coast a week after giving up 38 to Purdue at home. With Oregon looming next week, this feels like a time-zone trap.
Pick: Maryland 24, UCLA 21

No. 3 Notre Dame (3-0) -27.5 at Purdue (1-2)
11 a.m., Peacock

The Boilermakers look a little pesky this year. Probably 2-10 pesky, but they can score enough points to cover here.
Pick: Notre Dame 37, Purdue 17

No. 17 Iowa (3-0, 0-0) +5.5 at No. 18 Michigan (3-0, 0-0)
12:30 p.m., CBS

For a matchup of teams ranked in the teens, this matchup looks gross. Best kicker wins, and I’ll go with Caden Buhr, who hit 45- and 42-yard attempts against Iowa State, the second one a walk-off.

Pick: Iowa 16, Michigan 13

Wisconsin (2-1, 0-0) +10 at No. 13 Penn State (3-0, 0-0)
2 p.m., Peacock

This is a sneaky tough game for new Nittany Lions coach Matt Campbell as he tries to prove he’s not James Franklin. No whiteout like Washington faced at Wisconsin last year (sort of), but Penn State gets a workmanlike win.
Pick: Penn State 27, Wisconsin 20

Nebraska (3-0, 0-0) -5.5 at Michigan State (2-1, 0-0)
2 p.m., BTN

This is a sneaky tough game for the Cornhuskers. The Spartans showed a little fight against Notre Dame, and Nebraska hasn’t played a real opponent yet.

Pick: Michigan State 21, Nebraska 20

No. 20 Oregon (2-1, 0-0) -3 at No. 12 USC (4-0, 1-0)
4:30 p.m.

This is a massive early-season game for both programs. Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley is on the hot seat, and losing a third straight game to Oregon will turn up the burners. The Ducks, who have won four straight against USC dating back to 2016, would suddenly be on the brink of CFP elimination with a loss. Oregon, considered one of the favorites to win it all in 2026, still has a game at No. 7 Ohio State on the schedule.

A loss Saturday will have Ducks fans wondering if Dan Lanning is capable of winning it all. I’m not sure that he is, but I have less faith in a Riley team that gave up 35 points to Rutgers last week.

Pick: Oregon 42, USC 38

The Pick

Minnesota (2-1, 0-0) +10 at Washington 3-0, 0-0)

The Golden Gophers are led by third-year, strong-armed quarterback Drake Lindsey, who is viewed as a likely upper-three-round pick for the NFL Draft. The 6-foot-5 pocket passer should provide a strong test for the Huskies, who could be without starting cornerback Emmanuel Karley (listed as questionable on Thursday’s availability report).

All-conference defensive end Anthony Smith, who led the Big Ten with 12.5 sacks in 2025. The fifth-year senior leads a defense that is experienced if not overly talented.

We’ll find out a lot about Washington in this game. Are the Huskies a CFP contender like many predicted? Or is a UW stuck in the middle of the Big Ten, and too young / too injured to creep into the upper echelon? I have my doubts now about the CFP, but Washington should have enough to get past Minnesota at home.

Washington 24, Minnesota 17