Washington Gets Ready for Next Week’s Apple Cup as the Big Ten Rolls Along
The Washington Huskies have likely been fed a varied menu of motivation for revenge this week, but they’ll have to sit out this Saturday.
It’s a bye week for the Dawgs following a Week 2, 70-10 victory over UC Davis, leading into the Sept. 20 Apple Cup against Washington State in Pullman. UW Head coach Jedd Fisch said earlier in the week that the team was going to “see how much we can improve in every area” before diving into WSU prep.
“We’ve got to get the Cup back,” said Fisch, who pointed out that the Huskies are 2-2 in the last four against WSU, including a 24-19 loss to the Cougs last year in Fisch’s first attempt. “That’s really where our focus is.”
We’ll also get prepped for the Apple Cup after this football Saturday. Washington is the only Big Ten team on a bye, but a lot of other teams have a pretty easy Saturday coming against the UC Davis’ of the college football world.
There are two league games, but USC and Oregon are favored by three and four touchdowns, respectively. Wisconsin is the lone Big Ten underdog in a non-conference game, as the three-touchdown underdog Badgers travel to Tuscaloosa to check in on Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer’s job security.
Three teams are playing teams so inferior that, as of Friday afternoon, most sports betting sites wanted no part of them. The remaining nine 12 Big Ten teams are favorites by an average spread of 28.4 points.
Indiana State at No. 22 Indiana (-48.5)
Close your eyes, Larry Bird. This is going to be a tough day for your Sycamores. Indiana 54-10
New Mexico at UCLA (-15)
If you had to bet everything you have, are you gonna put it on UCLA right now? Me either, but they find a way to win 24-20
No. 4 Oregon (-28) at Northwestern
This line dropped a little right about when former Oregon quarterback Akili Smith posted on X about the great ocean views in Illinois. The smart kids at Northwestern know it’s a lake, but that’s unlikely to help them win this conference football game. No cover for the Ducks, though, due to a 9 a.m. PDT start. Oregon 38-13
Wisconsin at No. 19 Alabama (-21.5)
I think DeBoer escapes a win, but the Tide fans still might be passing around a second offering plate at church, labeled “DeBoer buyout.” Mini-trap game, as ‘Bama has a bye, then faces Georgia. Alabama 26-15
Central Michigan at No. 23 Michigan (-28.5)
Tough spot for the Chippewas. Michigan will have plenty of motivation after losing at Oklahoma. They’ll likely have a “Win for Coach” mantra as Sherrone Moore will begin serving his two-game suspension (starting with the third game of the season) for the 2023 advance-scouting scandal. Michigan 45-10.
Houston Christian at Nebraska (42.5)
I felt a little dumb because I wasn’t sure I’d heard of Houston Christian. But the Huskies (yes, there are Huskies in Houston) were known as Houston Baptist until 2021. FanDuel is one of the few places with a line, and I don’t think they gave HCU enough lack of credit. Nebraska 59-0.
Towson at Maryland (-29.5)
The Tigers make the 45-mile drive to College Park, where they’ve lost three previous meetings by an average score of 43-9. The Terrapins aren’t very good, but this Towson team is capable of losing to UC Davis. Maryland 42-10
Villanova at No. 2 Penn State (-48)
This would be a fun basketball game, but only one team is putting up a basketball score on Saturday. Penn State 56-10
USC (-20.5) at Purdue
It’s tempting to pick Purdue here, but I don’t think the Boilermakers will win a conference game this season. USC 30-20
Norfolk State at Rutgers (42.5)
Remember a minute ago how I said Towson might lose to UC Davis? Well, Towson beat Norfolk State 27-7 on Aug. 28. This is another FanDuel-only line. Rutgers 63-0
Youngstown State at Michigan State (-23.5)
The Penguins were a perennial power under Jim Tressel in Division I-AA in the 1990s, but haven’t been the same this millennium. Another FanDuel-only line. Michigan State 38-10
Ohio at No. 1 Ohio State (-29.5)
The Bobcats are a dangerous MAC team, but if Ohio State was going to sleep through this one, they were awakened by Ohio’s win over West Virginia last week. Ohio State 31-13
Western Michigan at No. 9 Illinois (-27.5)
The Illini started slowly, but pulled away from Duke on their way to a 45-19 win. The only concern here is the looming trip to Indiana a week later. Trap game potential. Illinois 30-6
Massachusetts at Iowa (-35.5)
The only question here is, can the Hawkeyes score 36 points to cover that spread? Nah. Iowa 35-0
Minnesota (-2.5) at California
The Golden Gophers head to Berkeley for some ACC after dark, and the Golden Bears will shine brightest in this one. Cal 23-20
Bye: Washington
Last week: 18-0 overall, 9-9 against the spread
Season: 34-0, 21-13
