Big Ten College Football Odds: Week 2 Game Notes & Betting Guide

Written By Road to CFB | Published at September 3, 2024

In Week 1, the Big Ten Conference went 17-1 straight up, with only Minnesota falling (to North Carolina). This week, the league features 16 teams in action, some in enormous games. Texas at Michigan and Iowa State at Iowa are the marquee matchups in Big Ten football odds, not just on the conference slate but nationally as well. Miss something in last week's 18-game schedule? Don't worry – we have you covered here. Read on for Big Ten football betting notes, injuries, line movement, weather, and much more.

Bookmark this primer when handicapping Big Ten odds this weekend!

Big Ten Football Odds: Week 2

Browse the best Week 2 Big Ten football odds for FBS vs. FBS matchups below. Western Illinois at Indiana, Rhode Island at Minnesota, and South Dakota at Wisconsin were omitted.

Click inside the odds tables to bet now. Best of luck betting Big Ten football odds this week!

Duke at Northwestern, Friday (9:00 p.m., FS1)

Opening odds: NW -2.5, O/U 40.5
Watch for the weather here! Rain and wind are forecast for Evanston early in the week.
Duke leads the all-time series 13-10, beat Northwestern last five times out (5-0 ATS, last: Duke won 31-23 in 2022)
Northwestern missed four starters last week, including two on the defensive line, and barely beat Miami (OH), 13-6
Duke also struggled offensively against FCS Elon last week
The total was bet down almost immediately

Notable injuries: DE Richie Hagarty (NW), CB Ore Adeyi (NW), DL Carmine Bastone (NW), OG Jordan Knox (NW)

Texas at Michigan, Saturday (12:00 p.m., FOX)

Opening odds: MICH +3.5, O/U 44.5
Despite combining for 1,953 wins, Texas and Michigan have only played once ever (2005 Rose Bowl)
Michigan holds the most all-time wins (1,005), while Texas ties for fourth (948)
Without Jim Harbaugh, Michigan is 0-4 ATS against non-conference opponents (last year and Week 1)
Texas snapped a five-game losing streak in true road games against Power Conference foes when it beat Alabama last year

Notable injuries: SAF Rod Moore (MICH), QB Jack Tuttle (MICH), RB C.J. Baxter (TEX)

Bowling Green at Penn State, Saturday (12:00 p.m., Big Ten Network)

Opening odds: PSU -32.5, O/U 49.5
Watch for the weather here! Rain is forecast for Saturday's game as a low-pressure system moves through the region.
Bowling Green is 4-5 ATS against Big Ten foes since 2014 (three outright victories)
Falcons RB Terion Stewart forced 11 missed tackles and scored three times on just 14 carries in Week 1 vs. Fordham.
Penn State (-8.5) covered in its first action at West Virginia. The game was delayed due to lightning.
Andy Kotelnicki immediately made an impact on the Penn State offense. It rushed for 222 yards on WVU last week (5.3 yards per rush)
Nittany Lions held WVU to just 2.3 yards per carry (85 yards)

Notable injuries: QB Camden Orth (BG), WR R.J. Garcia (BG), EDGE Demetrius Hardamon (BG), Cluster injuries to PSU DL depth

Akron at Rutgers, Saturday (12:00 p.m., Big Ten Network)

Opening odds: RUT -23, O/U 41.5
Watch for the weather here! Rain is forecast for Saturday's game
Rutgers is on a 10-0 streak against non-conference opponents
Akron QB Ben Finley is questionable to play with a rib injury suffered last week vs. Ohio State
Tahj Bullock played in relief, completing 9-of-13 passes for 68 yards. The two QBs combined for 4.5 yards per attempt and five sacks

Notable injuries: QB Ben Finley (AKR), C Tyhler Williams (AKR), WR Alex Adams (AKR), LB Mo Toure (RUT), cluster injuries to RUT OL depth

Iowa State at Iowa, Saturday (3:30 p.m., CBS)

Opening odds: IOWA -2.5, O/U 36.5
Iowa State moved off its +2.5 opening number, largely to +3
Head coach Kirk Ferentz and WR coach Jon Budmayr return to the team after a one-game suspension
Iowa leads the CyHawk series 47-23 all-time. They have a 12-5 edge since 2006
Iowa State last won by more than three points in 2005 and has beaten Iowa by exactly three points in each of its last four victories
The under has hit on 17 of the last 19 matchups
The Cyclones out-gained the Hawkeyes and had 10 more first downs last year but lost 20-13 (Iowa covered a -3 spread)

Notable injuries: WR Seth Anderson (IOWA), LB Caleb Bacon (ISU)

Eastern Michigan at Washington, Saturday (3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network)

Opening odds: WAS -24.5, O/U 47.5
First matchup between these two teams, just the second MAC foe for Washington since 2008 (2022, Kent State)
Huskies are 17-6-1 ATS against non-conference foes at home
Washington saw movement in their favor almost immediately after opening
Eastern Michigan opened the year with a 28-14 win at UMass (+2.5 'dogs)

Notable injuries: TE Quentin Moore (WAS, cluster injuries here), DL Jayvon Parker (WAS), WR J.B. Mitchell (EMU)

Michigan State at Maryland, Saturday (3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network)

Opening odds: UMD -8.5, O/U 45.5
Watch for the weather here! Rain is forecast for Saturday's game
Michigan State committed three turnovers and 140 yards in penalties in a 16-10 win over FAU last week
Spartans four times crossed the 50-yard line and failed to score (three times inside the 11-yard line!)
These two teams have averaged a combined 39 points per game in Big Ten matchups (nine games)
Michigan State is 2-10 straight up in its last 12 road games

Notable injuries: WR Alante Brown (MSU), SAF Dillon Tatum (MSU), DE Quashon Fuller (UMD), LT Isaiah Wright (UMD)

Kansas at Illinois, Saturday (7:00 p.m., FS1)

Opening odds: ILL +5.5, O/U 55.5
Kansas tied the all-time series at 3-3 last year with a 34-23 win in Lawrence.
Illinois felt FCS foe Eastern Illinois to 45 total rushing yards in Week 1; Kansas rushed for 331 yards on FCS Lindenwood themselves.
Illini are 4-6 outright as underdogs the last two seasons (largest upset: +13 vs. Maryland last year)

Notable injuries: TE Cole Rusk (ILL)

Colorado at Nebraska, Saturday (7:30 p.m., NBC)

Opening odds: NEB -6.5, O/U 56.5
Nebraska moved through a key betting figure, -7, from open
Huskers lead the all-time series, 40-21-2, which used to be an annual Big 12 rivalry
Colorado (-2.5) won this matchup, 36-14, in Boulder last year thanks to a +3 turnover line
QB Shedeur Sanders tied for the national lead with five Big Time Throws in Week 1, per PFF
Watch for a severe mismatch between Nebraska's defensive line and Colorado's offensive line

Notable injuries: LB Javin Wright (NEB), LT Teddy Prochazka (NEB), CB Tommi Hill (NEB),

Western Michigan at Ohio State, Saturday (7:30 p.m., Big Ten Network)

Opening odds: OSU -38.5, O/U 54.5
Watch for the weather here! The forecast calls for sustained winds nearing 15 mph on Saturday
Ohio State won the only previous meeting in 2015
Buckeyes were without All-American guard Donovan Jackson and starting LB Cody Simon last week in a 52-6 win over Akron
Since 2017, the Buckeyes average 53.5 points per game against Group of Five opponents

Notable injuries: OG Donovan Jackson (OSU), LB Cody Simon (OSU), WR Kenny Womack (WMU)

College Football National Title odds

Boise State at Oregon, Saturday (10:00 p.m., Peacock)

Opening odds: ORE -18.5, O/U 61.5
Watch for the weather here! A heatwave persists in the area, and highs in Eugene are forecast to be 90º+, 10º above average.
Boise State holds a 3-0 series lead over Oregon (2008, ’09, ’17)
Oregon’s 24-14 win over Idaho was a bit misleading. The Ducks out-gained the Vandals 487-217 and were +1 in turnovers
Similarly, Boise State out-gained Georgia Southern 651-461
Dan Lanning is 19-9 ATS as head coach at Oregon

Notable injuries: RB Jambres Dubar (BSU), OG Matthew Bedford (Oregon)

Utah State at UCLA, Saturday (11:00 p.m., Big Ten Network)

Odds for Utah State at UCLA are Off The Board as of Tuesday afternoon.

Big Ten Football Odds: TBD
Watch for the weather here! Dangerously hot conditions are expected in Pasadena on Saturday. Highs are forecast to be over 100º
Utah State starting QB Spencer Petras is in concussion protocol after taking a hit to the head Saturday.
Washington is 3-0 all-time against Utah State (last: 2015)

Notable injuries: QB Spencer Petras (USU), RB Robert Briggs (USU), cluster injury to UCLA's offensive line depth