Predicting Big Ten football scores in Week 4: USC, Oregon look to slow each other down
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There aren’t big matchups in either the ACC or the Big 12 this weekend, but the Big Ten sure has them. There will be two top-25 showdowns in Week 4 when Big Ten play begins.
College football in general has some must-see games, and fans can watch both Iowa-Michigan and Oregon-USC on Saturday. But those aren’t the only two games of intrigue. Can the Illini slow down Ohio State’s offense? Can Wisconsin upset Penn State?
We have score predictions for you.
MORE: College Football Big Ten power rankings entering Week 4
Illinois vs. No. 7 Ohio State
Illinois’ offense has looked better than expected since losing long-time quarterback Luke Altmyer, along with some key playmakers. East Carolina transfer Katin Houser has thrown for 758 yards and eight touchdowns in three games. While the offense has been better, the defense hasn’t.
The Illini rank No. 14 in total defense in the Big Ten, and that’s a far cry from what Illinois has been known for under Bret Bielema. And things won’t be easy this weekend at Ohio State. The Buckeyes are still trying to find their run game, but the passing attack isn’t lacking.
Julian Sayin has a plethora of playmakers at his disposal and Sayin has done a good job of spreading the ball around. If Illinois struggled to stop Duke, it’s going to have a hard time stopping the Buckeyes.
Final score: Ohio State 38, Illinois 17
No. 17 Iowa vs. No. 18 Michigan
There are two top-25 showdowns in the Big Ten this weekend and this will be the first one. More than likely, this is going to be an old-fashioned Big Ten game that doesn’t result in many points. Iowa statistically has the No. 1 defense in the country, while the Wolverines have the No. 10 total defense.
Michigan’s offense showed signs of life in the second half of last weekend’s 52-17 win over UTEP. Iowa also showed signs of life, scoring 55 points against Northern Iowa. We really don’t know much about the Hawkeyes’ offense as they’ve played Northern Illinois and Northern Iowa this season.
This will mark Iowa quarterback Hank Brown’s first road start of his career and star running back Kamari Moulton is listed as questionable after not playing last weekend. This game could look a lot like the Oklahoma game from Week 2, and Michigan pulls it out.
Final score: Michigan 17, Iowa 10
No. 20 Oregon vs. No. 12 USC
The second top-25 showdown is a reversal of the Michigan-Iowa game. Both of these teams have electric offenses, but it’s hard to trust either defense. Oregon already suffered an embarrassing loss to Oklahoma State as the Ducks’ defense couldn’t slow the Cowboys down. Oregon also struggled to slow down Boise State in Week 1.
As for USC, the Trojans remain undefeated at 4-0, but USC needed a game-winning drive to put away Rutgers, after the Scarlet Knights scored 35 points against USC. This game could come down to the final possession and it’s likely whichever quarterback has the ball in his hands last will win.
Both Dante Moore and Jayden Maiava have played well this season and neither team can afford to lose this game with College Football Playoff implications on the line.
Final score: Oregon 38, USC 35
The rest of the games will be quick-hitter style
- Rutgers 48, Howard 10
- No. 5 Indiana 31, Northwestern 14
- UCLA 41, Maryland 31
- No. 3 Notre Dame 38, Purdue 13
- No. 13 Penn State 31, Wisconsin 17
- Nebraska 24, Michigan State 20
- Washington 27, Minnesota 17
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