Big Ten football staff picks for Week 12: USC or Iowa?
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The Big Ten regular season is coming down the final stretch with just three weeks remaining. The race to the Big Ten championship appears to be a two-horse race with Ohio State and Indiana potentially on a collision course for Indianapolis, but Orgeon and USC are still hoping to stay in the running as well.
Our staff is in unison wiht most of the action going down around the Big Ten in week 12, although there are a couple of differences in opinions. We actually have a split decision on one key game this week with USC and Iowa.
Here are our picks for this week’s Big Ten schedule in Week 12. You can check out our final score predictions for the Penn State-Michigan State game.
| Kevin | Christopher | Sam | Andrew | |
| Minnesotaat Oregon | Oregon | Oregon | Oregon | Oregon |
| Wisconsinat Indiana | Indiana | Indiana | Indiana | Indiana |
| Michigan atNorthwestern | Michigan | Michigan | Michigan | Michigan |
| Iowaat USC | USC | USC | Iowa | Iowa |
| Marylandat Illinois | Illinois | Maryland | Illinois | Illinois |
| Purdue atWashington | Washington | Washington | Washington | Washington |
| UCLA atOhio State | Ohio St | Ohio St | Ohio St | Ohio St |
Andrew on USC vs. Iowa: Iowa has been close to coming out victorious in some big games, including its last game against Oregon. Now, the Hawkeyes get to travel to USC to face the Trojans. Iowa’s defense is consistently one of the best in the country and the playmaking from Mark Gronowski will be enough to get a big win against USC.
Christopher on USC vs. Iowa: This game, unfortunately, has lost its very low-key playoff stakes, but still, USC will be looking to stay in the hunt. Iowa, on the other hand, has to find a way to bounce back from a demoralizing loss at home to Oregon in the final stages of the game. At the very least, that game proved that Iowa’s defense can hang with pretty much anyone opposing offense in the nation. But morale must be low for the Hawkeyes. Add in the fact that they’ll be on the road, and this could all add up to be a tough journey for the squad. Give me USC in a defensive-minded slugfest.
Sam on USC vs. Iowa: USC’s run defense hasn’t been great, and Iowa can run the ball very well with Kamari Moulton and quarterback Mark Gronowski. I think the Hawkeyes can turn this into a low-scoring grind, like in their loss to No. 6 Oregon last week, only this time they pull off the upset.
Andrew on Illinois vs. Maryland: Illinois and Maryland is one of the more intriguing matchups in the Big Ten. The Fighting Illini had high expectations entering the season, and even though they’re still 6-3, a matchup with a younger team could give them issues. Luke Altmyer could have a big game to lead Illinois past Maryland.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Big Ten football Week 12 staff picks
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