Certainly, it comes as no surprise that Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh made the most news at Big Ten media days. Harbaugh simply made a true statement that “journalists” have long pounded on their keyboards. The Michigan Man stated that Urban Meyer wins with controversy wherever he goes. Now the one legitimate critique of those remarks is Harbaugh’s lack of NCAA football betting success against Meyer. Consider he never beat the Former Ohio State coach in four tries. Ohio State remains the Big Ten betting favorite to win the 2019 title. Michigan is the clear second choice.
Big Ten Media Days and 2019 Projections
| Teams | Odds |
|---|---|
| Ohio State | +100 |
| Michigan | -200 |
| Wisconsin | +1100 |
| Penn State | +1400 |
| Nebraska | +1800 |
| Michigan State | +21300 |
| Northwestern | +3900 |
| Purdue | +3900 |
| Indiana | +4200 |
| Minnesota | +8500 |
| Maryland | +15000 |
| Illinois | +25000 |
| Rutgers | OFF |
| Iowa | +2300 |
A New Day
Following his success as Ohio State offensive coordinator, Ryan Day takes over as head coach. Georgia transfer Justin Fields is the expected new quarterback. Namely running back JK Dobbins is a proven NCAA football betting asset. Dobbins ran for 1053 yards with 4.6 yards per carry with 10 touchdowns. KJ Hill should be the top OSU receiver. Last year he caught 70 passes for 885 yards and six TD’s . Of great concern is a 72nd in the nation ranked defense that must improve.
Go Big Red
A clear online betting difference is expected at Nebraska this year. Head coach Scott Frost finished 4-8 in his first season in which he had to purge a soft culture. Correlate sophomore quarterback Adrian Martinez being touted as a Heisman Trophy candidate. Martinez threw for 2617 yards with a 17/8 TD/INT ratio as a true freshman. Furthermore, he added 629 yards rushing with eight TD’s. Embracing the new culture of hard work and loyalty is moving the needle the right way. But can Nebraska really make such a big leap to a title?
Now or Never for M Men
Extending the Michigan hype is that Meyer has “retired” from Ohio State. This has flipped the NCAA football betting expectations upside down. Of major concern is that Harbaugh says he will play both of his top quarterbacks. Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson is starter 1A. Last season he posted a 21/5 TD/INT ratio with 2364 yards passing. By contrast, Dylan McCaffrey had a higher QB rating (167.9 to 154.3). It follows that receivers Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones are touted to break out in 2019. That’s because new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis has been charged with spreading the attack.
On Wisconsin?
At the beginning of last year, Wisconsin was a trendy pick to win the national championship. However, the Badgers ended up looking like a team that was reading its own headlines. The sloppy play led to a highly disappointing 8-5 season. Commencing with the return of running back Jonathan Taylor is hope for a big rebound campaign. As an example, Taylor ran for 2194 yards and 16 TD’s last year. Quarterback remains the question at Mad Town.
Big Ten NCAA Football Betting Picks
On the whole, this season looks like it will come down to Ohio State and Michigan in the East. Contrarily the West Division looks wide open. More emphatically a surprise team may emerge. Wisconsin is at their best when not favored. And that is the case this year. Definitely, they are a potentially great value as a quality beaten favorite.
NCAA Football Betting Pick: Wisconsin Badgers to win the Big Ten
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