Does the B1G have a tier two? Sherrone Moore returns to his alma mater. And a Midwest rivalry has been revived.

What is WOF up to this Weekend? 

All 3 of us at WOF will attend Middle Tennessee at Wisconsin at 3:00 PM CST. Our editor, Hayden, will be on the field marching in the alumni band. Pre-gaming will look like drinking Busch Light while watching the corn schools fight on FOX. After the Badgers win by 40, we’ll catch what we can of the game in Norman. 

Friday night has a handful of forgettable games; your time, and ours, will be better spent watching Mahomes sling it in Brazil.  

• Odds listed refer to spreads taken from FanDuel at the time of writing

3 Games The B1G Needs to Win

This is a big week for the Big Ten. I’m arguing that this week will have a ripple effect that reaches all the way to Selection Sunday. Does the B1G have a strong tier 2 (behind Ohio State, Penn State, and Oregon)? Or is it a top heavy league? This is the week we find out. 

If the Big Ten manages to lose some or all of these games, the narrative will be that the middle of the Big Ten is weak. And when conference play kicks off, wins over teams like Iowa and Illinois won’t carry much weight. It will be hard for a team like Washington, USC, or Nebraska to get the benefit of the doubt over an SEC team with the same record if there are no ranked wins to go around.

On the flip side, when the B1G wins these three games, they are setting up for a season full of ranked matchups. And when your team *cough* *Wisconsin* *cough* beats a ranked Michigan or a ranked Iowa, then that team has an argument to be ranked. And the cycle continues, week after week. It’s not bad teams beating each other up; it’s a meat grinder of good to great teams. That is how the B1G gets 4 or 5 teams into the dance in December. 

11:00 AM CST: Cy-Hawk

Iowa at 16 Iowa State (-3.5) – (FOX)

The trophy game between the corn people I’d expect to look like any game involving Iowa. Low scoring, no passing allowed, and lots of work for the punters. HC Matt Campbell is in his 10th season at Iowa State, yet he has never beaten the Hawkeyes at home. Keep the streak going, Iowa.

11:00 PM CST: Bielema’s Road Test

11 Illinois (-2.5) at Duke – (ESPN)

Illinois went 10-3 in 2024. They beat South Carolina, an SEC school, in their bowl game. They return 16 starters, including QB Luke Altmyer. How is this only a 3 point spread? Bielema, show the CFB world why the Illini deserve to be ranked in the top 12. 

6:30 PM CST: Sherrone Moore’s Homecoming

15 Michigan at 18 Oklahoma (-5.5) – (ABC)

Michigan got away with some shenanigans here. They self-imposed a 2 game suspension on Sherrone Moore for 3rd degree natty stealing that they then conveniently applied to weeks 3 and 4 of 2025. This miraculously allows Moore to coach in the game at his alma mater Oklahoma. With all that BS to let him coach this game, they’d better win the thing. 

One More: An OG Rivalry

2:30 PM CST: The Border War

Kansas at Missouri (-6.5) – (ESPN2)

The Border War is a top 10 rivalry in college football. So why the hell is it buried on ESPN2? Kansas and Missouri started playing this game in 1891, and it was played every year from 1919 to 2011. Then some guys in suits killed the series via realignment in the name of ‘TV revenue’. But now it’s back! (Probably not for long with the SEC moving to 9 conference games next year) 

Kansas QB Jalon Daniel has been stellar to start the season, and Missouri is expected to be about an 8-4 squad. The winner of this game likely generates some real hype behind them. The loser will curse the other state until their voice gives out.

My favorite take on this game comes from a Kansas fan – “Kansas State is our rival, Missouri is the enemy.” This is what college football was, and what it should be – regional rivalries full of passion and hate. 

Spread Picks*:

I was absolutely terrible last week, going 1-5. I’d fade these picks if I were you. Here we go again. 

Iowa at 16 Iowa State 
Under 41.5 – Pick

Iowa unders are a wagon.

Kansas (+6.5) – Tolly’s Upset Pick
at Missouri

Jalon Daniels balls out and carries Kansas to a win in the Border War.

Oklahoma State at
6 Oregon (-28.5) – Pick

Oklahoma State is a shell of the program they used to be. Oregon dominates.

20 Ole Miss (-8.5) – Pick
at Kentucky 

Ole Miss dropped 63 on Georgia State last week. Kentucky is terrible. Ole Miss covers easily.

Middle Tennessee at
Wisconsin (-28.5) – Pick

Middle Tennessee is the worst team in FBS by most metrics. They lost to Austin Peay last week, 34-14. Austin Peay is a team that went 4-8 in the FCS last year. Wisconsin will blow the doors of the Blue Raiders 

Georgia Southern at 
USC (-28.5) –  Tolly’s Favorite Pick

USC has a Heisman candidate QB, and they will want to pad his stats. The Trojans scored 73 last week, and they approach that number again. 

How I’ve Done so far this Season:

Upset Picks must be +3 or greater to be “Upsets”

Favorite Picks: 1-0 
Upset Picks: 0-1 
Total Record ATS: 1-5 

*These picks are to express my opinion on games from a point spread perspective. I am not advocating for you, the reader, to gamble on any of these games. Please bet responsibly.

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This article was written by Cole Tollison and edited by Hayden Breene.