One thing that stands out is that nearly all the favorites are on the road. That tends to portend a lot of upsets.
Interestingly, the four teams tied atop the B1G-W at 3-2 are all favored but none are favored by much. They are only favored by 2 (MN), 3 (UNL), 5 (IA), and 9 (UW). Would anything surprise anyone at this point? Seriously, I wouldn't be shocked if all four won nor if all four lost.
The final question I'd like to address is Maryland, WTF is going on with the Terps?
At the end of September the Terps were 5-0 and on the cusp of being ranked. Seriously, they were first among "others receiving votes" and only 9 points behind #25.
Then, in their first October game the Terps held a second-half lead on the road over the #4 team in the nation. The rest of October was an unmitigated disaster for the Terps:
- Outscored 27-0 the rest of the way by tOSU
- Lost 27-24 at home to an Illinois team which is still otherwise winless in league games.
- Lost to the fighting byes of Open Date U
- Lost 33-27 to Northwestern
If Maryland returns to "September Maryland" they could be a serious threat at home to Penn State. OTOH, if they continue as "October Maryland" they'll likely get blown off the field.
