Conference action is in full swing in the world of college football and the Big Ten is loaded with top games this weekend, including No. 6 Oregon visiting No. 3 Penn State in a rematch of last year’s Big Ten Championship Game. No. 1 Ohio State is also in action against undefeated Washington, USC faces Illinois in a battle of ranked teams and No. 11 Indiana, fresh off a blowout win over the Illini, takes on Iowa. Three of those games make up our Week 5 Big Ten parlay that pays better than 4-1 at Caesars Sportsbook.
College football Week 5 Big Ten parlay
- Indiana -7.5 vs. Iowa (-110)
- Washington +8.5 vs. Ohio State (-115)
- Penn State ML vs. Oregon (-169)
Final odds: +468 (wager $100 to win $468)
Indiana -7.5 vs. Iowa
If there were any doubts about Indiana following up on last year’s College Football Playoff berth, they may have been put to rest over the weekend when the Hoosiers thumped then-No. 9 Illinois 63-10. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza has been arguably the best passer in the nation this year with 975 yards and 14 touchdowns to no interceptions.
As for Iowa, the Hawkeyes are 3-1 on the year with their lone loss coming to Iowa State, but the team’s once-fabled defense appears to be having a down year if last week’s 28 points allowed to Rutgers is any indication. Indiana hasn’t just won under Curt Cignetti, but the Hoosiers put up a ton of points and often run up the score. If Indiana gets a sizable lead, don’t expect Cignetti to take his foot off the gas. In this case, that’d be a Hoosiers win and a -7.5 cover. You can check out the SportsLine Projection Model’s top recommendations for Indiana-Iowa here.
Washington +8.5 vs. No. 1 Ohio State
The defending champs and current AP No. 1 Buckeyes head west for a date with the Huskies on Saturday in a game that will air nationally on CBS and Paramount+. The Buckeyes have a lengthy winning streak against unranked foes, while Washington has the second-longest active home winning streak in the nation.
Ohio State is 3-0 with blowout wins over Ohio and Grambling State and, of course, a 14-7 win over Texas in Week 1. The Huskies are 3-0 with a trio of blowout wins as well over Colorado State, UC Davis and Washington State. The Buckeyes look like a title contender once again, while the Huskies appear much improved from last year’s 6-7 campaign thanks to a dynamic QB-RB-WR trio of Demond Williams, Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston.
This opened at Washington +14 and is down to +8.5. This will be a good test to see just how improved Washington is, and while the Huskies may not extend their long home winning streak, they have a good chance to keep this close thanks to a stellar offensive group. The SportsLine Projection Model has Washington covering in 56% of simulations.
No. 3 Penn State money line vs. No. 6 Oregon
Outside of tight end Tyler Warren, who now stars for the Indianapolis Colts, and Giants defensive end Abdul Carter, Franklin got nearly every key contributor from the Nittany Lions’ 2024 CFP team back for 2025, including quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. The Ducks are also coming off a CFP appearance and have done what they usually do, which is blow out lesser competition to begin the year. This week will be both teams’ first real test of 2025.
Head coach James Franklin has Penn State constantly ranked and in the Big Ten mix, but he loses the majority of his big games, including to the Ducks in last year’s Big Ten title game. The Nittany Lions have the dogs to win these kinds of games this year. If it’s not this year for Penn State under Franklin, it may never be, and we’ll get a good idea of where Franklin has his team when the Ducks visit Happy Valley. The SportsLine Projection Model has the Nittany Lions winning in the majority of simulations.
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