Week 3 of the college football season is set to get underway for the Big Ten on Friday. It’ll be an exciting weekend for Big Ten football, with many schools getting off to hot starts on the season while the UCLA Bruins serve as the conference’s anchor, the only 0-2 team in the Big Ten.
This Saturday also will be the first taste of conference showdowns, with the USC Trojans beginning Big Ten Conference play with a trip east to take on the Purdue Boilermakers, who find themselves at 2-0 after winning only one game all of last season.
There’s no top-25 matchups in the Big Ten this week but there are a few intriguing matchups, including the Wisconsin Badgers going on the road to face the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Minnesota Golden Gophers heading to the Golden State to face the Cal Berkeley Bears in a battle of 2-0 teams.
Let’s run through the Big Ten slate (not including games against FCS opponents) with game picks from some of our College Wire writers.
New Mexico vs. UCLA
Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire: New Mexico
Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire: UCLA
Matt Zemek, Editor: UCLA
Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire: UCLA
Micah Huff, Trojans Wire: New Mexico
Don Smalley, Ducks Wire: UCLA
Zac Neel, Ducks Wire: UCLA
Roman Tomashuff, Huskies Wire: New Mexico
Oregon vs. Northwestern
Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire: Oregon
Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire: Oregon
Matt Zemek, Editor: Oregon
Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire: Oregon
Micah Huff, Trojans Wire: Oregon
Don Smalley, Ducks Wire: Oregon
Zac Neel, Ducks Wire: Oregon
Roman Tomashuff, Huskies Wire: Oregon
Wisconsin vs. Alabama
Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire: Alabama
Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire: Alabama
Matt Zemek, Editor: Alabama
Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire: Alabama
Micah Huff, Trojans Wire: Wisconsin
Don Smalley, Ducks Wire: Alabama
Zac Neel, Ducks Wire: Alabama
Roman Tomashuff, Huskies Wire: Alabama
Central Michigan vs. Michigan
Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire: Michigan
Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire: Michigan
Matt Zemek, Editor: Michigan
Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire: Michigan
Micah Huff, Trojans Wire: Michigan
Don Smalley, Ducks Wire: Michigan
Zac Neel, Ducks Wire: Michigan
Roman Tomashuff, Huskies Wire: Michigan
USC vs. Purdue
Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire: USC
Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire: USC
Matt Zemek, Editor: USC
Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire: USC
Micah Huff, Trojans Wire: USC
Don Smalley, Ducks Wire: USC
Zac Neel, Ducks Wire: USC
Roman Tomashuff, Huskies Wire: USC
Ohio vs. Ohio State
Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire: Ohio State
Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire: Ohio State
Matt Zemek, Editor: Ohio State
Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire: Ohio State
Micah Huff, Trojans Wire: Ohio State
Don Smalley, Ducks Wire: Ohio State
Zac Neel, Ducks Wire: Ohio State
Roman Tomashuff, Huskies Wire: Ohio State
Western Michigan vs. Illinois
Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire: Illinois
Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire: Illinois
Matt Zemek, Editor: Illinois
Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire: Illinois
Micah Huff, Trojans Wire: Illinois
Don Smalley, Ducks Wire: Illinois
Zac Neel, Ducks Wire: Illinois
Roman Tomashuff, Huskies Wire: Illinois
UMass vs. Iowa
Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire: Iowa
Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire: Iowa
Matt Zemek, Editor: Iowa
Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire: Iowa
Micah Huff, Trojans Wire: Iowa
Don Smalley, Ducks Wire: Iowa
Zac Neel, Ducks Wire: Iowa
Roman Tomashuff, Huskies Wire: Iowa
Minnesota vs. Cal
Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire: Minnesota
Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire: Cal
Matt Zemek, Editor: Minnesota
Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire: Cal
Micah Huff, Trojans Wire: Minnesota
Don Smalley, Ducks Wire: Cal
Zac Neel, Ducks Wire: Minnesota
Roman Tomashuff, Huskies Wire: Cal
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Big Ten football Week 3 picks: Can UCLA get first win of the season against New Mexico?
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
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