Big Ten Week 14 staff picks: Can Ohio State avoid upset at Michigan?

The final week of the regular season is here and the two spots in the Big Ten championship will officially be punched this weekend. Indiana will get the first opportunity to formally clinch its spot in Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship game on Friday night when it visits in-state rival Purdue. Ohio State will be the next team up wiht a chance to secure a spot in the Big Ten championship game but will have to overcome its recent history against bitter rival Michigan. They will have to do it in Ann Arbor as well. Oregon and Michigan still remain alive in the hunt as well.

Our staff gathered one final time this regular season to share our official picks for the weekend's Big Ten action. For the most part, we seem to agree on a number of the outcomes, but there are some differences in opinions to make note of.

Here are our picks for this week's Big Ten schedule. You can see our final score predictions for Penn State's road game at Rutgers.

Big Ten Week 14 Picks

Kevin

Andrew

Christopher

Sam

Iowa atNebraska

Nebraska

Iowa

Iowa

Iowa

Indiana atPurdue

Indiana

Indiana

Indiana

Indiana

Ohio Stateat Michigan

Michigan

Ohio State

Ohio State

Ohio State

Oregon atWashington

Oregon

Oregon

Oregon

Oregon

Wisconsin at Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota

Maryland atMichigan State

Michigan State

Maryland

Maryland

Michigan State

UCLAat USC

USC

USC

USC

USC

Northwesternat Illinois

Illinois

Illinois

Illinois

Illinois

Andrew on Iowa at Nebraska: Nebraska's offense has struggled a bit without Dylan Raiola. Against a high-end defense like Iowa, the Cornhuskers' struggles will continue. On the other side of the ball, Iowa will do enough to be able to take down Nebraska. The dual-threat capabilities of Mark Gronowski will prove to be too much for the Cornhuskers' defense who struggled to get any push against Penn State last week.

Christopher on Oregon at Washington: This game could potentially decide whether or not Oregon is in the Big Ten Championship game. They will need some help, but taking care of a pesky Washington team won't be easy. Demond Williams is still one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the Big Ten and on the road, it will be an insane environment in Seattle. However, if there's one thing we learned about the Ducks, it's that they're never down when you think they are. I fully expect Dante Moore and Co. to take care of business.

Sam on Ohio State at Michigan: I think Ohio State snaps its losing streak against Michigan this year behind an offense that should score a lot more than 10 points. Julian Sayin is outstanding and should have his top receivers back from injury, which will be a lot for Michigan to contend with. The Wolverines have their own stud quarterback, but I think this one turns into a track meet where Michigan can't keep up.

Andrew on Ohio State at Michigan: This edition of The Game will end a streak. Ohio State finally gets over Michigan as the defense limits the playmaking ability of star freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood. The health of Ohio State's top two receivers will play a major factor, but the Buckeyes will get past their biggest rival with a huge game from a returning Jeremiah Smith.

Christopher on Ohio State at Michigan: This is the game where either Michigan proves that their win streak against their biggest rivals is no fluke or where Ohio State finally vanquishes its demons. Michigan has mainly skated by in Big Ten play and their only losses came against two very physical defenses. This though, will be the most physical one they have faced all year. The one leveller could be the potential absences of Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, but the Ohio State run game has improved mightily. No matter the personnel out there, Michigan won't have enough to contend with the Buckeyes as they finally quell the doubters.

Kevin on Ohio State at Michigan: I have no doubt in my mind that Ohio State is the best team in this matchup and should be the one walking away with a win. This is an upset pick that is relying on a clean performance from Bryce Underwood in the biggets game of his career and feeding off the energy of the home crowd more than anything. Michigan's offensive showing against Northwestern is still in the back of my head, reducing the confidence I have in this pick. But there is something about this rivalry that tells me something is about to happen to frustrate Ohio State once more. Plus, I really just want to see a little bit of chaos this year, and this is the best way to get it.

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Big Ten Week 14 staff picks: Picking every Big Ten game this week