Welcome to You Bet Your Ass — or really, welcome back. Papa Tom Fornelli started this series back in 2013, and now in 2018 we are bringing it back.

This will be a weekly Big Ten Football gambling post/contest between several writers of TCR. The money may not be real, but as the person who came last in the first You Bet Your Ass, I can tell you the shame very much is.

We started late this week and thus missed bets for the Purdue-Northwestern the Minnesota-NMSU games, but we will get it out on Thursday next week. We will be smarter, and better.

Here’s the rules:

• Each participant will bet on every Big Ten game being played that weekend, and they can bet either the point spread or the over/under.
• The participant will assign an amount to their bet, which can be either $25, $50 or $100. Each participant is allowed only one $100 bet per week. Everybody starts with a $0 balance, and balances can be negative.
• The participant with the most “money” at the end of the season wins. In case of any ties, overall pick record will be used as a tie-breaker.

Let’s go:

Odds from Bovada as of this morning (Friday, August 31)

#11 Michigan State (-23.5) vs Utah State, Over/Under 51

Brandon Birkhead: $25 Under 51

Brad Repplinger: $25 Utah State (+23.5)

Austin Jabs: $25 Michigan State (-23.5)

Matt O’Neall: $25 Over 51

Kyle Husinga: $25 Utah State (+23.5)

Thumpasaurus: $25 Utah State (+23.5)

Mark Schaer: $25 Over 51

Repplinger - Sparty has yet to win by more than 25 pts in a season opener in the last 3 years.

#4 Wisconsin (-37) vs Western Kentucky, O/U 53

Birkhead: $50 Under 53

Repplinger: $25 WKU (+37)

Jabs: $25 Over 53

O’Neall: $25 Wisconsin (-37)

Husinga: $50 WKU (+37)

Thumpasaurus: $25 WKU (+37)

Schaer: $50 WKU (+37)

Thumpasaurus - I generally bet against spreads like this unless the coach is a douche

Husinga - I like Wisconsin this year, but not that much

Illinois (-16.5) vs Kent State, O/U 56

Birkhead: $50 Under 56

Repplinger: $50 Illinois (-16.5)

Jabs: $50 Illinois (-16.5)

O’Neall: $50 Illinois (-16.5)

Husinga: $50 Illinois (-16.5)

Thumpasaurus: $100 Kent State (+16.5)

Schaer: $50 Illinois (-16.5)

Repplinger - GIVE ME ALL THE POINTS, AJ BUSH.

Thumpasaurus - Search your feelings, you know it to be true

Rutgers (-16.5) vs Texas State, O/U 47

Birkhead: $25 Rutgers (-16.5)

Repplinger: $50 Over 57

Jabs: $100 Texas State +16.5

O’Neall: $25 Rutgers (-16.5)

Husinga: $50 Rutgers (-16.5)

Thumpasaurus: $25 Rutgers (-16.5)

Schaer: $25 Rutgers (-16.5)

Jabs - Rutgers is hot garbage, which may be an insult to hot garbage

Thumpasaurus - Ash has something to prove against a ragdoll-level team

Maryland (+14) vs Texas, O/U 47

Birkhead: $50 Texas (-14)

Repplinger: $25 Texas (-14)

Jabs: $25 Under 53

O’Neall: $50 Texas (-14)

Husinga: $25 Texas (-14)

Thumpasaurus: $50 Over 53

Schaer: $25 Texas (-14)

Birkhead- Maryland is playing this game under an interim coach who has been there less than one year against a team way more talented than them. This could get ugly.

#5 Ohio State (-39) vs Oregon State, O/U 64

Birkhead: $50 Ohio State (-39)

Repplinger: $25 Oregon State (+39)

Jabs: $50 Over 64

O’Neall: $50 Ohio State (-39)

Husinga: $50 Over 64

Thumpasaurus: $50 Over 64

Schaer: $50 Oregon State (+39)

Birkhead- Pray for Oregon State.

Jabs - Offense will be on display, tOSU may score 64 on their own

Iowa (-10) vs Northern Illinois, O/U 48

Birkhead: $25 Under 48

Repplinger: $25 Iowa (-10)

Jabs: $25 Under 48

O’Neall: $25 Over 48

Husinga: $25 Iowa (-10)

Thumpasaurus: $50 NIU (+10)

Schaer: $25 Iowa (-10)

Birkhead - All about them week one unders.

Thumpasaurus - Iowa’s not getting out of this one comfortably

#10 Penn State (-24) vs Appalachian State, O/U 54

Birkhead: $50 Penn State (-24)

Repplinger: $50 Over 54

Jabs: $50 Penn State (-24)

O’Neall: $100 Penn State (-24)

Husinga: $100 Penn State (-24)

Thumpasaurus: $25 Penn State (-24)

Schaer: $25 Penn State (-24)

Repplinger - My heisman pick Trace McSorley gonna LIGHT ‘EM UP

Indiana (-10.5) @ FIU, O/U 57

Birkhead: $25 Indiana (-10.5)

Repplinger: $50 Indiana (-10.5)

Jabs: $25 FIU (+10.5)

O’Neall: $50 Indiana (-10.5)

Husinga: $50 FIU (+10.5)

Thumpasaurus: $25 Indiana (-10.5)

Schaer: $50 Indiana (-10.5)

Jabs - Hoosiers gonna be loosiers (Editors note: *eye roll, Jesus Christ...)

#14 Michigan (+1) @ #12 Notre Dame, O/U 46

Birkhead: $100 Notre Dame (-1)

Repplinger: $100 Notre Dame (-1)

Jabs: $50 Over 56

O’Neall: $50 Notre Dame (-1)

Husinga: $25 Over 56

Thumpasaurus: $50 Under 46

Schaer: $50 Notre Dame (-1)

Birkhead - LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL Michigan has no chance

Repplinger - Is it inappropriate to root for a meteor to hit the stadium? Asking for a friend...

Nebraska (-26) vs Akron, O/U 55

Birkhead: $25 Akron (+26)

Repplinger: $50 Over 55

Jabs: $25 Under 55

O’Neall: $25 Under 55

Husinga: $50 Nebraska (-26)

Thumpasaurus: $25 Akron (+26)

Schaer: $50 Over 55

Repplinger - Shootout alert!!!

Birkhead: Expect some first game with a new team issues for Frost in this one.

Money On The Line This Week

Birkhead: $475

Repplinger: $475

Jabs: $450

O’Neall: $475

Husinga: $500

Thumpasaurus: $450

Schaer: $425

Standings

Birkhead: $0 (0-0)

Repplinger: $0 (0-0)

Jabs: $0 (0-0)

O’Neall: $0 (0-0)

Husinga: $0 (0-0)

Thumpasaurus: $0 (0-0)

Schaer: $0 (0-0)

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