4. UConn at Purdue
LINE Purdue -34
ATS PICK Purdue
Full disclosure – this was going to be the No. 2 pick but I felt bad. UConn is having a tough run, and it just felt mean to put it up so high.
Head coach Randy Edsall was going to step down at the end of the season after his program went 6-30 from 2017 to 2019, didn’t play last year, and started out 2021 losing 45-0 to Fresno State and 38-28 to Holy Cross.
Instead, he’s done now.
Meanwhile, Purdue is coming off a solid home win over an Oregon State team that many had pegged as ready to pull off the upset. It was hardly a perfect performance by the Boilermakers, but it was a nine-point win over a Pac-12 team.
I honestly would’ve thought about taking Purdue here if the line was in the 40s, and 34 is more than reasonable in the third I Despise Picking Big Spreads When The Underdog Is Totally Awful, I’m Lying, I Love It selections of the week.
UConn did manage to battle a bit with Illinois back in early 2019 in a 31-23 loss, and the 38-3 defeat to Indiana wasn’t next-level ugly. An early 2016 home win over Virginia was the last win over a Power Five team, and since then the Huskies haven’t been all that close against anyone, much less a good team.
If Purdue is focused, it might hit the 35 in the first half and go from there.
Speaking of no offense …