Big Ten Championship Game Odds: Early point spread for Michigan vs. Purdue released

It took a while for the Big Ten West to sort out a champion on Saturday evening after Michigan bludgeoned Ohio State, 45-23, to cinch up the East. But with Purdue holding on for a win over Indiana, the Wolverines are set to face the Boilermakers in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday in Indianapolis.

It’s the Boilermakers first-ever trip to the conference title game and the second for Michigan, which won the Big Ten Championship Game last season. And the oddsmakers in Vegas are high on Michigan to repeat as conference champions.

According to VegasInsider, Michigan is a 14.5-point favorite over Purdue to lock up the Big Ten Championship.

It was likely that the champ from the East was going to be a heavy favorite over the West representative. Entering the final weekend of the regular season, undefeated Michigan and undefeated Ohio State were playing for the East title; the west had three teams with four losses vying for the trip to Indy as of Saturday.

There’s also disparate, but important, stakes for the pair of teams. Purdue would lock up a bid to the Rose Bowl with a win — the first trip to Los Angeles for the Boilermakers since 2001, when Drew Brees was quarterback.

Michigan, however, is playing for a surefire college football playoff bid and a perfect 13-0 record. And with a resounding enough win, plus some strange occurrences in the SEC Championship Game, the Wolverines have an outside shot at the No. 1 overall seed in the College Football Playoff.

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All eyes will be on the left knee of Michigan running back Blake Corum prior to the game. The junior running back effectively sat out the game against Ohio State after injuring his knee in the penultimate game against Illinois. Corum being a full go, or even mostly healthy, would be a massive boon for Michigan.

For Purdue, it’s all about getting the passing attack and wide receiver Charlie Jones going. Jones is one of the most productive receivers in the country and a favorite target for quarterback Aidan O’Connell.

The Wolverines have won four-straight against Purdue, dating back through 2010. The last meeting was a 28-10 Michigan win in West Lafayette in 2017. The last Boilermakers victory came against the Rich Rodriguez-led Wolverines in 2009.