Last season, Ohio State didn’t even win its own Big Ten division, much less play in the conference title game. On Saturday, the Buckeyes could knock off unbeaten Wisconsin for the Big Ten Championship and still not make the playoff – it largely depends on what happens elsewhere. The Badgers are in with a win but they are underdogs in the College Football odds.
UW ranks No. 1 nationally against the run, allowing an average of just 80.5 yards per game on the ground. The Badgers also rank No. 1 nationally in total defense (236.9 yards/game) and No. 2 in scoring defense (12.0 points/game).
Freshman RB Jonathan Taylor rushed for 149 yards on 20 carries with 1 TD vs. Minnesota. Taylor recorded his 9th 100-yard rushing game in 12 career games. Taylor now has 1,806 yards on the season, the 3rd-most by a freshman in FBS history, trailing only Ron Dayne (2,109, 1996) and Adrian Peterson (1,925, 2004) — because bowl stats were not recognized by the NCAA prior to the 2002 season, Peterson’s mark is recognized as the official FBS freshman record.
Quarterback Alex Hornibrook is completing nearly 64 percent of his passes for 2,157 yards and 21 touchdowns. His favorite target is tight end Troy Fumagalli, who has 38 receptions for 471 yards and four TD.
Ohio State vs. Wisconsin Big Ten Championship Lines & Prediction
When: Saturday, 8 PM ET Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis TV: Fox Radio: 97.1 FM (Ohio State) / 100.9 FM (Wisconsin) Opening Big Ten Championship Lines: OSU -6.5 (53)Heading into the 2017 #B1GFCG this weekend, @BadgerFootball head coach Paul Chryst is focused on improving his team on and off the field. pic.twitter.com/y2T4OXOCQw
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 29, 2017
Weather Forecast
- Clear: 5°C/41°F
- Humidity: 81%
- Precipitation: 4%
- Wind: 6 mph W
- Cloud Cover: 8%
- Type of Stadium: N/A
Last Meeting
On Oct. 15 last year, Ohio State was ranked No. 2 and won at No. 8 Wisconsin, 30-23 in overtime. JT Barrett threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to leaping receiver Noah Brown in overtime, and the Buckeyes finished the Badgers with a sack on fourth-and-goal from the 4. Barrett also ran for two touchdowns for the Buckeyes, who were down 16-6 at the half. He finished 17 of 29 for 226 yards with one interception, and ran for 92 yards on 21 carries.Latest Big Ten Championship Betting Trends
- Ohio State is 1-4 ATS in the last 5 games
- Ohio State is 9-1 SU in the last 10 games
- The total went OVER in 8 of Ohio State’s last 9 games
- Wisconsin is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 games
- Wisconsin is 5-0 SU in the last 5 games
- The total went OVER in 4 of Wisconsin’s last 6 games when playing Ohio State
Why Bet On Ohio State?
The Buckeyes know they must win impressively to make the playoff – sort of like they did in the 2014 Big Ten title game when they destroyed Wisconsin 59-0 to jump from sixth to fourth in the rankings. OSU would go on to win the national title that year. This year’s squad avoided a potential trap game last week with a 31-20 win at Michigan. Dwayne Haskins replace an injured J.T. Barrett in the third quarter and led Ohio State from behind. Mike Weber sealed it for Ohio State with a 25-yard touchdown run with 1:44 left. Barrett appeared to hurt his right knee on a run midway through the third quarter. He limped off the field and toward the locker room before returning to watch the rest of the game from the sideline. He is probable for this game. Barrett is the first Buckeye starting QB to go 4-0 against Michigan. Barrett also tied Art Schlichter with 36 career victories, the most of any starting quarterback in program history. He’s 36-6 as a starter. Barrett became just the second player in FBS history to rush for 40 TDs and throw for 100 TDs. The only other: Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan. He had 47 and 102, respectively, between 2006-09. Barrett currently has 40 rushing TDs and 102 passing.Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 43.75
- Total Yards: 529.83
- Pass Yards: 278.58
- Rush Yards: 251.25
- Average Score Against: 19.83
- Total Yards: 291.83
- Pass Yards: 179
- Rush Yards: 112.83
Why Bet On Wisconsin?
The Badgers and Central Florida are the only unbeaten teams left – UW has played an incredibly easy schedule, but there’s no way they are left out of the playoff as an unbeaten Big Ten champion. They warmed up for this with a 31-0 win at Minnesota last Saturday to be the first team in Big Ten Conference history to finish a regular season 9-0. Wisconsin is the eighth team in the modern era of the Big Ten (since 1946) to start a season 12-0, joining Penn State in 1994, Michigan in ’97, Ohio State in 2002, ’06, ’12 and ’13 and Iowa in 2015. Wisconsin won its 15th consecutive Big Ten game, extending the longest conference win streak in school history and matching the 9th-longest run in league history. The Badgers’ previous long streak was 9 straight conference games across the 2006 and 2007 seasons and the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Wisconsin held Minnesota to just 133 total yards, the third team that UW has held under 200 yards this season — BYU 192, Iowa 66. In limiting the Gophers to 93 yards rushing, UW has held 8 opponents under 100 yards on the ground — including 4 straight. UW piled up 456 yards of offense, the team’s 6th time going over 450 yards this season. Wisconsin is the only team in the nation to not trail in the fourth quarter of any game this season.Where Does Wisconsin Stand Right Now?
UW ranks No. 1 nationally against the run, allowing an average of just 80.5 yards per game on the ground. The Badgers also rank No. 1 nationally in total defense (236.9 yards/game) and No. 2 in scoring defense (12.0 points/game).
Freshman RB Jonathan Taylor rushed for 149 yards on 20 carries with 1 TD vs. Minnesota. Taylor recorded his 9th 100-yard rushing game in 12 career games. Taylor now has 1,806 yards on the season, the 3rd-most by a freshman in FBS history, trailing only Ron Dayne (2,109, 1996) and Adrian Peterson (1,925, 2004) — because bowl stats were not recognized by the NCAA prior to the 2002 season, Peterson’s mark is recognized as the official FBS freshman record.
Quarterback Alex Hornibrook is completing nearly 64 percent of his passes for 2,157 yards and 21 touchdowns. His favorite target is tight end Troy Fumagalli, who has 38 receptions for 471 yards and four TD.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Average Score For: 34.83
- Total Yards: 426
- Pass Yards: 182.75
- Rush Yards: 243.25
- Average Score Against: 12
- Total Yards: 236.92
- Pass Yards: 156.42
- Rush Yards: 80.50
