Wisconsin Badgers vs Ohio State Badgers
Wisconsin and Ohio State will meet Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in a battle for all of the Big 10’s marbles. Ohio State currently sits at No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings and has a good shot at reaching college football’s final four with a victory Saturday even after losing starting quarterback J.T. Barrett to injury last weekend. With two losses, Wisconsin is unlikely to reach the playoff even with a win over Ohio State. However, with a Big 10 championship on the line, the Badgers surely still have a lot to play for.
Details for Saturday’s game are below:
Date: Saturday, Dec. 6
Start time: 8:17 p.m. ET
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Stadium: Lucas Oil Stadium
TV info: FOX
Live stream: Fox Sports Go
Radio: Wisconsin broadcast, here. Ohio State broadcast, here.
Keys to Victory
Wisconsin needs to do what it does best and run the ball. Melvin Gordon has been an absolute monster this season, rushing for 2,260 yards and 26 touchdowns, and the Badgers should hope to ride him to a title. If he’s able to torch Ohio State like he has every other team Wisconsin has played this year, the Badgers will be tough to beat. On the other side of the ball, the Badgers must pressure Ohio State’s fill-in quarterback Cardale Jones. The sophomore has just 19 passing attempts in his college career, so Wisconsin should hope to force the inexperienced quarterback into making mistakes.
For Ohio State, they need to make things easier for Jones by using a heavy ground attack as well. While he’s not Gordon, Ezekiel Elliot is a very talented back (1,220 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns this season) and the Buckeyes would be wise to rely on him. As for Jones, the Buckeyes should put their quarterback in a position to succeed by emphasizing the short passing game. Letting Jones get confidence early with short throws early on will be crucial for when he has to make the big throws later in the game. Defensively, Ohio State needs to stack the box on Gordon and force Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave to beat them.
Betting Odds
Point spread: Wisconsin – 4
Moneyline: Ohio State +165, Wisconsin -190
Over/Under: 52.5
Prediction
Expect Ohio State to put up a strong fight, but for the Badgers to come away victorious. The loss of Barrett is crushing for the Buckeyes. Wisconsin simply has too strong of a ground game and defense to predict the shorthanded Buckeyes will win this.