The (7) Ohio State Buckeyes and the (3) Wisconsin Badgers will play at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana this Saturday to vie for the Big 10 Title. The contest is scheduled to start on Saturday, December 2nd at 8 p.m. EST. The conference title match-up can be seen on FOX for your Saturday evening entertainment. Currently, the Buckeyes are a -6.5 point favorite and the game’s over/under sits at 51.5 points.
The seventh-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes finished with a conference record of 8-1 after they beat rivals Michigan Wolverines 31-20 last weekend. The victory put Ohio State with an overall record of 10-2 on the season. It looked like the Buckeyes were well on their way to this title game until they were crushed in Iowa by the Hawkeyes. Fortunately, Penn State also fell that weekend which gave Ohio state the green light with their win last Saturday.
The Wisconsin Badgers have quietly gone about their business since the opening kickoff in September. Not only are they 9-0 in Big Ten play but also are undefeated at 12-0 on the season. Last week, the Badgers had everything to lose and little to gain but went out and plastered Minnesota 31 to zip. Even though they are unbeaten, Vegas is still giving them little respect as they are almost a touchdown dog against Ohio State on Saturday.
(7) Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2)
The Ohio State Buckeyes have just two losses on the season. Unfortunately, both of those defeats came in the form of blowouts to Oklahoma by 15 points and Iowa by 31. After the loss to the Hawkeyes, it appeared that there was no way that the Buckeyes would have a chance at getting into the playoffs. As it turns out, they could very well do so if they win this Big Ten Championship showdown. Since the Iowa debacle, they have been victorious in their last three games in a row and have outscored their opponents by 31 points a game.
The Ohio State offense has been one of the best in the FBS in 2017. Nevertheless, they did not perform well against the Wolverines last weekend. Urban Myers’ outfit had just 350 yards of total offense in the game and quarterback J.T. Barrett was injured by a cameraman of all things.
Fortunately for Buckeye fans, he should be ready for this one and they will need him against a savvy Badger club. In 12 games, Barrett has thrown for 2,717 yards with 33 touchdowns and seven picks. The dual-threat athlete also pitched in with another 683 yards on the ground and nine more trips to pay-dirt.
Freshman tailback J.K. Dobbins leads the nation’s 13th-ranked rushing attack into Indianapolis this weekend. He has been all that the Buckeyes could have hoped for and more. The greenhorn has carried the ball 164 times for almost 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns. Teammate Mike Weber is also a threat every time he touches the pigskin. Weber has rumbled for 602 yards and a team-high 10 scores.
Next to Baker Mayfield, nobody spreads the ball around to more receivers than does J.T. Barrett. Eight pass catchers have at least 17 catches and well over 100 yards. In fact, six more receivers have caught at least 22 and all eight have found their way into the back of the end zone. K.J. Hill and Paris Campbell lead the Buckeyes with 519 yards and Johnnie Dixon is tops with eight touchdowns.
Since their drubbing at the hands of the Hawkeyes, the Ohio State defense has rounded into form. The Buckeyes allowed the Wolverines just 255 yards of total offense and have now allowed just 198.3 yards per game and 12.3 points a contest over their last three affairs. In all, they are ranked eighth in the nation, surrendering 291 yards a game.
(3) Wisconsin Badgers (12-0)
The Badgers have gone through the regular season with a perfect 12-0 record. If they win this match-up, they should secure themselves a spot in the National playoffs. Currently, they are coming off a dominating 31-0 win over the Golden Gophers on the road. As a result, they have now outscored their last six opponents by 22.7 points a game.
The offense is not spectacular but is led by sophomore quarterback Alex Hornibrook. Hornibrook isn’t asked to do too much but instead manage the game and limit mistakes that could hurt his team. So far, Hornibrook has responded well, throwing for 2,157 yards with 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
There is little doubt who Wisconsin looks to when they move the chains via the ground attack. That person would be freshman running back Jonathon Taylor. Taylor has been lights-out in 2017, toting the pigskin 258 times for 1,806 yards and a team-high 13 touchdowns. No other Badger tailback has even recorded 400 yards or more on the ground this season.
Passing is not something the Badgers to well but they do capitalize when opposing secondaries load the box to stop the run. Wideout Quintin Cephus leads the receivers with 30 catches for 501 yards and six scores. Like most Wisconsin teams of the past, this club also has one heck of a tight end. Troy Fumagalli leads the team with 38 catches for 471 yards and three more touchdowns.
The Wisconsin Badgers may sport the nation’s best defense. They have been very strong as they come, ranking 1st in total yards allowed (236.9 ypg), 2nd against the pass (156.4 ypg) and 1st versus the run (80.5 ypg). Altogether, they are 2nd in the country, allowing only 12 points a game.
Prediction
When this line came out on Monday and Las Vegas had the Buckeyes as almost a touchdown favorite, I about lost my mind. Now, four days later, the betting public apparently agrees because it hasn’t budged. I’m not saying it won’t by kickoff but the -6.5 for Ohio State is pretty disrespectful to an outstanding Badger defense.
It’s not a secret who I’m going to suggest taking in this game. Play the underdog Wisconsin Badgers in a game for all the marbles. If it bothers you in the slightest, buy it up to 7.5 and give yourself some breathing room. J.T. Barrett isn’t healthy so if you want to get bold and take Wisconsin straight-up, more power to you. Either way, this is a field goal game to decide the Big-10 title on Saturday. @EriktheHun
To make a wager on this game, got to BetDSI Sportsbook and get started today.
Trends
The Buckeyes are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 conference games.
The Over is 9-1 in the Buckeyes last 10 conference games.
The Badgers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
The Over is 9-4 in the Badgers last 13 conference games.
Underdog is 12-3-1 ATS in their last 16 meetings.
