The Big Ten Championship Game will pit the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Wisconsin Badgers in college football action tonight. The game is scheduled for an 8:17 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on FOX. Currently the odds for the game have Wisconsin listed as the favorite to pick up the win.
Both Wisconsin and Ohio State have had good seasons to date, but the Buckeyes are going to be on their third quarterback. Prior to the season Braxton Miller went down with a season-ending injury, only to see J.T. Barrett take over and make a legitimate Heisman Trophy run. His season ended as well, breaking his ankle last week against Michigan in the season finale. Now the Bucks will turn to Cardale Jones. The oddsmakers have established their opinion on the game, making the Badgers the favorite in this one. Will Wisconsin be able to play enough defense to get it done?
Wisconsin does not hide from the fact that they love running the football. The Badgers post 37.5 points per game this year and rank third best in the country at 334 yards on the ground per game. Last year between these two clubs the Buckeyes found a way to slow the Wisconsin running attack down though, as the Badgers totaled just 104 yards on the ground in that one. That's the lowest total in two full seasons for Wisconsin. Potential Heisman finalist Melvin Gordon has had another great season, totaling 2,260 yards and 26 touchdowns on the season. He'll have to get past last year's tough game, though, in order to help his team win a conference title in this one.
Ohio State has won 10 straight games overall as confidence is riding high. Their lone loss on the year was a disaster at home to Virginia Tech, who ended up being a very poor team. The Buckeyes have responded well, though and now Urban Meyer's team has a chance at a conference title. The defense is a big reason why they're here, allowing opponents to score just 22.9 points per game. Wisconsin's defense is better statistically, though, giving up just under 17 points per game to opponents, which ranks fourth best in the country.
Surely the Buckeyes will play a more conservative role offensively with Jones to help him make easier decisions in this game. Wisconsin could blitz and put pressure on the Buckeyes, and because of that try to speed up the decision making of Jones. The Buckeyes do have a solid run game themselves, led by Ezekiel Elliot. And although Ohio State has slowed down Wisconsin in the past, if the Badgers are able to hang onto the football and put drives together, they might be able to wear down a Buckeye defense led by Joey Bosa up front.
This one should be close. Wisconsin certainly gets the edge because of the quarterback troubles for Ohio State, and if they can run the football effectively with Gordon and Corey Clement, they'll be in good shape. QB Joel Stave could be the difference, though, if Wisconsin is forced to throw the football at all. If he can make good decisions the Badgers should win this battle.
Free Pick: Wisconsin 24, Ohio State 20
College Football Free Picks: Wisconsin vs Ohio State Betting
What college football bettors need to know about betting Wisconsin Badgers vs Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday (12/06/14) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Teddy Covers with added insight from Pauly Howard.
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