The Wisconsin Badgers (3-1 SU, 2-2 ATS) are reeling from their come-from-ahead defeat against the Michigan Wolverines. On Saturday they will try to regain some prestige when they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes (4-1 SU, 0-4 ATS) in Big Ten NCAA college football action that is scheduled for an 8 PM ET kickoff at Camp Randall Stadium (artificial turf) in Madison, WI.
BetUS NCAA Football Odds: OHIO STATE -1, Total 44.5
Here are some of the NCAA college football betting trends as they relate to this online betting matchup:
* OSU has won 21 of its last 25 games SU
* OSU has covered 11 of its last 15 road games
* OSU has won 13 of its last 15 road games SU
* OSU has played four of its last six road games UNDER the total
* WISC has covered two of its last six games
* WISC has won 20 of its last 25 games SU
* WISC has played six of its last eight games OVER the total
* WISC has covered four of its last five home games
* WISC has won its last 16 home games SU
* WISC has played four of its last six home games OVER the total
* WISC has covered four of the last five meetings
Since its very unsuccessful trip to the L.A. Coliseum a month ago, the Ohio State Buckeyes have flown under the radar, picking up unemotional, anti-climactic wins over the likes of Troy and Minnesota at home. now they start with a little tougher part of their schedule, as they get a clean slate of sorts in Big Ten play.
By the raw numbers, Wisconsin had a pretty good day at Ann Arbor last weekend, scoring a 384-268 advantage in yardage. The Badgers just made the critical mistakes at the wrong time, and gave up big plays that Michigan took advantage of. That loss had to be disheartening, nonetheless, because it was win they gave back.
Ohio State's crushing defeat at the hands of USC had a lot more clarity to it. That contest demonstrated the very real and considerable chasm between the quality level of the Big Ten's best and the best from the rest of the country. We don't want to disparage the Buckeye loss that much, though, since we obviously have come to an understanding of all this from the last two BCS title games. What's most important as we progress through the rest of the season is where Ohio State stands in relation to the rest of the conference.
Ohio State appears to have slipped a bit, and there is no certainty that this is a team that is going to emerge out of the conference unscathed. There is defense, for sure, and many of the OSU players, including linebacker James Laurenaitis and cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, are slated to be very high NFL draft picks. But as a unit, these guys are not as dominant as they were a year ago, when they finished the season at the top of the statistical heap (1st overall, 1st in passing, 3rd in rushing). Their pressure on the passer is pedestrian at best (seven sacks), and they aren't necessarily in a position to overwhelm the opposition on the offensive end either.
Yes, it's good news that Beanie Wells is back in action, and he had 106 yards coming back against Minnesota. But Todd Boeckman has proven to be ordinary at best at quarterback, and Terrelle Pryor's learning curve is steep. Wisconsin will not be a pushover for Pryor, and even though Badger QB Allan Evridge is not the type to stretch out defenses much (58%, 4 TD's), he does probably have the best receiver on the field in tight end Travis Beckum, who is looking for a breakout game. And P.J. Hill (449 rushing yards) is anxious to face OSU for the FIRST time.
With Pryor at the helm, the Buckeyes are going to stumble on offense from time to time, and Wisconsin has won 16 straight on this field. We'll look for the Badgers to bounce back here, grabbing a point at home in the BetUS Sportsbook NCAA college football betting odds.
PLAY: WISCONSIN +1 ***
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)