Wisconsin Badgers predictions: Game 14 vs. Ohio State
Back at the end of October did you think Wisconsin would be playing in the Big Ten title game? Well, here we are.
Of course, the Badgers have to once again lock horns with Ohio State. You know, the same Buckeyes team who beat Wisconsin in Columbus 38-7 on Oct. 26 and who are currently No. 1 in the College Football Playoff Rankings.
Certainly, Ohio State has a lot to play for.
But so does Wisconsin.
Could a win actually propel the Badgers into the playoff? (Maybe, with a lot of help.) A win would at least certainly cement a Rose Bowl bid -- a loss could well see a non-Big Ten title team (i.e. Penn State) get the nod instead. And of course there's just the satisfaction of just beating Ohio State and capturing the school's third conference title game (and first since 2012).
It'd be a great story, for sure.
But maybe it's just a fairy tell. At least that's what the predictors from around the web think. Wisconsin is more than a two-touchdown underdog and, well, people are buying in.
Here's this week's predictions from around the web and Twitter (and here's the predictions from the game earlier this season):
The Associated Press' Ralph D. Russo: Ohio State 38, Wisconsin 17.
Pat Forde of SI.com: Ohio State 41, Wisconsin 15. “Who will win: The same team that won big when they met in October—Ohio State. That was one of the few games the Buckeyes didn’t have in the bag by halftime, with the playing field in part leveled by a steady rain. (That won’t happen this time around, with the game played indoors.) Ohio State scored 28 unanswered points in the second half to make it rout, with Chase Young having one of the most dominant defensive performances in recent years. Wisconsin couldn’t get Jonathan Taylor going in the first meeting, and if they can’t control the game with his running then the Badgers are in trouble.”
Pete Fiutak of Collegefootballnews.com: Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 16. "Wisconsin’s offense will get Taylor going for a few drives, but like the first game, the Ohio State offensive front will take over and Dobbins will rip off yards in chunks. Tight at halftime, the Buckeyes will open it up in the second half against a Badger secondary that isn’t quite as strong as the stats."
Bill Bender of The Sporting News: Ohio State 40, Wisconsin 21. “The Buckeyes broke open a 38-7 blowout against the Badgers on Oct. 26 in the second half. Look for a similar trend here.”
Bruce Feldman of The Athletic ($): Ohio State 42, Wisconsin 17. "As good as the Badgers are on defense, Ohio State just has too much firepower for them to hang. The Buckeyes roll."
Stewart Mandel of The Athletic ($): Ohio State 31, Wisconsin 14. “Wisconsin’s program is a model of consistency and sustained success. The Badgers have been winning 10+ games a year with two- and three-star recruits for nearly three decades. But Ohio State, with its assembly line of blue-chippers, is the one beast it can’t conquer. The Buckeyes have won seven in a row in the series, 10 of the last 11, and the disparity this year was evident the first time they played.”
Kevin McGuire of Athlon Sports: Ohio State 38, Wisconsin 13. "Do not be surprised if the Big Ten Championship Game plays out similarly to the previous encounter between the Buckeyes and Badgers. Wisconsin's defense is more than capable of keeping things close for a while, and the Badgers do have a potent running game that can control some clock and move on Ohio State at times. The problem for Wisconsin is they may not be able to keep up the pace with Ohio State once the Buckeyes start getting in a groove on offense."
Brady McCollough of the Los Angeles Times: Ohio State 42, Wisconsin 17.
David Kenyon of Bleacher Report: Ohio State 45, Wisconsin 21. "Wisconsin fell to Ohio State 38-7 in late October, and the Buckeyes haven't showed any reason to suggest the massive gap has closed. They've defeated 11 of 12 teams by at least 24 points, and the lone outlier is an 11-point triumph over then-No. 8 (in CFP rankings) Penn State. Plus, through six games, the Badgers had allowed a meager 4.1 yards per pass attempt. In the second half, they've surrendered 7.9. Unless that suffocating defense returns, Wisconsin doesn't have a shot to dethrone the Buckeyes."
All three writers at cleveland.com pick Ohio State to win. The scores: Stephen Means, 55-7; Doug Lesmerises, 43-10; Nathan Baird, 39-13.
Sam Cooper and Nick Bromberg of Yahoo Sports: Cooper – Ohio State 38, Wisconsin 17; Bromberg – Ohio State 41, Wisconsin 13.
The Oklahoman's Berry Tramel: Ohio State 38, Wisconsin 10
Tom Fornelli of CBSSports.com: Ohio State 35, Wisconsin 13 (Fornelli labels this as his “lock of the week.”) “Ohio State's offense is a juggernaut, and I don't know how many defenses exist at the college level that can stop it. That said, if you take away Fields as a runner, it does make the job simpler. If you don't have to worry about him with the ball as a runner, you can simplify what you want to do and focus on other areas. So I do believe Wisconsin will present the Ohio State offense with more problems than it did in the first meeting. Of course, on the other side of the ball, I have no idea how Wisconsin scores against this Ohio State defense. In his glorious career, Jonathan Taylor has faced Ohio State twice. In those two games, he's rushed for a total of 93 yards on 35 carries with no touchdowns. Chase Young dominated the Wisconsin offensive line in the first meeting. If Wisconsin cracks 17 points, it'll be because of Ohio State mistakes.”
Brad Crawford and Chris Hummer of 247 Sports: Crawford – Ohio State 31, Wisconsin 10; Hummer – Ohio State 31, Wisconsin 17.
Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune: Ohio State 33, Wisconsin 17.
Matthew Valdovinos of profootballnetwork.com: Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 24.
Joseph Goodman and Lee Sterling of Al.com: Goodman – Ohio State 35, Wisconsin 25; Sterling: Ohio State 45, Wisconsin 16.
Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Time: Ohio State 38, Wisconsin 20.
Mark Russell of Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State 56, Wisconsin 17.
Randy Smith of The Chattanoogan: Ohio State 45, Wisconsin 21. “"... while Wisconsin is a good football team, I don't feel they can stay on the field with Ohio State for sixty minutes."
Al Arend of the Herald-Palladium: Ohio State 42, Wisconsin 17.
Joe Broback of Champions Insiders: Ohio State 41, Wisconsin 20. “If you’re a Badgers fan, you’re expecting the worst and hoping for the best. Ohio State’s destroying teams more than they ever have, and this game doesn’t figure to be different. If the Badgers defense can slow down the Buckeyes offense and Chase Young isn’t a factor, Wisconsin has a chance. That’s extremely specific though, and everything must go right for that to happen.”
All four writers and editors at the Tampa Bay Times pick Ohio State to win. The scores: Matt Baker ,42-17; Joey Knight, 34-20; Mike Sherman, 41-21; Traci Johnson, 45-21.
All five writers at the Toledo Blake are picking Wisconsin. Just kidding, they all think Ohio State will win. The scores: Ashley Bastock, 41-17; David Briggs, 45-14; Brian Buckey, 38-17; Nicholas Piotrowicz, 31-21; Kyle Rowland, 35-12.
Marcus Hartman of the Dayton Daily News: Ohio State 31, Wisconsin 17.
Bill Connelly of ESPN: His S&P+ projection has it Ohio State 34, Wisconsin 20.
SportsLine Projection Model: Ohio State 32, Wisconsin 18.
All six analysts at USAToday.com pick Ohio State to win.
All three Athlon Sports analysts are picking Ohio State to win.
All seven CBSSports.com analysts think Ohio State will win and only two think the Badgers will cover a 16 1/2-point spread.
All nine analysts for the Dallas Morning News have Ohio State winning with only two of those thinking the Badgers will cover a 16 1/2-point spread.
All seven analysts at SI.com think Ohio State will win.
All three analysts at Oregonlive.com are picking Ohio State to win. The scores: Ken Goe, 31-21; Sean Meagher, 42-28; Joel Odom, 45-20.
All three analysts at FootballScoop.com pick Ohio State to win.