Ohio State Wisconsin Betting – Buckeyes Take No. 1 Ranking On The Road In Big Ten Play
The confidence level of two quarterbacks – Terrelle Pryor and Scott Tolzien – will say a lot about the way Saturday’s game unfolds between Ohio State and Wisconsin.
NCAA football betting: Ohio State Buckeyes @ Wisconsin Badgers
Online Betting Odds: Ohio State -4
Why To Bet On Ohio State
The Buckeyes are the most proven program in the Big Ten since 2002. Coach Jim Tressel handles big games on an annual basis, and he knows how to get his players primed for spotlight games such as this one in Madison, Wisconsin. Ohio State also has a quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, who is familiar with the pressure that is part of a national TV game. Nine and a half months ago in Pasadena, California, Pryor rose to the occasion and quieted his legions of doubters by turning in a poised performance in the Rose Bowl against the Oregon Ducks. Ohio State scored a 26-17 win that gave the Buckeyes a much-needed confidence boost heading into the 2010 campaign, and that confidence was very much apparent in a throttling of the Miami Hurricanes earlier this season. Ohio State has not played particularly imposing opponents since that Miami game, but the Buckeyes have taken care of business with the regularity you'd expect from them. Moreover, OSU's one shaky performance since the Miami game came against an Illinois Fightin Illini team that just thumped Penn State Nittany Lions by 20 points in Happy Valley. Clearly, the value of that Illinois win has grown over the past week. This is a trustworthy team with an airtight defense and veteran skill-position performers on the offensive side of the ball. The biggest deficiency for Ohio State has been kick coverage, but that's a very fixable problem. If the Buckeyes can prevent long returns against the Wisconsin Badgers , it will be very hard for the Badgers to score against them.
Why To Bet On Wisconsin
Coach Bret Bielema's Badgers came up short a few weeks ago against the Michigan State Spartans, so they know that they have to win this game if they want to keep alive their hopes for a Big Ten championship or – if they were to finish in second place – an at-large BCS bowl bid from their conference. ESPN's College Gameday crew will be in attendance for this game, making it a featured attraction in the college football world. This means that Wisconsin will receive added emotional ballast in this game, much as the South Carolina Gamecocks did when it knocked off No. 1 Alabama on Oct. 9. Wisconsin isn't as good a team as Ohio State, but the Badgers only need to be better for 60 minutes on their home turf at Camp Randall Stadium, which will be rocking for this night game in America's Dairyland. Wisconsin's defense is vulnerable, but quarterback Scott Tolzien is a solid quarterback who can use play-action passes to carve up Ohio State's less-than-airtight secondary. When the Buckeyes focus on taking away the pass, the Badgers can then respond by handing the ball off to star running back John Clay. Wisconsin possesses the offensive balance that can make Ohio State's defense wobble. If the Badgers can get a few turnovers from Terrelle Pryor, they have a very good chance of winning this game.
How The Game Will Play Out
Ohio State won't run away with this game because the Buckeyes' offense has not been terrifically consistent. OSU is unbeaten because of its defense, and also because it has not yet faced an elite quarterback in 2010. Scott Tolzien is a decent performer, but one wonders if he'll be good enough to take down the Buckeyes this weekend. Tolzien threw two pick-sixes in last year's 31-13 loss to the Buckeyes, and while Tolzien has played a more mistake-free brand of football in 2010, he still has to prove he can handle Ohio State's defensive packages and read the Buckeyes' safeties. It's hard to trust Tolzien in this game, and that being the case, Ohio State should win the turnover battle. In a hard-fought Big Ten game, that usually makes the difference. Take Ohio State on the road.
Ohio State Wisconsin Betting Pick: Ohio State
