Week 9 of the College Football season is here and the matchup we are about to talk about looked like it was going to be the biggest game of the season thus far….that was until Wisconsin traveled to Illinois last week. The #13 Wisconsin Badgers 6-1 (3-1 in Big 10) travel to Columbus to take on #3 Ohio State 7-0 (4-0).
This is a key matchup with playoff implications and Big Ten conference implications. The Buckeyes are currently occupying a playoff spot, but need to continue winning as Penn State is right on their tails, also at 4-0, in the Big Ten East. For Wisconsin they need this win to stay in the College Football playoff picture and to stick around with the undefeated Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Big Ten West.
Below is my pick for #13 Wisconsin at #3 Ohio State. All lines are from the FanDuel Sportsbook.
#13 Wisconsin Badgers at #3 Ohio State Buckeyes (-14): O/U 50 points (-110/-110)
The #13 Wisconsin Badgers had College Football Playoff aspirations until last week when they went to Champaigne, Illinois and fell 24-23, as 31.5 point favorites, to the now 3-4 Illinois Fighting Illini. Wisconsin now needs to head into Columbus and beat the undefeated Buckeyes if they have any chance of getting back into the playoff picture. The Badgers started the season off 6-0 with notable wins over then #11 Michigan and a 38-0 win over Michigan State, but none of the matters now. The loss last Saturday also moved Wisconsin down to 2nd place in the Big Ten West as undefeated Minnesota sits at 4-0 in conference play. Wisconsin is 5-2 ATS and the under has hit in five of seven games – four in a row.
#3 Ohio State played last Friday night at Northwestern and blew the Wildcats right off the field in a 52-3 win to improve to 7-0. Friday nights have been a problem for favorites, and ranked teams, but Ohio State overcame a relatively slow start to cruise to an easy victory. OSU will playing just their second ranked opponent of 2019 as the Buckeyes only preview ranked matchup was a 34-10 win over then #25 Michigan State. Ohio State is 6-1 ATS, having covered six straight games, and the over has hit in three of seven games.
Series History: Ohio State leads the all-time series 59-18-5 and have won six consecutive matchups dating back to 2011.
Game Prediction: Last week was disappointing, but I still like Wisconsin to keep this a game, so I am backing Wisconsin +14.
YTD College Football Results: 22-20