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Ohio State vs. Wisconsin: The Buckeyes Continue To Roll and Cover Against Badgers (September 24)

After shellacking the Toledo Rockets 77-21 in Week 3, the Ohio State Buckeyes draw a fellow Big Ten team this week in the Wisconsin Badgers. These two teams are contenders to meet in the Big 10 Championship game at the end of the season and this will be a great first look at that in Columbus.

Can the Wisconsin Badgers contain this Ohio State offense? Let’s see.

Ohio State vs. Wisconsin Predictions and Week 4 Picks

Ohio State vs. Wisconsin Betting Odds (DraftKings)

Wisconsin Spread +18 (-110)
Ohio State Spread -18 (-110)
Over/Under 56.5.5
Location Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
Time 7:30 p.m. ET
TV ABC

After a 77-Point Slaughter, Can OSU Continue?

Bettors take notice of any time a team drops 77 points, but it did come against Toledo.

Interestingly, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba wasn’t really involved, catching just two passes, but he only played on 14 passing down snaps. In Week 1, Smith-Njigba left the Notre Dame game early due to injury, so this was likely just a way to get him reacclimated to game speed, which will be needed against the Badgers.

He, along with Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr. and tight end Cade Stover, will be quite an excellent matchup for a Badgers coverage unit that ranks 15th in the nation, per Pro Football Focus.

The Badgers cornerbacks, Jay Shaw and Ricardo Hallman, are somewhat beatable. Hallman is the better of the two, giving up three catches on nine targets. Still, they’ve only faced Illinois State, Washington State and New Mexico this season.

The Badgers pass rushing unit projects as more of a problem for the Buckeyes and quarterback C.J. Stroud, as the team has 41 total pressures this season, led by edge rush Nick Herbig off the edge with nine.

Can A Graham Mertz Offense Keep Up?

To answer the question above: No.

Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz has been better this season than last, but he doesn’t throw the ball all the much, with 16 attempts in Week 1 and 15 in Week 3. In Week 2, when he had 31 attempts, he threw an interception against Washington State.

He has a 71% completion rate, but it’s come against “cupcake teams” for the lack of a better term.

The rushing attack is a three-headed workload distributed amongst running backs Braelon Allen, Isaac Guerendo, and Chez Mellusi. While they’re averaging 6.2 yards per carry, the Badgers will need to throw to stay in this one, as their coverage unit cannot contain the myriad options.

Ohio State vs. Wisconsin Prediction

Giving 18 points here, lean toward Ohio State. There’s not much to be enthusiastic about for the Badgers’ coverage unit, no matter how well the pass rush is expected to perform. If the Buckeyes go up by multiple scores, a Mertz-led offense could pass the ball, which can only spell trouble throughout a game.

Best NCAAF Bet: Ohio State -18 (-110); Under 56.5 (-110)

All statistics come from Pro Football Focus and NCAA.com.


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