Wisconsin vs. No. 3 Ohio State September 24 Betting Preview

No. 3 Ohio State hasn’t wasted much time establishing themselves as one of the major players for a spot in the College Football Playoff. 

While the Buckeyes struggling against Notre Dame in Week 1 doesn’t look great in hindsight, Ohio State will have plenty of chances to prove themselves when they open Big Ten play Saturday by hosting Wisconsin. The Badgers are eager to make a big statement.

Wisconsin is off to a 2-1 start, including a tough three-point home loss to Washington State. The Badgers haven’t faced Ohio State since they played in the Big Ten Championship game in 2019.

 The Buckeyes are 18.5-point favorites to hand Wisconsin a loss at the Horseshoe. Here’s a look at what to expect.

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Buckeye Dominance

Ohio State has traditionally dominated Wisconsin, holding a 61-18-5 mark in the all-time series. Recently, though, games between the two schools haven’t been ultra-competitive. The Buckeyes have won eight straight over the Badgers. 

Of those eight wins, three of them have been by double figures, with two of them coming by 30 points or more.

Ohio State Features Well-Rounded Offense

Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud has been laying the foundation for his Heisman campaign. He has passed for 941 yards and 11 touchdowns so far this season. Stroud hasn’t had to sweat too many things on the field. 

When it comes to Stroud, he has completed just under 73-percent of his passes and has only been sacked twice. Ohio State’s running game has been balanced. Miyan Williams, who has 207 yards on 32 carries, and TreVeyon Henderson, who has 197 yards on 29 carries, have carried the load at running back. 

Overall, the Buckeyes have marched through their opponents. Ohio State is first in the country in total yards by averaging 565.3 yards per game, and the Buckeyes score 47.7 points per game.

Badgers Want To Make Big Splash

Wisconsin hasn’t had many tests so far this season. The Badgers have continued to maintain their run-heavy style of play under coach Paul Chryst. Running back Braelon Allen leads Wisconsin with 332 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Allen has a long carry of 96 yards and averages 6.6 yards per carry.

Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz has passed for 697 yards, including six touchdowns. He has thrown two interceptions and been sacked four times. Mertz has also completed 71-percent of his passes.

 The Badgers don’t make many mistakes on offense, having only made two turnovers so far compared to seven takeaways.

The Badgers’ defense has played well thus far against subpar competition. Wisconsin allows currently eight points per game, which ranks eighth in the country, and has produced seven takeaways, which ranks fifth.

What To Bet

When these two teams collide, Ohio State should have the edge in most areas of the field. The Buckeyes will want to make a statement to open conference play, and Wisconsin just happens to be the poor souls to draw the owner of trying to prevent the Buckeyes from doing so. 

This is a game where Ohio State has the ability to cover the spread against a Wisconsin team that hasn’t been properly tested yet.