Ohio State moved to the top of the AP Poll at the weekend but how long will they stay there? Al Dannity says the Buckeyes will have a tough time beating the Badgers on Saturday.
The first real test for the Buckeyes Ohio State’s résumé looked reasonably impressive up until last week. Then Miami, the only marquee name the Buckeyes have faced to date, suffered a blow-out defeat at the hands of Florida State. That leaves the most famous sweater-vest in College Football looking for another big win to justify his team’s #1 ranking. A win at Wisconsin on Saturday would do just that.
There’s a lot to like about these Badgers. They play a bulldozing run game, built around John Clay. The passing game is average in terms of yardage but Scott Tolzien is ruthlessly efficient. The Wisconsin quarterback has completed 69.7 percent of his passes with 7 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions. Throw in a dependable defense and this team is a test for any visitor to Madison.
The Badgers will prove the best test of Ohio State’s thrilling offense to date. Terrelle Pryor has racked up 100 rushing yards in three of the Buckeyes’ six games this season and recorded his first 300 yard game of the year last week against Indiana. I don’t expect such stellar figures this Saturday. Wisconsin’s run game should give them the advantage in terms of time of possession but I like the Buckeyes to be more clinical in the red zone. Bet on the Ohio State Buckeyes to win as -4.0 favorites with Sports Interaction.
Hawkeyes watching Shoelace Denard Robinson is fast, dynamic, elusive, and many other things. He is not however a miracle worker. That’s unfortunate because anything less than that just won’t do against Iowa on Saturday. Giving up just 10.2 points a game, the Hawkeyes have the stingiest defense in the nation. Shoelace will try to beat them on the ground but he’ll come up against Adrian Clayborn at the line of scrimmage. He can try to beat Iowa through the air but he’ll be taking on a unit that picked off Nick Foles three times in one game earlier this season.
The picture gets bleaker for the Wolverines. Unlike last year’s team, these Hawkeyes know how to play some offense. Ricky Stanzi has completed 67.8 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions. College Football betting fans should expect Stanzi to have a big day against the weak Michigan secondary. With Iowa possessing a stout ground game as well, this could well be a rout. Bet on the Iowa Hawkeyes as -3.5 favorites with Sports Interaction.
