Big Ten Championship Preview.
#4 Wisconsin (12-0) vs #8 Ohio State (10-2)
Saturday; 8:00 / FOX
Ohio State -6.5
This will be the first meeting between these two since the debacle at the 2014 Big Ten Championship Game. Ohio State beat the brakes off of Wisconsin to the tune of 59-0. The Buckeyes went on to win the first National Title of the playoff era as Ezekiel Elliott ran wild over Alabama and Oregon. Current Buckeye quarterback; J.T. Barrett was a member of that team as he watched unknown third string quarterback; Cardale Jones direct the Buckeyes to the promised land.
Very little respect is being given to the undefeated Badgers other than the Wisconsin fans. They played a weak schedule and tore through a weak Big Ten West Division. Not only the demolition back in 2014 is still fresh in people's minds, they also remember the blowing of the 28-7 lead over Penn State and losing 38-31 in last year's title game. The Badgers are in real need to break through and garner the respect they probably deserve.
Wisconsin will appear in their first playoffs with a win. They are the prototypical Big Ten team. Ground and pound, play action passing and solid defending are staples to the Wisconsin Badgers. Their workhorse is freshman running back; Jonathan Taylor. He has over 1800 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Quarterback; Alex Hornibrook, is coming off his best game of the year in the 31-0 win over Minnesota. He had a zero in the interception column but has 13 on the year. It's imperative for the Badger offense line to provide lanes for Taylor and allow Hornibrook to operate the offense deliberately down the field.
Camera Cart Gate has been deliberated all week in Columbus. Ohio State quarterback; J.T. Barrett tripped over a camera cart on the sidelines last week at Michigan Stadium. He had to leave the game, prompting an Urban Meyer investigation. It is critical for the Buckeyes to have a healthy Barrett available. They need his rolling out to keep the Wisconsin defense moving around. The star running back on the Buckeyes is another freshman; J.K. Dobbins and his 1190 yards and seven touchdowns. It should be tough for the running backs against a Wisconsin defense that has allowed only four rushing touchdowns and 966 rushing yards all year. Ohio State still has a remote shot at the playoffs. They need to win convincingly with a TCU win and maybe more help than that.
The big question is whether Wisconsin is ready to take that next step. Or are the demons from previous title games come back to haunt them. I have Clemson and Oklahoma winning their games with Georgia upending Auburn. Let chaos reign with an Ohio State win.
Ohio State 27-20
