Where: Ohio Stadium
When: 3:30 EST
TV: ABC Regional (ESPN or ESPN2 in some areas)
This game brings back a lot of memories for me, which mostly are negative ones. I became a big time fan of OSU football near the tail end of the Cooper era that featured two straight home losses to Wisconsin to end his career. One of which was against the eventual Rose Bowl champions in 1999 that saw the Buckeyes take a 17-0 halftime lead. Wisconsin won 42-17. In 2001, Tressel's first year on the job inheriting what Cooper had left at OSU, OSU was once again up 17-0 only to see that lead diminish into a 20-17 loss to Wisconsin. Since Tressel has taken over, the series is knotted up at 3-3. Why is this stat important? Well, not only does it show that these games have been extremely physical and competitive, but also that Tressel does not have a winning record against the Badgers. They are the ONLY team that Tressel doesn't have a winning record against. This game may not seem big in terms of their ranking (only ranked in one poll at #25) or in terms of how this game may not even end up registering a blip on the Big Ten championship radar, but it is big for Jim Tressel and this Ohio State football team. If they beat Wisconsin, they generally own every single team in their conference. That's a lot of incentive in my opinion.
It will obviously be a physical contest, featuring a mistake free QB at Wisconsin named Scott Tolzien and a strong, big bodied RB John Clay and a typical large Badger offensive line, but the defense does not impress me that much. They have had to survive many football games this season by registering three turnovers or more against inferior competition. If Wisconsin can achieve three turnovers in this football game, then I guess they deserve to win. However, the weather is looking calm and cool without any precipitation, and OSU has been holding on to the ball relatively well lately (they average a turnover a game when the weather is fine...which isn't good but I'm just saying it's not bad either). I know that OSU had fumbilitis against Illinois, but there was a downpour for that entire game. Throughout the game, there will be moments where Wisconsin will be knocking on the door and have an opportunity to seize momentum. I know the Buckeye defense far too well to know that Wisconsin won't have a prayer in doing much of anything consistently throughout the day.
I expect a defensive battle for the first half, with Terrelle Pryor, Brandon Saine and Boom Herron taking control of the game for the Buckeyes in the second half. The defense will score a touchdown late to seal it, and OSU will march on to 5-1 with an undefeated record in the Big Ten. If Iowa loses to Michigan, then the Bucks will have sole possession of first place in the conference. Why is that important in early October? I suppose it is not that important....I just hope that Ohio State will be #1 come the end of November and USC is #1 in the Pac 10....
Prediction:
Ohio State- 31
Wisconsin- 13
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