Wisconsin (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) and Ohio State (12-0, 9-0) will meet in the Big Ten Championship Game for the third time in the championship’s game history. Wisconsin has lost the previous two games to the Buckeyes and hasn’t beaten the Buckeyes since 2010.
Although Wisconsin will look to snap their current seven game skid to Ohio State with the exception of two games the Badgers have been able to play the Buckeyes tough as five of the seven losses to Ohio State have come by seven points or less.
In the seven games, the Badgers have lost to Ohio State this could be the Buckeyes best team. Even if Wisconsin is able to slow the Buckeyes offense down, which averaged a conference best 48.4 points per game and 537 yards of total offense over Big Ten play the challenge becomes how do you score?
Considering the Buckeyes are equally talented on defense as the 232.3 yards allowed this year rank first nationally.
Jack Coan will need to be ready as he goes against a defense that’s also averaging 4.1 sacks a contest. Coan will need to be able to get the football out quickly to one of his playmakers as the Buckeyes sacked him five times in the first meeting.
Coan has been efficient over Big Ten play as he’s completing 70.6 percent (139-for-197) of his passes. That efficiency in the passing game will need to continue in order for Wisconsin to sustain drives on offense and to give the Badgers a chance of beating the Buckeyes.
Considering, Ohio State will load the box to slow Jonathan Taylor down. Making it important that Coan is able to place the football only where his wide receivers can get it as Ohio State intercepted 12 passes over conference play.
If Coan is able to generate a rhythm in the passing game it could allow Taylor to have better success on the ground against Ohio State. The Buckeyes have only faced Taylor twice but both times have held him in check considering in two career games he has only rushed for 93 yards on 35 carries.
The Badgers offense is going to need to get Taylor more involved whether that’s on the ground or in the passing game. If the Badgers can get Taylor in space in the passing game should allow him the opportunity to make a play for Wisconsin’s offense.
Defensively, Wisconsin is going to have to slow down a Buckeye offense that averaged seven yards per play over conference play.
Justin Fields has done well of executing Ohio State’s offense and his ability to extend plays with his feet has allowed for the Buckeyes offense to execute at such a high level.
Fields has been sacked 21 times over conference play making it important if Wisconsin has a chance of sacking him they convert. The best thing Wisconsin’s defense can do is trying to force Ohio State to have to work behind the chains in order to disrupt the Buckeyes offense. That will begin with Wisconsin’s defensive line to help create the pressure up the middle and to allow for Wisconsin’s linebackers to make plays.
In the end, Ohio State simply has too many good players on both sides of the football for Wisconsin to try and contain. The Badgers are able to keep it close similar to how they played in the first game but in the end, the Buckeyes talent is too much as Ohio State pulls away in the second half as they win 42-21.