The Wisconsin Badgers (2-1) enter Saturday’s road contest against the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) as 18.5-point underdogs in a David vs. Goliath matchup under the lights in Columbus, Ohio.
The Badgers, coming off a 66-7 victory over New Mexico State, looked sharp on offense after a lousy performance the week before; however, it was against one of the nation’s worst programs.
UW will need an efficient game from starting quarterback Graham Mertz and the offensive line to hold up in pass protection if they are going to have a chance against the Buckeyes, who are 37-4 under head coach Ryan Day and rarely lose at home.
Ahead of Saturday’s matchup, ESPN’s FPI model gives Wisconsin an 11% chance of winning on the road against the Buckeyes.
This projection is more than fair, considering Wisconsin hasn’t beaten Ohio State since 2010. Not to mention the talent disparity between the two programs, at least on paper.
For Wisconsin, I’d love to see the Badgers execute in the passing game and use it to open up the run – continuing the shift to a more balanced offensive approach under first-year OC Bobby Engram.
I have no expectations of Wisconsin winning this game. But playing the Buckeyes tough into the fourth quarter would undoubtedly inspire confidence in UW moving forward as they pursue a Big Ten West title.
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