Tag: Ohio State Buckeyes Football

College Football Futures: National Championship Best Bets

Previewing the College Football Playoff futures including National Championship best bets.

The College Football Playoff kicks off Dec. 28 with the semifinals. Top-ranked LSU Tigers (13-0) faces the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners (12-1) in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (13-0) will battle the No. 3 Clemson Tigers (13-0) in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

Below is my best bet and rationale for who will be crowned the national champion on Jan. 13.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday, Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. ET.

CLEMSON +200

It’s amazing how relatively under-the-radar defending champion Clemson has flown in 2019. A bonafide dynasty, the Tigers have played in four of the five College Football Playoffs, winning two titles in their three Championship Game appearances, including last year’s 28-point blistering of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence. (Photo Credit: Jamie Rhodes – USA TODAY Sports)

Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence received Burrow-esque hype following Clemson’s 2018 title run, but has been largely missing from the national conversation because of a shaky start to 2019 –  he threw eight interceptions in his first seven games. However, he finished strong with 20 passing touchdowns and NO interceptions and ended up with 41 total touchdowns. While LSU’s Joe Burrow is getting all the buzz heading into the CFP, make no mistake, Lawrence should be the No. 1 pick whenever he enters the NFL Draft, presumably in 2020.

Led by coach Dabo Swinney and defensive wizard Brett Venables, Clemson has the best coaching staff in the Playoff. No other coach in the CFP has a national championship appearance or title. The Tigers have been here before and the moment will not be too big for them. Despite all the defensive players drafted back in April, Clemson’s defense is still stout, allowing the least passing yards per game (138.5) in the country, and ranking ninth in rushing yards allowed (106.2 YPG).

Another random tidbit that I cannot explain but thought was worth mentioning: The No. 1 seed in the CFP has never won the national title. I don’t know if that’s because the top team is really feeling themselves during the extended break, grows complacent or the opening-round matchup against the No. 4 team isn’t difficult enough to get them ready for the title game. Whatever the case is, Clemson entering the CFP as the 3-seed only makes me feel better about my CLEMSON +200 ticket.

New to sports betting? Every $10 wagered on Clemson to win the National Championship would profit $20 if the Tigers prevail.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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Todd McShay claims Chase Young is “better” than both Bosa brothers

ESPN’s Todd McShay loves Heisman finalist and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Chase Young, saying he’s better than both Bosa brothers.

ESPN’s Todd McShay loves Heisman finalist and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Chase Young, saying he’s better than both Bosa brothers. It’s tough to say McShay is wrong here.

Young, the third-year defensive end, won the Chuck Bednarik Award which goes to the college football’s best defensive player. He also won Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year. Yeah, that was a no-brainer.

Young’s resume is loaded with accolades that include setting the school’s single-season sack record at 16.5 sacks so far. That doesn’t even account for the fact that he was suspended for two of Ohio State’s 13 games.

Those are a few of the many reasons why Todd McShay night think he’s better than both Joey and Nick Bosa, two players that have made name for themselves at the professional level.

“He’s better… I would take him No. 1 even if I needed a quarterback.”

The Cincinnati Bengals, with one win, will likely have the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. They need a quarterback, and Joe Burrow will be the obvious choice.

Burrow or Young will be the debate in Cincinnati, and it seems many would favor the franchise quarterback over Young at this point. But not McShay.

Wisconsin is one part of a sexy Big Ten bowl season

Big Ten bowl thoughts

I’m not going to tell you that the full Big Ten Conference bowl season is great. Michigan State-Wake Forest? ZZZZZZ. Illinois-California? Nap time. Indiana-Tennessee? That’s nice. Penn State, thanks to Wisconsin making the Rose Bowl, gets pushed into the corner to play Memphis, getting the Group of Five assignment Power Five schools hate at bowl season.

However, five of the Big Ten’s nine bowl games are really sexy and very important. The Wisconsin Badgers are just one part of a five-part story. This year, the Big Ten’s better teams all drew high-profile opponents, which lends some snap, crackle and pop to the 2019 bowl season. One could very easily make the argument that in a generally lackluster lineup of 39 bowl games (UCF-Marshall! Appalachian State-UAB! Pittsburgh-Eastern Michigan!), the Big Ten has the best and most interesting matchups, the games a lot of casual sports fans will watch at bowl season.

Oregon. Clemson. Alabama. Auburn. USC. Those five schools have all played for national championships this century. More specifically, they have all played for national titles in the past 15 years. Four of the five (USC being the exception) played for the national title THIS DECADE. Three of those four schools (Oregon being the exception) won a national title this decade.

These are the five opponents for Big Ten teams in the upper-tier bowl games.

Oregon is Wisconsin’s opponent in Pasadena. Clemson faces Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl playoff semifinal. Alabama returns to the Citrus Bowl — where it began this decade against Michigan State — to play the other Michigan school, Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines. Auburn gets P.J. Fleck and Minnesota in the Outback Bowl.

A hilarious aspect of the Outback Bowl:

USC is Iowa’s opponent in the Holiday Bowl. A trip to San Diego and a marquee opponent give Hawkeye fans a good reward for their team’s season. We can power-rank these games later on (you can bet that we will), but for now, simply realize that the five best Big Ten bowl games are all showcase events. None of the matchups are dull. Bama might blow out Michigan, but the matchup isn’t a snoozer. Harbaugh versus Saban demands attention… at least the first one and a half quarters.

The Big Ten isn’t going low-profile this bowl season. This is an attractive, dressed-up, high-end football fashion show to close out the 2010s and ring in the new year… and the new decade.

Wisconsin lost the Big Ten title on one third-quarter drive

When and where the Wisconsin Badgers lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes: a third-quarter drive.

The sky was not falling — not yet — for the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Championship Game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Wisconsin’s botched punt in its own third of the field did not lead to an OSU touchdown, to the surprise of many. Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields missed an easy throw, denying the Buckeyes a tying score. Wisconsin still led, 21-17, in the third quarter. The roof had not caved in. The Badgers still had a decent chance to win and had to feel good about where they were — not GREAT, but still good, after OSU failed to score seven points and forge a 21-21 tie.

Things looked really good when the Badgers converted a third and five and then drove to the Ohio State 20. A field goal? Piece of cake, with Zach Hintze on the job after his 62-yard field goal against Purdue a few weeks earlier. Being at the OSU 20, Wisconsin was in range for a kick just under 40 yards. No problem. The Badgers were going to get at least a seven-point lead and restore a sense of order. Ohio State was going to have a tough climb after blowing that touchdown opportunity in the red zone a few moments earlier, following the botched Badger punt.

And then it happened. Then came the sequence which — more than any other — ruined Wisconsin’s night.

Holding. Sack. Missed 48-yard field goal. Yes, many other plays and sequences hurt the Badgers, but remember: Ohio State had just faltered. The Buckeyes squandered a chance to score a touchdown. We have all seen hundreds of games in our lifetimes in which a team making a comeback suddenly stubs its toes, and the team with the lead responds with a big drive to blunt the rally. Wisconsin was about to blunt Ohio State’s rally… until it wasn’t. When Wisconsin came away with nothing on that drive, to stop OSU’s run and score its first points of the second half, that’s when a sense of dread was impossible to ignore or hold at bay.

Sure enough, THEN the dam broke. Then Ohio State scored touchdowns on its next possessions for a 31-21 lead. Wisconsin never did score a point in the second half. Ballgame.

If you think the 3rd and 18 failure by the defense was a bigger play, that’s a fair point. It’s a perfectly valid argument. However, Ohio State was already leading at that time, and the Buckeyes were going to get another chance to take the lead or add to their lead later in the fourth quarter. The Wisconsin third-quarter drive which sputtered after reaching the OSU 20 occurred when the Badgers still had a lead and still had the expectation they could control the game’s tempo and contours.

Yes, you can say that the 3rd and 18 breakdown was a bigger moment, and I won’t spend time fighting that argument. However, for my money, a third-quarter drive which was about to restore Wisconsin’s upper hand — until it didn’t — was the real moment this Big Ten Championship Game slipped away.

Alas, a loss. That first half deserved a better outcome. Wisconsin simply couldn’t finish what it started against Ohio State.

Jack Coan’s first half and final drive leave a lasting memory

Praising Jack Coan for his performance against Ohio State.

Jack Coan of the Wisconsin Badgers ended the 2019 college football regular season in a very different place, and in a very different way, compared to his worst moments in the second half of October.

Coan wasn’t particularly consistent. He wasn’t especially precise. He certainly couldn’t have been viewed as a dynamic, equation-changing quarterback in the latter half of October, when Wisconsin was ambushed by Illinois and couldn’t muster much of anything against Ohio State in Columbus. Was Coan going to recede into memory as a forgettable quarterback with modest talent and unremarkable performances in big games, or was he going to grow and not give up on his team, his season, or — most of all — himself?

Jack Coan clearly answered those questions against Minnesota, but just in case anyone doubted that he could play equally well (actually, even BETTER) against the big, bad Buckeyes of Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game, Coan offered his response: YES, I can and I will be better.

His first half on Saturday night in Lucas Oil Stadium was his best half of football as a Wisconsin Badger. He hit all the right notes. He made all the right decisions. He showed a new level of elusiveness and athleticism in the pocket. He made Ohio State look slow. How many quarterbacks do that?

Coan stood at the center of a brilliant first half. If Quintez Cephus had made a few more catches, Wisconsin might have scored even more than 21 first-half points against the Buckeyes. As it was, Coan threw down a standard of performance which gave his team a chance to win. Yes, Coan was a little less precise in the second half, but for the most part, the players around him stopped making the routine plays which had put UW ahead by 14 points. If a punt isn’t botched, if a field goal had been made, and if a 3rd and 18 had been stopped, this game would have come down to the wire. Coan didn’t get the chance to lead UW on a game-winning drive.

The final drive he actually led, though, was symbolic of his performance: resolute, tough, fearless.

If you are an older football fan, this next video will be familiar. If you are a younger fan, you should watch it because of its cinematic brilliance. NFL Films created such a large and towering mythology surrounding professional football as the Super Bowl became a cultural phenomenon in the 1970s. Videos like this next one show why.

Go to the 19:45 mark of this video. You will find these words when Roger Staubach and the Dallas Cowboys were desperately trying to come back against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII:

“As they drove down the field again, it was an appropriate occasion to summon up the old cliches which salute gallant losers who play on for pride and self-respect when all hope of victory has vanished. But NO. This was a team that truly believed it still could win.”

– John Facenda, NFL Films

“Battle of Champions” – Super Bowl XIII documentary

January 1979

That, folks, was Jack Coan on the final drive, heaving the ball into traffic because he had to, and couldn’t play it safe. That was Jack Coan on the final play of the game, running furiously toward the end zone, willing himself toward the goal line with all his might, trying to notch another touchdown which might have been the difference between the Badgers getting the Rose Bowl and falling short.

Jack Coan spilled his guts. He gave his body and soul to Wisconsin and his teammates. He played like a champion and showed the heart of a warrior.

Is this hyperbolic embellishment? It sounds like it… but when you think about the man who played very ordinary football against Illinois and Ohio State in October, and you then consider what Jack Coan has become — and how he comported himself these last two weeks against Minnesota and Ohio State — this transformation into a bold leader of the Wisconsin offense makes Coan a Badger we won’t forget. This 2019 season has had many heroes, but Coan’s ability to step up in the two biggest games of the season will not soon be forgotten by Wisconsin fans.

Jack Coan did not fade into the mists of obscurity. He gained a lasting place in the hearts of Badger fans everywhere.

Big Ten title slips away for Wisconsin after a brilliant start

Wisconsin – Ohio State reaction

The Wisconsin Badgers played a near-perfect defensive first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Oct. 26 in Columbus. Saturday night in Indianapolis, in the 2019 Big Ten Championship Game, the Badgers played a near-perfect half, period.

Whereas the Wisconsin defense played brilliantly in the first 30 minutes against Ohio State in late October, the whole Wisconsin TEAM played an excellent first 30 minutes in Lucas Oil Stadium. The Badgers’ first Big Ten title in seven years seemed very close and attainable. Up 21-7 at the intermission, Wisconsin had created a cushion to the extent that the Badgers didn’t need to be PERFECT in the second half. They needed to be good, and make the routine plays they had made in the first half.

Uh-oh. That’s where the Badgers lost hold of this game.

Yes, Ohio State dominated the second half in Indianapolis, much as it dominated the second half of the game in Columbus, but that first game was a game in which Ohio State never trailed. Wisconsin’s outlook was bleak at halftime. That gray day was always an uphill battle. Jack Coan didn’t have his fastball, and he wasn’t throwing strikes.

This game was not that game. Coan was outstanding in the first half, and while he lost a measure of accuracy midway through the second half, he kept making impressive throws until the very end of the game, when he was stopped by a hard hit at the Ohio State 3-yard line. Coan’s performance was good enough to beat Ohio State. Coan’s development late in the season was hugely impressive and a testament to the good work this coaching staff has done in 2019.

All Coan needed was some help, and some of those routine plays from his teammates on both sides of the ball. He didn’t get them.

In a game Ohio State ultimately won by 13 points, imagine a second half in which Wisconsin didn’t botch a punt; was able to make a field goal; and stopped Ohio State’s 3rd and 18 play on a 14-yard out route which easily should have been contained to force a Buckeye punt. We can go on and on with all the plays Wisconsin didn’t make in the second half, but let’s simply take those three.

Just three plays, folks. Three plays. If you take them away — no botched punt, a made field goal instead of a miss, and a 3rd-and-18 stop to force an OSU punt — that’s a 13-point shift. Wisconsin scores 24. Ohio State scores 24.

We’re still playing. Heck, we might have had the second overtime of the day, after Oklahoma beat Baylor in OT in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Would Wisconsin have beaten Ohio State in the event that those three plays had gone the other way? We don’t know… but that’s the point: Wisconsin would have had a chance to win, and that’s why this game — this Big Ten title — slipped away in Indianapolis.

Wisconsin tries to end the 7-year itch vs. Ohio State

Reflections on the meaning of a possible win for the Wisconsin Badgers versus the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game.

The Big Ten Championship Game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Ohio State isn’t really a Super Bowl, even though Lucas Oil Stadium is a domed venue and a place which has in fact hosted the Supe in the past. One can’t really call this game a Super Bowl because Ohio State can lose it and still make the College Football Playoff. A “Super Bowl-style” game can’t have that dimension.

What we CAN say about this Big Ten battle, however, is that it is a championship game. It isn’t a quarterfinal or a semifinal. It’s a final. It is a meeting of two champions — champions of divisions — for a trophy and regional bragging rights. Seems pretty important, right?

Here is a fact which the national press isn’t discussing very much this week, with Ohio State getting most of the national play before the playoff, in which it will surely participate: Wisconsin, for all the times it has made the Big Ten Championship Game, hasn’t won the Big Ten since 2012.

That statement might be surprising to some. Others might see Ohio State’s dominance under Urban Meyer and think that statement isn’t surprising at all. Regardless, this much is clear: Wisconsin is simultaneously a program which has made the most Big Ten title game appearances of any conference member (6), and a program which has gone seven years without winning the league.

Wisconsin inhabits a weird and complicated reality heading into this latest Big Ten title tilt with Ohio State: The Badgers have been undeniably and consistently successful. Their program is in a very good place. They just punched Minnesota in the teeth to win a division title and knock the Gophers out of the Rose Bowl. How sweet is THAT? They are making their third trip to Indianapolis in the past four seasons, their fourth in the last six. Yet, they haven’t been able to win in Indianapolis since 2012 against Bo Pelini.

They didn’t beat Penn State in 2016, in a game which got away from them. They didn’t beat J.T. Barrett and a vulnerable Ohio State team in 2017. The 2014 game against Ohio State? Let’s not talk about that one. You know what happened then. Wisconsin is still searching for an elusive conference title. Ohio State fans will quickly point out that if the 2012 Buckeyes had been eligible for postseason play, they would have replaced Wisconsin as Nebraska’s opponent in Lucas Oil Stadium.

This is a seven-year itch for Wisconsin. Can the Badgers scratch it tonight? It would mean the world — and then some — if they can. It would also mean a ticket to Pasadena on January 1. It’s go time for UW.

We must defend the honor of conference championships

Reflections before the Big Ten Championship Game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

It is that time of year when a lot of people complain about the conference championship games not being College Football Playoff quarterfinals. I agree that if two teams (think Utah and Oklahoma) can settle a playoff debate on the field, they should play each other on this Conference Championship Saturday, instead of playing someone from their own conference. However, I firmly disagree with people who say that conference championships don’t mean much.

As the Wisconsin Badgers prepare to face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game, it is worth noting that the pride created by beating a Midwestern powerhouse and neighbor would be extremely satisfying for Wisconsin. The larger reality of sharing the same part of the United States with 13 other teams — and then being able to say you are the champion in that conference of 14 schools — seems like a big deal to me. The fact that the Big Ten asks its champion to play 10 games (nine in the 12-game set schedule, then No. 10 in Indianapolis if able to qualify for the Big Ten Championship Game) makes a conference championship very substantial. Playing 10 out of 13 games in a season, and being the best team in those 10 games, is a huge accomplishment.

In a league of Ohio State, and Michigan, and Penn State, and Minnesota, and Iowa, a Big Ten championship stands out as a huge feat of athletic prowess and coaching acumen. If Wisconsin can win this title — and go to the Rose Bowl as a result — it would be an enormous achievement for Paul Chryst, his staff, his players, and the whole program.

Look at the Oregon program which beat Utah to win the Pac-12 title and go to the Rose Bowl, possibly as Wisconsin’s opponent. The Ducks fell on hard times as soon as Marcus Mariota left for the NFL. Yeah, Oregon is not in the playoff, but returning to the Rose Bowl is a big freakin’ deal for the Ducks. It was very similar for Washington to make the Rose Bowl last season. The Huskies hadn’t been to Pasadena since the 2000 season. They waited 18 years to return! A conference championship made that possible.

Let’s defend the honor of conference championships… and hope that Wisconsin can win one against Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game tonight.

Buckeyes Wire’s Phil Harrison on Wisconsin-Ohio State rematch

Phil Harrison of Buckeyes Wire comments on the Big Ten Championship Game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Wisconsin Badgers.

Phil Harrison is the editor of our sister site, Buckeyes Wire. Follow Phil and the rest of his terrific team at Buckeyes Wire for sports coverage through an OSU lens. Get an Ohio State-centric understanding of the Big Ten Championship Game at Buckeyes Wire.

Phil answered four questions I posed to him about Saturday night’s big game in Indianapolis:

1 – How is the rematch most likely to be different from the first game in Columbus?

PHIL HARRISON: I think it’ll be a little closer than the first contest. With it being on a neutral field and with a game under Wisconsin’s belt, it’ll help neutralize things a bit I think. In some ways, it’s difficult to game plan against Ohio State this year because Ryan Day is a new head coach with no tendencies to go off of. Now the Badger coaching staff will get a second crack at it, and I think it’ll help. I’m not ready to say the Badgers pull off the upset against such a dynamic team, but I don’t think the offense will have as hard of a time moving the ball on the ground like game one in Columbus. We’ve seen Wisconsin open it up a bit to loosen things up for the rushing attack and you’ll likely see the same Saturday.

2 – What development since the first game should make OSU most confident about Saturday?

HARRISON: There was a little adversity against Penn State that Ohio State didn’t have up until then. Things were a little tight against Wisconsin in the first game, but then OSU kept plugging away and leaned on the Badger offensive line. The depth of the Buckeyes really wore down Wisconsin. In the Penn State game, things didn’t go so well in the turnover department and the Buckeyes had to battle through it, play a four quarter game and find a way to come out the other side somewhat battle tested. That could not only come in handy this Saturday if things remain close, but going forward with a potential College Football Playoff appearance.

3 – What development since the first game should make OSU most concerned about Saturday?
HARRISON: Probably the most concerning thing is what we saw from the defense against Penn State and Michigan. The D was a very stingy unit up until those two games, but both the Nittany Lions and Wolverines had some success in different ways. Penn State found some room between the tackles with the Q-run, and the Michigan QB Shea Patterson lit up OSU’s secondary in the first half. Now, it’s not a trend yet, but you can expect Wisconsin to look at the film and try to implement what worked in those two contests. There’s now game film of teams moving the ball against this defense, and I expect Wisconsin to benefit from that to some extent.
4 – Are there any post-Michigan letdown concerns for Ohio State? Should there be? 
HARRISON: Ohio State has remained focused throughout this season despite many opportunities for a letdown or lack of proper mindset to creep in. Because of that, this is less of a concern than maybe some of the teams of the past. There hasn’t been a Purdue or Iowa flop to point to. That being said, this game offers an interesting dynamic because the Buckeyes already laid it on the Badgers in game one. Does that lead to a mindset of inferiority or a tendency to not prepare as hard? With what we’ve seen from this team, I don’t think so, but it is a danger that bears watching.

Jack Coan vs. Ohio State, Part II – the upside

Thoughts about Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Jack Coan before the Big Ten Championship Game against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Wisconsin Badgers are not expected to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes this Saturday night. We don’t need a long dissertation on why that is the case. As Jim Harbaugh and Michigan could tell you, one can play reasonably well against the Buckeyes for a quarter or even 25 minutes, and yet against Justin Fields and this stacked offense, it probably won’t matter. Wisconsin played a virtually flawless first half on defense against Ohio State on Oct. 26, and that didn’t matter, either.

The margin for error is so slim against the 2019 Buckeyes. In any sport, a fundamental measure of excellence is the ability to win a game in many different ways. Ohio State embodies that. Take away the downfield pass? The Buckeyes can run. Take away Justin Fields’ scrambling? He can throw well enough to win. Contain the Buckeyes’ offense, as Penn State did? Fine. Ohio State’s defense can take over. If you neutralize Ohio State’s speed, the Buckeyes can overpower you. Wisconsin faces a tall task against the Buckeyes in Indianapolis in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Yet, some people felt that Ohio State — needing a “style points” performance to make the 2017 College Football Playoff — was going to blow the doors off the 2017 Badgers in the Big Ten Championship Game. That blowout never happened… and Wisconsin could have won if one component of its performance had been better on that night. This is where Jack Coan reenters the picture in the second half of a short two-part package on the Badgers’ quarterback.

We know that Coan didn’t move the sticks enough in Columbus on Oct. 26. Wisconsin’s offense didn’t control the ball long enough or well enough to keep the defense fresh, which eventually took its toll in a 60-minute game. Wisconsin’s defense stood tall without the offense’s help in the first 30 minutes, but that was not sustainable for the whole game. The second 30 minutes caved in on the Badgers, and that was that.

The 2017 Big Ten Championship Game was revisited earlier this week at Badgers Wire, through the prism of what Wisconsin did well. The Badgers took the ball away, stood tall in the red zone, and held the ball for 34 minutes. (I’d say they need to improve upon that 34-minute number. Let’s see if UW can get to 38 this Saturday.)

What Wisconsin failed to do in 2017 against the Buckeyes: Throw the ball efficiently.

Alex Hornibrook spent most of the 2017 season doing what Coan could not do against Ohio State in late October: Move the chains on third and medium. Hornibrook didn’t always look great, but in 2017, he often came through on third down. That was the reason Wisconsin had its best season under Paul Chryst. Against Ohio State in the 2017 Big Ten Championship Game, Hornibrook completed just 19 of 40 passes with two interceptions. Wisconsin was 5 of 16 on third downs. The three takeaways generated by the defense, plus an insistence on running the ball, enabled the Badgers to somehow accumulate 34 minutes of possession in spite of their passing stats. Had Hornibrook completed 27 of his 40 passes instead of 19, imagine how different this game — which ended 27-21 in favor of Ohio State — could have been.

This is the segue to Jack Coan: We saw him hit nearly 70 percent of his passes against Minnesota. More precisely, he hit nearly 70 percent of his passes against Minnesota while being aggressive in the passing game. This wasn’t a “Checkdown Charlie” collection of dump-offs and concessions. Coan sought to throw the ball vertically — not necessarily deep balls, but certainly the intermediate passing range beyond six or seven yards. Coan established a standard against Minnesota which, if carried into Indianapolis against Ohio State, gives Wisconsin’s offense a chance to be diverse, potent, and dynamic.

If you thought the Minnesota game represented the height of Jack Coan’s powers — and the productivity of the UW offense — coming to Indy and its offense-friendly dome conditions could increase the upside of the Badgers’ attack to an even greater degree. That is a fun thought to have as Wisconsin plays for a return to the Rose Bowl.