Wisconsin vs Oklahoma State prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Guaranteed Rate Bowl, Tuesday, December 27
Wisconsin vs Oklahoma State Guaranteed Rate Bowl Prediction Game Preview
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Wisconsin vs Oklahoma State How To Watch
Date: Tuesday, December 27
Game Time: 10:15 pm ET
Venue: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Wisconsin (6-6), Oklahoma State (7-5)
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Wisconsin vs Oklahoma State Guaranteed Rate Bowl 5 Things To Know
Guaranteed Rate Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History
– Here’s the big test to see just how much the Wisconsin system works. It was a massively disappointing season with an early loss to Washington State, Paul Chryst being fired after an ugly loss to Illinois, and with losses to Iowa and Minnesota ruining the hope of possibly slipping into the Big Ten Championship in a mediocre West.
Jim Leonhard is still around to be the interim head coach, but it’s Luke Fickell’s show from here on – and he’s already bringing in the talent. Unfortunately for the Badgers, the new guys aren’t there yet, and way too many key players are gone either opting out, hurt, or transferring.
– It’s not quite as bad for Oklahoma State, but a season that started out great with at 5-0 – and 6-1 with a strong 43-40 loss to TCU as the only blemish – went south fast. The offense stopped, the team lost four of the last five, and now it comes in limping with opt-outs and transfers hitting the defensive side and QB Spencer Sanders and RB Dominic Richardson taking off through the transfer portal.
– Oklahoma State is one of the best bowl teams in the business going 21-11 since beating TCU in the 1944 Cotton. Head coach Mike Gundy has been a massive part of that, leading the way to five wins in the last six, and six of the last eight, including a wild comeback win over Notre Dame in the 2021 Fiesta.
– Wisconsin has been an even better bowl team lately, but that was mostly under Paul Chryst. It dropped the 2020 to Justin Herbert and Oregon in the Rose Bowl, but that’s been the only blip going 7-1 in the last eight including a grinding 20-13 win over Arizona State in last year’s Las Vegas.
– The bowl was the Cheez-It, and the Insight, and the Cactus, and the Buffalo Wild Wings, and the Copper. This is the second year as the Guaranteed Rate with the 2020 game canceled and Minnesota running over West Virginia 18-6 last year.
Considering the 10-7 TCU overtime win over Cal in the 2018 version might have been the ugliest sporting event ever – seriously – the 43-42 West Virginia over Arizona State in 2016 was the lone strong game since 2012.
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Why Wisconsin Will Win The Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Remembering that the Badgers are without a whole team full of players, they should still be able to blast a bit.
For all of the good things the Oklahoma State defense all year – great on third downs, solid at getting into the backfield – it can be run on. Kansas went off, West Virginia ran for 250 yards, and on the year, the team is 1-5 when allowing 150 rushing yards or more.
As mediocre as Wisconsin has been all year, it ran for 150 yards or more against everyone but Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota. When the team got to 175 yards it went 6-1 with the lone loss coming to Ohio State.
Get the big guys up front into a groove, hand it off to anyone who’s back there – hopefully for the Badgers it’s Braelon Allen – and then rely on a defense that’s not going to have too many problems with the struggling Oklahoma State offense.
With all of that said …
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Why Oklahoma State Will Win The Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Seriously? You think this Wisconsin team that sputtered and coughed all year is going to suddenly be better after losing a boatload of top veterans and talents?
Yeah, the Badgers will want to get running right away, but it’s not like Oklahoma State – and everyone else in the building – doesn’t know that. At some point there needs to be a completed forward pass, and that’s asking for veteran Chase Wolf to at least be okay.
And no, the Badger defense isn’t going to be its normal self – the loss of Keeanu Benton on the inside is a killer. Even without RB Dominic Richardson around, the Cowboys are going to still be grinding it out with the offensive line a possible plus and because …
Guaranteed Rate Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History