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Free Pick: #13 Wisconsin vs. #5 Ohio State Betting Odds & Preview

Week 15: Badgers vs Buckeyes Odds

College football Week 15 betting action sees the #13 Wisconsin Badgers taking on the #5 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, December 6th at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Cappers Picks provides free NCAA football handicapping tips all season long.

The Wisconsin Badgers are looking to help their star running Melvin Gordon in his Heisman bid as well as put away the Buckeyes for a huge conference title.

College Football Lines

#13 Wisconsin (10-2, 7-1 Big Ten) @ #5 Ohio State (11-1, 8-0 Big Ten)
Saturday, December 6th 8:17 PM ET @ Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis
NCAA Football Spread: Wisconsin -4
NCAA Football O/U: 52.5
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The Buckeyes are dealing with a big injury that could very well impact this one.

Ohio State’s own Heisman contender, quarterback J.T. Barrett, went down in last week’s game against Michigan, leaving many people doubting the Buckeyes’ chances to close out the season strong.

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His replacement, Cardale Jones, could very well be the next man to step up in a seemingly long line of star QB’s coming from the school. Wisconsin is going to do everything they can to capitalize and get pressure on the inexperienced quarterback.

#13 Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Badgers are known for running the ball. With the nation’s fourth worst pass offense, the team has had to rely on Gordon and the nation’s second best run game in order to get to where they are at now. With the loss of Barrett on the other side of the field, Badger eyes got bigger this week.

On the season, Gordon has been dominant. The nation’s leading rusher, he has amassed 2,260 yards and 26 touchdowns on his 283 carries. Also the team’s third leading receiver, Gordon has 17 receptions for 151 yards and 3 touchdowns.

While the pass game has been very much lacking this season for the Badgers, the last couple weeks have seen some big improvements. Joel Stave is 79 of 136 on the season with 1,042 yards, 8 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.

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The team has two receivers over 200 yards this season. Alex Erickson is leading the team with 44 catches for 651 yards and 3 touchdowns. Next is Sam Arneson with 25 grabs for 331 yards and 4 scores. As a unit, the receiving corps has 1,774 yards receiving this season. In contrast, the running backs have amassed 4,011 yards on the season.

Defensively, the team has been quietly spectacular. As a unit, they rank 2nd in yards per game allowed, 4th in points allowed, and second in passing defense.

#5 Ohio State

Obviously the storyline here is the loss of Barrett and whether or not the team can rally behind Jones to pull out a huge conference title victory. Urban Meyer seems to think it can work, being the first to give Jones his words of support.

Before going out for the year, the Heisman contender was 203 of 314 for 2,834 yards, 34 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He is also the team’s second leading rusher with 171 carries for 938 yards and 11 scores. In short work replacing Barrett last week, Jones was 10 of 17 for 118 yards and 2 touchdowns.

A wild card in this one could actually be the running game of the Buckeyes, led by Ezekiel Elliott. On the season, Elliott has 197 carries for 1,182 yards and 10 scores. He also has 26 receptions for 208 yards.

The team has four receivers over 300 yards and two over 600 yards receiving on the season. Leading them all is Devin Smith with 26 receptions for 662 yards and 8 touchdowns. Michael Thomas has 40 receptions for the Buckeyes, totaling 639 yards and 8 touchdowns of his own.

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While Ohio State’s defense has been stout this season, they are still the 40th ranked rush defense in the country, leaving many to wonder if they will be able to contain the biggest threat to their Big Ten Title.

NCAA football handicapping trends

  •  Over is 5-1 in Badgers last 6 neutral site games
  •  Over is 4-1 in Badgers last 5 games in December
  •  Over is 12-1 in Buckeyes last 13 vs. a team with a winning record
  •  Over is 7-1 in Buckeyes last 8 games on fieldturf
  •  Over is 13-3 in Buckeyes last 16 conference games

Week 15 NCAA Football Prediction

This game is going to be very up in the air. With Barrett, the Buckeyes possessed a single player that could beat the Badgers multiple ways and make it extremely difficult for their defense.

And while Cardale Jones is no slouch, one has to argue whether he will be poised to start in a huge game for the program with just 17 attempts under his belt this season.

Free NCAA Betting Pick: Take the OVER (52.5)

I would have to give the overall nod to Wisconsin in this one because of the loss.

4* Final Week 15 Score #13 Wisconsin 38 – #5 Ohio State 33

It is also most likely the reason the Badgers are now favored, and not playing the role of underdog they would have is Barrett was still in play for the game.

Check out our Updated College Football Week 15 Odds.

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By Brandon Banks

Brandon Banks is a newcomer to the Cappers Picks Blog, he has been a sports writer for a few years now. He's been a very successful bettor, especially in NFL, College football & NCAA hoops betting. Reasons for success - not affiliated with any SCAMDICAPPERS. Stay tuned to Brandon, he'll be picking NFL, CFB, CBB and NBA games daily here on the blog.