Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Wisconsin Badgers Betting Odds, Pick, Trends

Wisconsin is the big brother in the border battle rivalry with Minnesota, with 10 consecutive victories, but the Gophers are 5-2 against the spread over the last seven meetings.

In the annual contest for Paul Bunyan's axe, with a berth in the Big Ten Championship Game thrown in to boot, the 9-2 Badgers and 8-3 Gophers meet Saturday afternoon at Camp Randall.

Point spread: Badgers opened as 12.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 44.3-31.9 Badgers

Why the Minnesota Golden Gophers can cover the spread

The Gophers are 6-2 both SU and ATS over their last eight games, following their 28-24 upset of Nebraska in Lincoln last week. Minnesota trailed 21-7 at the half but rallied to score the last two touchdowns of the game for the outright victory as an eight-point road dog.

So at 5-2 in Big Ten play (both SU and ATS), the Gophers trail first-place Wisconsin by one game in the West Division standings. Beat the Badgers, and Minnesota would earn its first trip to the Big Ten title game. That enough motivation for you?

Why the Wisconsin Badgers can cover the spread

The Badgers are one of the hottest teams in the country right now, with six straight victories, including four covers, after a tough 26-24 win at Iowa last week. Wisconsin led 19-3 in the third quarter, allowed the Hawkeyes to get within 19-17 but foiled a two-point conversion to retain the lead.

The Badgers then drove right down the field for an insurance score, setting up Saturday's drama. Wisconsin is averaging 344 yards per game on the ground this season, and its defense ranks No. 2 in the country, giving up just 259 yards per game.

Smart pick

This is Minnesota's best chance to break into the big time in quite some time, but are the Gophers ready to take that next step? This is still a team that only beat Purdue by one point, lost to Illinois and trailed Ohio State 31-14 in the fourth quarter.

Also, the Gophers might be without leading rusher David Cobb, who pulled a hamstring last week. The Gophers gave Wisconsin a tough game last year, losing 20-7 but covering as 15-point dogs, but the Badgers are rolling with help from improved play at the quarterback position.

So despite being a reasonably attractive underdog, the smart choice here is with Wisconsin, minus the points.

Betting trends

• The total has gone over in 12 of Minnesota's last 14 games when playing Wisconsin
• Wisconsin is 5-0 SU in its last five games when playing at home against Minnesota

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark, all quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and get the free odds tracker app.