Can Heisman Contender Melvin Gordon Lead Wisconsin Past OSU for B1G Title?

Saturday afternoon, we learned the matchup for next week’s Big Ten Championship.

And it got even more intriguing than we could have imagined. The Big Ten’s top team, Ohio State, suffered what could be a season-defining injury, while Wisconsin took a hard-fought 34-24 victory over border-rival Minnesota to claim the West Division Championship.

With Heisman Trophy contender Melvin Gordon leading the way, the Badgers were clearly the best of the West but only the league’s third-best team overall (behind Ohio State and fellow East rival Michigan State). But with OSU freshman star quarterback J.T. Barrett suffering a season-ending broken right ankle against Michigan, the Badgers’ hopes of a league title improved significantly.

Can they topple the Buckeyes and take the Big Ten Championship? Absolutely. Matt Barnes of NBC4 noted Barrett's season-ending injury, which will provide the Badgers a significant advantage over the Buckeyes:

Ohio State has emerged as the league’s clear No. 1 team. The Buckeyes shook off an early home loss to Virginia Tech to win 10 consecutive games, capped off by Saturday’s 42-28 win over archrival Michigan. But that win came with a huge cost. Barrett, one of the nation’s breakout stars this fall, suffered a dislocated and broken right ankle, ending his season.

Now, the Buckeyes, still chasing a College Football Playoff spot, must do so with backup quarterback Cardale Jones. Once thought to be the successor to Braxton Miller, Jones was passed on the depth chart by Barrett after Miller’s season ended in August due to shoulder surgery.

Entering Saturday, Jones had attempted just 14 passes on the season, completing eight of them for 114 yards and two touchdowns. He completed two of three passes for seven yards following Barrett’s injury.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin has shown steady improvement following a 3-2 start that included losses to LSU and Northwestern. The Badgers have won seven consecutive games and are one of the nation’s hottest teams.

“We learned as we went through the season,” Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen told Big Ten Network reporter Lisa Byington following the game on the game broadcast. “They respect and love each other and fight and continually battled through practice. We had some tough losses, but we looked each other in the eye and said, ‘Keep on fighting.’” Coach Andersen emphasized his team's ultimate goal is to walk away with the win in the championship game (via Evan Flood of 247Sports):

They entered the day with the nation’s No. 3 rushing offense, averaging 343.5 yards per game. Gordon is one of the nation’s leading Heisman contenders. He rushed for 151 yards with two total touchdowns against Minnesota and has 2,260 yards and 26 rushing touchdowns this season.

He is within range of Barry Sanders' single-season rushing record of 2,628 yards. He's a big-play back, capable of scoring every time he touches the ball. BTN.com's Tom Dienhart provided Gordon's benchmark rushing-yardage total for the next two games in order for him to surpass Sanders' longstanding record:

Ohio State’s defense is solid: The Buckeyes have a talented defensive line keyed by end Joey Bosa and allow 147.8 rushing yards per game, which ranks No. 42 nationally. They allow an average of 22.9 points per game, which ranks No. 22 nationally.

And Wisconsin does have a major liability at quarterback. Neither Joel Stave nor Tanner McEvoy has been impressive this season. They entered Saturday with a combined 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions between them. The Badgers entered the day averaging 141.7 passing yards per game, which ranks No. 121 nationally.

If the Buckeyes can make Wisconsin one-dimensional, they stand a much better chance of knocking off the Badgers.

Of course, that means controlling Gordon, something few have done this season. Save a 17-yard, 38-carry effort in a 37-3 blowout of FCS foe Western Illinois, Gordon has rushed for at least 122 yards and a touchdown in every game this season. Saturday was the first time he’d been held under 200 yards since a Nov. 1 win over Rutgers.

The game’s tale will really be told, however, by how well Jones can run Ohio State’s offense. Wisconsin has one of the nation’s best defenses. Entering Saturday, the Badgers were fifth nationally in scoring defense, allowing 16.8 points per game, fourth in rushing defense, allowing 97.1 yards per game and third nationally in pass defense, allowing 162.1 yards per game.

If Jones can perform efficiently and his offense can limit Gordon’s damage, the Buckeyes will have a legit shot at winning an elusive league title. If not, the Badgers’ amazing march will roll on.