Big Ten Battle: A Preview of Wisconsin and Ohio State

In the midst of all the Buckeye love, the 16 point spread for this weekend's game, and the Terrelle Pryor hype, there are two major bright spots to which Wisconsin must look if it is going to finally silence the doubters this weekend in Columbus, Ohio.

The play of quarterback Scott Tolzien, and the dominance of defensive ends JJ Watt and O'Brien Schofield.

The Badgers will be successful running the ball, they always are. John Clay is an exceptional talent, but Tolzien holds the key to this game in his hands.

Tolzien has been consistent all season, completing almost 66 percent of his passes and throwing for nine touchdowns.

Schofield is tied for most tackles for loss in the nation. He made a statement in last week's game, garnering two sacks.

Also on tap for Saturday, is the Buckeye fans’ response to Wisconsin Safety Jay Valai. Valai knocked out two Buckeye players last season during the game in Madison.

This Saturday, the Badgers look to beat Ohio State in the Horseshoe for the fourth time in five attempts.

While Ohio State has only one loss on its record (to USC), and the top ranked defense in the Big Ten, they have accomplished this against offenses with much less firepower and fewer options than Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin receiving game, led by tight end Garrett Graham, and wide receivers Nick Toon and Isaac Anderson, is a viable threat to cause severe damage to the Buckeye secondary.

If Tolzien does have a rough day throwing the ball (see last week), offensive coordinator Paul Chryst can hand the ball off to the big, dependable John Clay, and let him work.

Backup tailback Zach Brown has been demoted to No. 3 on the depth chart after developing a severe case of fumble-itis. Over his last three games, Brown has fumbled at least one time. Freshman Montee Ball will take over for him.

The glaring weakness on the Wisconsin side of the ball is linebacker Jaevery McFadden.

Expected to anchor the linebackers this season, he has instead been the weak link in an otherwise strong unit.

One play comes to mind last week, where JJ Watt had a guy pinned behind the line on an attempted end-around by the Minnesota Gophers, and McFadden clipped Watt while over pursuing, which allowed the Minnesota player to cut back and gain positive yards.

Blake Sorenson has been much better at the linebacker position when he has played.

I think this game will be one of the best games of the year in the Big Ten, with Wisconsin edging the Buckeyes 24-21.

Keys to the Game

Sacks Allowed—The Badgers offense leads the nation in sacks allowed, letting opposing teams drop the quarterback only twice in five games. Ohio State has only allowed six sacks in five games.

Sacks—Wisconsin is tied for second in the conference with 14 sacks, while OSU is fourth with 12.

Rushing game—Whichever team has more success pounding the rock has the edge in this one. Wisconsin leads the conference in rushing, while OSU is third ...

Overall, look for a low scoring slugfest, with few big plays on offense, and hard hitting defense.