Ohio State vs. Wisconsin: TV, Live Stream, Preview for Big Ten Championship 2017
The Wisconsin Badgers have become a staple of the Big Ten Championship and are set to make their fifth appearance since the conference added a title game in 2011. But they have never had as much riding on one game as they do this time around.
Not only will a conference championship be on the line but so will a spot in the playoffs when Wisconsin faces the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for just after 8 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium, which is hosting the Big Ten final for the seventh consecutive year.
ESPN will televise and live-stream the game.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Wisconsin (12-0) sits fourth in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, which would put it into the semifinals if the regular season ended now. It doesn't work that way, though, meaning the Badgers must score their biggest win of the year—against the toughest opponent faced to date—in order to ensure their first-ever playoff bid.
Ohio State (10-2) is ranked eighth by the playoff committee, keeping within striking distance of the top four. The Buckeyes may need to do more than just win on Saturday to rise up the rankings, possibly needing a result such as their 59-0 drubbing of Wisconsin in the 2014 Big Ten title game to get in.
The rankings will sort themselves out on Sunday. All Ohio State and Wisconsin can focus on now is beating each other.
Wisconsin is one of two unbeaten teams left in the country, along with UCF, but the slate they have faced to this point lacked sizzle. Northwestern, which is 21st in the playoff rankings, is the only Top 25 opponent they've faced, resulting in the 61st-toughest schedule per USA Today's Jeff Sagarin.
Of the teams they have played, though, the Badgers haven't given many a realistic shot to win with their combination of shutdown defense and ball-control offense.
The offense revolves around the running of true freshman Jonathan Taylor, who has gained 1,806 yards with 13 touchdowns and a healthy 7.0 yards-per-carry average.
"There may not be a better pure runner in the country, and combined with Wisconsin's offensive line—he makes the Badgers' always-solid rushing attack downright lethal," J.P. Scott of Athlon Sports wrote.
Sophomore quarterback Alex Hornibrook has thrown for 2,157 yards and 21 touchdowns, his 8.8 yards per attempt the result of opponents having to overload against the run.
But even with lesser numbers on offense the Badgers could still win most games because of their defense, which is second in FBS in allowing 12 points per game. Northwestern, with 24, is the only team to score more than 17 this season against Wisconsin.
Land of 10's Jesse Temple breaks down just how dominant Wisconsin's defense has been:
Wisconsin ranks No. 1 in total defense (236.9 yards per game), No. 1 in rushing defense (80.5), No. 2 in pass defense (156.4) and No. 2 in scoring defense (12 points). The Badgers have allowed 15 touchdowns this season, the fewest of any FBS team, but the defense has been responsible for only 12 of those.
Ohio State will provide the sternest test yet for that defense. The Buckeyes are fourth in FBS in yards per game (529.8) and fifth in scoring (43.8), scoring at least 31 points in 10 of 12 games.
It's the two games in which they didn't get to that tally that have the Buckeyes in the position where they need to win—and do so going away—to get into the playoffs.
In Week 2 Ohio State lost 31-16 at home to Oklahoma, which is No. 2 in the playoff rankings, and on Nov. 4 were crushed 55-24 at an Iowa team that lost by 24 to Wisconsin a week later.
"With a blowout defeat on the resume, leapfrogging teams with better records seems like a lot to ask," Yahoo! Sports' Pat Forde wrote of Ohio State's playoff chances.
Just as uncertain is the status of fifth-year senior quarterback J.T. Barrett, who had to leave OSU's win at Michigan in the second half with a knee injury that allegedly was caused by a collision with a cameraman on the sideline before the game.
Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch reported Barrett had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Sunday, and though coach Urban Meyer hasn't mentioned such a procedure, he has indicated Barrett will be able to play Saturday.
Barrett, named the Big Ten Quarterback of the Year for the third season in a row, has thrown for 2,728 yards and 33 TDs and run for 672 yards and nine scores. How much he may have to run depends on the effectiveness of OSU's other rushers, including 1,190-yard freshman J.K. Dobbins and sophomore Mike Weber (team-high 10 TD runs).
Prediction
Wisconsin has the experience of last season's Big Ten final working in its favor, and though that doesn't make up for the lack of big-game results in 2017, it's still a valuable asset. Ohio State has played the much tougher schedule but failed in half of its toughest tests.
If the Big Ten is going to be included in the playoffs for the fourth time in as many editions, Wisconsin is the league's best bet. And while OSU has the weapons to score on the Badgers that assumes it's possible to have the kind of high-scoring game the Buckeyes need to come out on top.
Wisconsin 24, Ohio State 17
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
