Wisconsin Badgers vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers Odds, Analysis, Betting Pick
The Wisconsin Badgers absolutely own the Minnesota Golden Gophers as of late, winning the battle for Paul Bunyan's Ax 13 times in a row. But Minnesota is 6-3-1 against the spread over the last 10 meetings, keeping most games close as an underdog. Can Wisconsin avoid a Gophers upset bid Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis?
College football point spread: The Badgers opened as 16-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)
College football betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 38.6-13.4 Badgers (College football picks on every game)
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Why the Wisconsin Badgers can cover the spread
The Badgers improved to 11-0 on the season by beating Michigan last week 24-10, covering as seven-point favorites. Wisconsin was outplayed for two and a half quarters, and trailed 10-7, but scored the last 17 points of the game for the win and the cash.
On the day, the Badgers outgained the Wolverines 325-234, won the ground battle 182-58, returned a punt for a touchdown and forced a turnover at their own 1-yard line. So Wisconsin has outgained and outrushed each of its 11 opponents this season.
The Badgers are also 3-1 ATS on the road this season, covering three double-digit spreads.
Wisconsin is already headed for a Big Ten championship game showdown with Ohio State, and it's also chasing a berth in the College Football Playoff. But there's no way those hopes would survive an upset this week.
Why the Minnesota Golden Gophers can cover the spread
Two weeks ago, the Gophers put on perhaps their best performance of this season in a blowout victory over Nebraska. Unfortunately, Minnesota fell victim to a letdown last week and got blanked by Northwestern 39-0.
The Gophers played the Wildcats to a scoreless tie through the first quarter, before turnovers began to take their toll. In all five Minnesota giveaways led directly to 28 Northwestern points.
The best thing Minnesota could do after a game like that would be to remember happier times, such as its 54-21 victory over the Cornhuskers. The Gophers returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, piled up 514 yards of offense, including 409 on the ground, and covered easily as one-point favorites.
At 5-6 overall Minnesota needs a win Saturday to become bowl-eligible.
Smart pick
The Gophers gave the Badgers a good game last year at Camp Randall Stadium, leading 17-10 into the fourth quarter before giving up the last 21 points of the game. But Minnesota has taken a step back since then, struggling through the learning curve under the new coaching regime. And a one-dimensional offense will find the going tough against this Wisconsin defense. The smart money here bets the Badgers.
College football betting trends
The total has gone over in 15 of Wisconsin's last 17 games against Minnesota.
Minnesota is 22-8-1 ATS in its last 31 games in November.
Wisconsin is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games on the road.
All college football odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.
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