The Complete Champs Sports Bowl Guide: Wisconsin Vs. Florida State

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Wisconsin (7-5) vs. Florida State (8-4)

Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008, 4:30 PM ET

Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL

Spread: Florida State -5

How they got here...

Disappointment got both teams in Orlando this weekend.

Wisconsin was ranked as high as No. 8 in both the AP and Coaches' polls before falling off the map by losing four straight, including a loss to Michigan. The Badgers finished seventh in the Big Ten conference after having high hopes of stealing a Conference Championship from reigning Ohio State.

Florida State didn't fare much better. Opening early conference play in September, the Seminoles turned the ball over seven times to give Wake Forest a 12-3 victory in Tallahassee. From there Florida State won four straight before dropping another game at the hands of Georgia Tech and losing another home game to Boston College. The Seminoles finished the season fourth in the ACC.

Statistically Speaking...

This is the first meeting between these two teams.

Wisconsin has relied heavily on their running attack, ranking 14th in the nation in yards per game. The Badgers went through a quarterback change after their loss at home to Penn State. However, both quarterbacks seem to have put up identical numbers—both completing only around 54 percent of their passes, and both having five touchdowns and five interceptions.

The Seminoles' best statistics also come on the ground, ranking 31st in the nation in yards per game. Florida State also has had problems at the quarterback position, with starter Chris Ponder throwing 13 interceptions to only 12 touchdowns.

Wisconsin wins if...

...P.J. Hill has a big game. Quarterback Dustin Sherer isn't reliable enough to depend on in a game such as this, so Hill will have to be the leader and literally carry his team to a victory over a hungry Seminole team.

Florida State wins if...

...their defense holds Hill to under 100 yards AND Ponder doesn't turn the ball over. It's possible that Florida State can contain the Badger rusher, but not probable that Ponder will only throw completions to his teammates.

B/R Expert Picks...

Trey Bradley          Florida State

Lisa Horne             Florida State

Mitch                    Florida State

Brian Scott            Florida State

David Wunderlich    Florida State

Justin Goar            Florida State

GeorgiaDawg          Florida State

Michael Cline          Wisconsin