Indiana at Wisconsin
December 5th, 3:30 P.M. (EST), Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI
The Indiana Hoosiers are flying high into Saturday’s contest against the Wisconsin Badgers.
Indiana (5-1) find themselves in the top ten of the AP Polls for the first time since 1969. Currently sitting with just a single blemish on their record, the Hoosiers hope to improve on the year against Big Ten rival Wisconsin.
Wisconsin has history on their side, however. Indiana has not beaten Wisconsin since 2002.
Saturday should be an interesting contest for Wisconsin. After having their game canceled against Minnesota last week, the Badgers are ineligible for the Big Ten title. No longer in contention, you can bet that the Badgers are out for revenge and damage against their rival.
What I really like about Wisconsin is their defense. While their sample size is small, (3 games), the Badgers’ defensive core allows just 11.7 points per game. That’s good enough for 3rd in the NCAA.
Of Indiana’s 5 victories this season, none of those wins have been against top defensive groups. Even their lone loss to the Buckeyes was against a defensive ranked group in the mid-level range, as Ohio State’s defensive core is ranked 45th in the NCAA.
Indiana hasn’t faced a defense like Wisconsin just yet, which is intriguing for the Over/Under. Indiana has a solid defensive group, which leads me to believe that points will be hard to come by. Since Week 2 against Rutgers, Indiana has allowed more than 21 points just once, with the outlier being against Ohio State.
I think scoring will be difficult, with both teams failing to reach the combined over.
Free Pick: Indiana/Wisconsin Total Under 46.5 (-111) 22Bet
Syracuse at Notre Dame
December 5th, 2:30 P.M. (EST) Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
Notre Dame has been one of the more intriguing teams to watch this season. Now up against the Syracuse Orange, ND looks to remain perfect on the season.
The Fighting Irish will need the luck of Ireland on their side to cover the spread. Notre Dame enters this contest a staggering -33.5 with 888Sport. I don’t care what team you are, that spread is absolutely insane.
And guess what, I love it. But I don’t think it will happen.
Don’t get me wrong, the Orange are abysmal this season. Sitting at 1-9, Syracuse cannot wait for this season to end.
This is exactly why I think they can cover the monstrous +33.5 points given to them. I fully expect it to be a blowout, but I also see some potential for Syracuse to make a game of it.
By the third quarter, Notre Dame should be resting their starting core if all things go correctly. The Fighting Irish should have a huge lead, but with their second unit in the game late, it could allow for Syracuse to score some garbage time touchdowns.
This is also the last game of the season for Syracuse, meaning they will leave it all on the field. As for Notre Dame, they need to think about next week when they take on Wake Forest.
This is the end of the road for Syracuse, while Notre Dame needs to stay prepped for future contests. They cannot risk injuries late in the game, which is why I think Syracuse can produce points late in the game. Syracuse’s offense is statistically one of the worst in the NCAA, scoring a mere 17.5 points per game. But the Orange have also shown that their offense can explode at any second.
Expect the Fighting Irish to have a huge lead by half. From there, ND will rest and Syracuse will give it their all to end the season prideful.
Free Pick: Syracuse to cover +33.5 (-111) – 888sport
Ohio State at Michigan State
December 5th, 12:00 P.M (EST), Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MICH
Ohio State sits near the top of College Football, but fans have only been given a brief glimpse into the Buckeyes’ talent.
In the preseason polls, the Buckeyes were ranked #2 and have lived up to the hype so far. While their season has been shortened, Ohio State has defeated talented teams like Indiana and Penn State to make a statement.
The first thing I notice about the Buckeyes’ two-wins against ranked opponents is that they were relatively close. Ohio State dropped Indiana 42-35 and edged out Penn State 38-25.
Michigan State is an interesting team because of which teams they won against and which teams they took L’s to. They have racked up points against ranked opponents like Northwestern and Michigan, but then had duds against Indiana and Iowa.
The biggest question mark entering this contest is the Spartans’ offense. They have produced against decent teams, but Michigan State have also not faced a defense as tough as Ohio State’s. Michigan State scores a mere 18 points per game, which is one of the worst offenses in the entire NCAA.
The Spartans had a huge pick me up game against Northwestern, I just don’t know if I can trust Michigan State’s offense this week. I think Ohio State is too strong on both sides of the football to allow Michigan State to keep it close.
Ohio State have allowed some high-scoring games, but they have answered those contests with points of their own. While they aren’t rated highly in terms of points against per game (26.0), Ohio State should smother the Spartans’ defense.
Free Pick: Ohio State to cover -23.5-point spread (-113) 888Sport
