Ohio State vs Wisconsin Preview

The big question in this game is whether Wisconsin has any kind of hangover from that loss in East Lansing. That was a devastating way to lose a game, so will they be able to get over it and show up for this game?


Ohio St. Offense vs Wisconsin Defense


Wisconsin is much better equipped to stop the run than Illinois was, so Ohio State will not be able to throw the ball 4 times and stay in this game. Michigan State showed the blueprint to beat this team. They beat them with the passing game. Wisconsin's defensive backs are not great and they miss tackles. Unfortunately for Ohio State, they don't have a senior pocket passing QB or any great receivers like Michigan State does. The key for Ohio State is to play like they did in the first 3 quarters against Nebraska. In that game, they kept Nebraska's defense off balance by throwing screens, designed QB runs, and quick passes. Wisconsin will blitz all night long and will have 8-9 guys in the box. Ohio State will have to be able to throw the ball to have any shot of moving the ball.

Advantage: Wisconsin Defense

Wisconsin Offense vs Ohio St. Defense


Ohio State will need to do much better at stopping the run than they did against Wisconsin last year. Last year, in Madison, Wisconsin lined up and manhandled the front 7 all night. Ohio State is better equipped to handle that this year because their defensive line and linebackers are bigger and the defensive line is deeper. Michigan State showed that Russell Wilson will make mistakes if you get pressure on him. The problem for Ohio State is that they have had trouble getting to the QB all year. Ohio State has been more willing this year to put their corners in man to man coverage than they have in years past, where they played almost all zone. That leads me to believe that Ohio State will load the box to stop the run, and put their corners out on islands vs the Wisconsin Wide Receivers.

Advantage: Ohio State

Advantages


QB: Wisconsin
RB: Even
WR: Wisconsin
TE: Even
OL: Even
DL: Ohio State
LB: Even
DB: Ohio State
Special Teams: Ohio State
Coaching: Wisconsin


Prediction: Both offenses will start out successful, but the defenses will settle in after the first couple of series, which will lead to a slugfest all night. The two keys to the game for Ohio State are whether Ohio State's defense can stay fresh through the 4th quarter, and whether Ohio State's offense can put together any semblance of a passing game. I suspect the Ohio State defense will keep it close, but I don't think the offense will be able to put up enough points to pull it out.  I see it as Wisconsin: 27  Ohio State: 17

What we learned this week

• The win over Illinois doesn't look nearly as good, after they got dominated by Purdue
• Wisconsin's pass defense is not great
• Dantonio is a better coach than Bielema
• Alabama and LSU appear to be far and away the 2 best teams in the country. They remind me of OSU and Michigan in 2006. My guess is the one difference is that both will show up in their bowl games
• Oklahoma was exposed for what they are...overrated. Their defense is average and Landry Jones is a product of the system more than he is a great quarterback
• The Big East is horrendous (though this is nothing new)
• Notre Dame beating Michigan State had to be an aberration. There is no way ND should have been able to compete with them.

Around the NCAA (Week 8)

National Top 10

1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Stanford
4. Clemson
5. Oklahoma St
6. Boise St
7. Kansas St
8. Michigan St
9. Oregon
10. Wisconsin

B1G Power Rankings

1. Michigan St
2. Wisconsin
3. Nebraska
4. Michigan
5. Penn St
6. Ohio St
7. Iowa
8. Purdue
9. Illinois
10. Northwestern
11. Minnesota
12. Indiana

SEC Power Rankings

1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Arkansas
4. S. Carolina
5. Georgia
6. Auburn
7. Florida
8. Tennessee
9. Mississippi St
10. Vanderbilt
11. Mississippi
12. Kentucky

Big 12 Power Rankings

1. Oklahoma St.
2. Kansas St
3. Oklahoma
4. Texas A&M
5. Baylor
6. Texas Tech
7. Texas 
8. Missouri
9. Iowa St
10. Kansas

ACC Power Rankings

1. Clemson
2. Virginia Tech
3. Wake Forest
4. Georgia Tech
5. Miam
6. Florida State
7. Virginia
8. North Carolina
9. NC State
10. Maryland
11. Duke
12. Boston College

Big East Power Rankings

1. Cincinnati
2. Syracuse
3. West Virginia
4. Rutgers
5. Pittsburgh
6. Connecticut
7. S. Florida
8. Louisville

Pac 12 Power Rankings

1. Stanford
2. Oregon
3. Arizona St
4. USC
5. Washington
6. California
7. Washington St
8. Utah
9. Arizona
10. Oregon St
11. UCLA
12. Colorado

Conference Rankings

1. SEC
2. Big 12
3. B1G
4. Pac 12
5. ACC
6. Big East

Around the NCAA (Week 7)

National Top 10

1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Oklahoma
4. Boise St
5. Wisconsin
6. Oklahoma St
7. Stanford
8. Clemson
9. Oregon
10. Arkansas

B1G Power Rankings

1. Wisconsin
2. Michigan St
3. Nebraska
4. Michigan
5. Penn St
6. Ohio St
7. Illinois
8. Iowa
9. Northwestern
10. Purdue
11. Minnesota
12. Indiana

SEC Power Rankings

1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Arkansas
4. S. Carolina
5. Georgia
6. Auburn
7. Florida
8. Tennessee
9. Mississippi St
10. Vanderbilt
11. Mississippi
12. Kentucky

Big 12 Power Rankings

1. Oklahoma
2. Oklahoma St
3. Kansas St
4. Texas A&M
5. Baylor
6. Texas
7. Texas Tech
8. Missouri
9. Iowa St
10. Kansas

ACC Power Rankings

1. Clemson
2. Virginia Tech
3. Wake Forest
4. Virginia
5. Georgia Tech
6. Florida State
7. Miami
8. North Carolina
9. Maryland
10. NC State
11. Duke
12. Boston College

Big East Power Rankings

1. West Virginia
2. Rutgers
3. Cincinnati
4. Pittsburgh
5. Connecticut
6. Syracuse
7. S. Florida
8. Louisville

Pac 12 Power Rankings

1. Stanford
2. Oregon
3. Arizona St
4. USC
5. Washington
6. Washington St
7. UCLA
8. Cal
9. Utah
10. Oregon St
11. Arizona
12. Colorado

Conference Rankings

1. SEC
2. Big 12
3. B1G
4. Pac 12
5. ACC
6. Big East

Ohio State vs Illinois Recap

I can't remember seeing a team win with 1 completion. It was amazing that Illinois allowed us to run basically the same play over and over without ever making any adjustments. It was nice to not be outcoached for once.

Quarterbacks: C  -  Miller did what was expected of him...which was nothing. A better grade might be incomplete, but since he did not make any big mistakes, I will give him a C.

Running Backs: A  -  I forgot how much we were missing without Boom. He runs as hard as any running back out there. He is not the biggest, fastest, or most powerful, but he is good in all those facets and he finishes every run. I hope Hyde can learn how to finish runs from watching Boom, because he will be a great one if he can get that from Herron.

Wide Receivers: B  -  How can I give a B when no there were no receptions by the receivers? Run blocking. Boom was able to bounce it outside almost at will because the receivers were blocking so well. They were not allowing the Illini corners to set the edge, which opened up some big runs.

Offensive Line:  B+  -  That was some dominating run blocking. That is the best performance from an OSU line in a long time. They finally came out knowing they were going to blow the defensive line off the ball, and then they came out and did it with a nasty attitude that has been lacking in the past. They lose the A, however, because of the continued false start penalties.

Defensive Line:  A+  -  Hankins and Simon were unbelievable. Hankins is the best defensive tackle we have had since Dan Wilkinson. He is unblockable, and I like the fact that he can play any position on the line. Simon reminds me a lot of Cam Heyward. He is relentless and always seems to make a play when one is needed. I liked seeing Bennett get a lot of PT out there too. If we had a weakside defensive end to go with Hankins, Simon, and Bennett, we would have a top 5 defensive line nationally. Even without a good end, they are still pretty damn good.

Linebackers:  C+  -  We just have to face the fact that we don't have any great linebackers for the first time in a long time. Shazier could become our next great one, but he is not there yet. Sweat was solid and Sabino didn't get caught out of position, but I would still like to see them making more plays.

Defensive Backs: A  -  They finally hung on to the ball when they had shots at interceptions. Roby played great and Travis Howard make a great interception. I liked seeing our corners up playing press man to man coverage. That is not something we have seen much with this coaching staff. Moeller, Barnett, and Bryant all had good games too.

Special Teams:  B  -  Basil is turning into a very good kicker. That was not an easy kick. Buchanan didn't have the greatest distance on his punts today, but he was consistent and got good hang time to allow our coverage teams to do well.

Coaching:  B  -  The offensive coaches realized that with the windy conditions and Illinois' very good pass rush, that it was not good conditions to make Miller make plays through the air. Add to that Illinois not adjusting to the draw play, Bollman just kept calling what was working. It was nice to see a commitment to running the ball, especially when we needed to run some clock. Bollman apparently learned from the mistakes of the 2nd half of the Nebraska game. Defensively, the coaches came up with a great gameplan. They realized Scheelhaase is not a great passer, so they pressed the receivers and committed to stopping the run and the easy passes.

Officiating:  A  -  I don't recall any bad calls...which is all I can ask from officials.

Announcers:  D  -  Is it just me, or is Bob Davie one of the most annoying announcers out there? I can't stand him.