In a rematch of a pretty good game from earlier this season the 10-2 Nebraska Cornhuskers, champions of the Legends Division, take on the 7-5 Wisconsin Badgers, champions by default of the Leaders Division, in the second Big Ten championship game Saturday night in Indianapolis (8:15 pm ET, Fox).
In the early betting the Huskers, Sportsbooks of several close games this season, including a 30-27 come-from-behind victory over the Badgers back in September, were favored by 2.5 points over UW.
[ The most feared Big Ten handicapper on the planet is Doc Moseman and he has his selection available today at PickShark.com ]
Nebraska was just 1-4 ATS away from home this season.
View Nebraska vs Wisconsin Odds and Stats.
Big Ten Championship Game Betting Line: Bettors looking to back the visiting Cornhuskers in this one found them as 2.5-point favorites on the Sportsbook college football point spread at Sportsbook. The over under number in this game was at 49 over at Sportsbook earlier this week.
Power Rankings / Prediction: The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Badgers rated this week at No. 12 and the Cornhuskers sitting at No. 11. It may or may not play a role in OddsShark score prediction models that turned out a 39-35 result in favor of the Cornhuskers this week.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Wisconsin's No. 73-ranked offense (27.5 PPG) against a Cornhuskers defense that ranks No. 31 at 22.6 PPG. The Badgers passing attack has averaged 167.8 yards per game, more than the Cornhuskers give up through the air (152.2 YPG on average).
In comparing defenses, the Cornhuskers own the league's No. 118-rated front 7 in terms of stopping the run, allowing 248.2 yards per game when on the road. Wisconsin, on the other hand, rates No. 54 this week in generating rushing yards at home.
Last time out for Nebraska, they were a 13-7 Sportsbook as they battled Iowa on the road. Nebraska failed to cover in the match as a 14.5-point favorite, while 20 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. In their last game, the Cornhuskers were Week 13 Sportsbooks, coming out on top of the Hawkeyes by a score of 13-7.
In their last action, Wisconsin was a 24-21 loser on the road against Penn State. They failed to cover the 1-point spread as underdogs, while the combined score (45) was profitable news for OVER bettors. Montee Ball ran through the Penn State defense for 111 yards in Wisconsin's last game, but the Badgers still lost a 24-21 decision at Beaver Stadium.
A few Cornhuskers at Badgers trends to consider:
Nebraska is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Nebraska is 15-7 SU in its last 22 games on the road
Nebraska is 1-6-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
Wisconsin is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games at home
Wisconsin is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Wisconsin's last 6 games
Wisconsin is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games at home
