The Big Ten Leaders Division is on the line Saturday when the Penn State Nittany Lions visit the Wisconsin Badgers.
After starting off the season 5-1 ATS, Wisconsin is just 1-4 ATS over its last five games, while Penn State is 2-1-1 ATS in its last four games. The Sportsbook of Saturday’s game will clinch the division and likely face Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Monte Ball rushed for 224 yards and two touchdowns in Wisconsin’s win over Illinois last week, bringing his season total to 30 touchdowns.
This season the Badgers are 9-2 overall and 6-5 ATS against the number, while the Nittany Lions are 9-2 and 3-7-1 ATS. As for the totals, Wisconsin is 7-4 on the OU, and Penn State is 1-8-1.
View Penn State vs Wisconsin Odds and Stats.
Betting Line: Bettors looking to side with the Badgers in this one will find them as 16-point favorites. The over under sat around 49 at Sportsbook late Friday.
Power Rankings / Prediction: According to the Power Rankings here at OddsShark it's the No. 3-rated Badgers and the No. 14-rated Nittany Lions in this matchup. Predictive formulas point to a 53-32 win for the Badgers on Saturday.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Wisconsin's No. 5-ranked offense (44.8 PPG) against a Nittany Lions defense that ranks No. 3 at 13 PPG. The Badgers passing attack has averaged 234.5 yards per game, more than the Nittany Lions give up through the air (160 YPG on average).
In comparing defenses, the Nittany Lions own the league's No. 19-rated front 7 in terms of stopping the run, allowing 111.5 yards per game when on the road. Wisconsin, on the other hand, rates No. 9 this week in generating rushing yards at home.
Penn State was a 20-14 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against Ohio State. They covered the 6.5–point spread as underdogs, while the total score (34) made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors.
In their last action, Wisconsin was a 28-17 Sportsbook on the road against Illinois. They failed to cover the 14.5–point spread as favorites, while the combined score (45) was profitable news for UNDER bettors.
Penn State Nittany Lions Trends:
When playing in November are 6-4
When playing on turf are 8-2
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing within the conference are 7-3
Wisconsin Badgers Trends:
When playing in November are 9-1
When playing on turf are 9-1
After being outgained are 7-3
When playing within the conference are 8-2
A few Nittany Lions at Badgers trends to consider:
Penn State is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
Penn State is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Penn State's last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Penn State's last 5 games when playing Wisconsin
Wisconsin is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Wisconsin is 16-3 SU in its last 19 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Wisconsin's last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Wisconsin's last 5 games when playing Penn State
