The Big Ten West couldn’t have been scripted more perfectly as the Wisconsin Badgers, the current division leaders, take on their closest challengers in the Minnesota Golden Gophers with a trip to the conference championship game firmly on the line.
The scenario for both teams is simple: win and they’re in. While Wisconsin has a superior 6-1 conference record to Minnesota’s 5-2, the Gophers win would force a tie at 6-2, and they would hold the tie-breaker with that head-to-head victory.
But to escape Camp Randall with a win, the Gophers will first have to corral the Badgers’ Melvin Gordon, who has been playing Heisman-caliber football over the home stretch. Read up on this division-deciding game below.
Meanwhile, in the SEC, Alabama will look to seal a place in the title game by beating old rivals Auburn in this year’s Iron Bowl. Check out our preview of that epic showdown here.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Wisconsin Badgers Betting Preview
Where: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison
When: Saturday, November 29, 3:30 PM ET
Line: Minnesota Golden Gophers (+13.5) at Wisconsin Badgers (-13.5) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota has well and truly put its bad loss to Illinois last month behind it with three very commendable performances in a row. First, the Gophers gashed Iowa in 51-14 blowout. Then, they hung tough with a top-10 ranked Ohio State at home, 31-24. And on Saturday, they took down Nebraska, 28-24, on the road. Minnesota covered the spread in all three of those games, the last two of which as significant underdogs.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Statistically speaking, the Gophers are quite average on either side of the ball. They’re ranked in the top-five in the conference in both scoring offense and scoring defense, but are ninth in total offense and seventh in total defense.
As a result, they’ve generally been involved in some very close games. Five of the seven conference games they’ve played this season have been decided by seven points or less.
Because of a nonexistent passing game – the Gophers are comfortably at the bottom of the conference in terms of pass attempts and completions – running the football is essentially their entire offense. They’ve done it particularly well over the past three games, where they’ve averaged at least five yards per carry and have scored at least three touchdowns per game.
Senior running back David Cobb, the conference’s third-leading rusher (130 yards per game), stepped up big against Ohio State with 145 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort.
But the key for Minnesota against Wisconsin will actually be for its defense to keep the Badgers from establishing a big lead and forcing quarterback Mitch Leidner to throw. In all three games the Gophers have lost this season, they’ve gone down by double-digits in the first quarter, which led to Leidner throwing more than usual and was picked off six times. In their wins, he was picked off just once.
Minnesota’s run defense held Ameer Abdullah and the Nebraska ground game to 90 yards below their season average, something they must reproduce against Melvin Gordon and the Badgers’ prodigious running game.
With the conference championships upcoming, create a betting account now and have your say on who takes home the titles.
Betting on the Wisconsin Badgers
Melvin Gordon is just about the single most unstoppable force in college football right now. After rushing for a record 408 yards in Wisconsin’s 59-24 win over Nebraska, Gordon extended his streak of consecutive 200-plus yard games to three against Iowa. Gordon also scored two touchdowns, which proved crucial in the Badgers’ hard-fought 26-24 win over the Hawkeyes on Saturday.
However, Wisconsin was well short of covering the nine-point spread as favorites after successfully covering in four consecutive games. The Badgers are 6-1 in conference play, and are riding a six-game winning streak.
With no pretense of a passing game, this Wisconsin offense revolves solely around Gordon, who, along with his massive offensive line, has been more than good enough to carry the Badgers all season long. In fact, there’s been no evidence that any college defense is capable of slowing him down. His three lowest yardage games of the season all came during massive 30-plus point blowouts.
Gordon will be favored to keep his consecutive 200-yard streak going against a middling Minnesota run defense allowing 152.7 yards per game, seventh in the 14-team conference. Gordon has also been a frequent visitor of the end zones at Camp Randall. 18 of his 23 touchdowns this season have come at home.
On the flipside, Wisconsin’s run defense has been one of the stingiest in the Big Ten this season – they rank second in both yards allowed per game (96.7) and rushing touchdowns allowed (nine) – and will be very well-equipped in taking away Minnesota’s primary source of offense.
Wisconsin is 9-0 all-time at home against Minnesota, and 6-3 against the spread.
Writer’s Prediction
Gordon gashes the Gophers on the ground as the Badgers win big and cover at home.
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