Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

Welp.

I was holding out for an OSU fan to start this thing, so ELA (or I) could come in and edit the subject line, as per the norm.

Anyway, I don't see any possibility for a Badger win here. We'll see how the kids respond.

I think early going of this game is extremely important.  

@847badgerfan says that he doesn't see any possibility for a Badger win but the gap between Ohio State and Wisconsin is not nearly as big as the gap between Wisconsin and Illinois and we all just saw what happened when Illinois played Wisconsin.  Ohio State is the favorite, to be sure, but this game is hardly out of reach.  

I have long felt that the mental aspect of a game involving a bunch of 18-22 year old kids is much more important than it is commonly given credit for.  

Wisconsin, of course, is coming off of a loss to a vastly inferior Illinois team.  I don't mean to undermine Illinois' accomplishment.  I'm sure that they played very well and did some great things to pull off that upset but the bottom line is that if the Badgers had played to their potential, the Illini would not have had a chance.  

How Wisconsin responds to that disappointment will be the key to this game.  

In each of the last two years the Buckeyes have lost to inferior opponents and their responses were vastly different:
Last year Ohio State got drilled by a Purdue team that would end up just 6-7.  Then they had a week off to think about it and when they got back on the field two weeks later they turned in a listless performance in a close win over Nebraska.  Nebraska came into that game 2-6 and finished 4-8.  They were nowhere near on Ohio State's level but the Buckeyes played down to them, trailed 7-0 early, trailed 21-16 at the half, and didn't put the game out of reach until late in the fourth quarter.  

Two years ago Ohio Stat got drilled by an Iowa team that would end up just 8-5.  A week later those same Buckeyes played a powerful Michigan State team and absolutely annihilated them.  It was 35-0 before the Spartans even knew what hit them and ended up 48-3.  

I see the Wisconsin team heading into Ohio Stadium as very similar to the Ohio State teams that faced Nebraska last year and Michigan State in 2017.  If the Badgers respond like Ohio State did against MSU in 2017 then the Buckeyes are in trouble.  If Wisconsin responds like the Buckeyes did against Nebraska last year then Ohio State will roll.  

At the beginning of this post I noted that I thought that the early going of this game is extremely important.  I think that is the case because it will both reflect and influence Wisconsin's mental state.  If the Buckeyes get up 14-0, I could see the wheels coming off for a deflated and defeated Wisconsin team but if Wisconsin comes out swinging it will be a whole different story.  

Well, they play the games for a reason. So, there's a chance, even though it's remote.

Like thay fact it's in the 'Shoe

When OSU loses to somebody they shouldn't, it's not usually to a team like Wisconsin.  This lends itself to at least the perception, if not in fact reality, that the main problem is overlooking a team or having an off day (they happen).  I doubt the Buckeyes are taking Wisconsin lightly.  If OSU bears out to be the better team over the course of the year, I expect they win this.  

Wisconsin staying in its comfort zone seems very important here.  They can be a "good" team, but if forced to play at OSU's pace it could wind up a lot uglier than the objective difference in the teams.  If the Badgers can force OSU into their type of game, they can drag this thing to the mat and win it at the end.  I'll be specifically looking for Wisconsin's success on 3rd downs.  Staying on the field is crucial, even if it doesn't always lead to points.  

Easier said than done, with the SP+ #1 and #2 defenses in the game.  FEI hasn't updated yet, but as of week 7 it lists these teams with the #2 and #4 defenses.  

11am is Delany's new primetime

dumbass

I had just assumed that this'd be a night game, and had to rearrange my Saturday the hen they brought down the noon hammer.