This Week’s Storyline- Coach Jim Tressel said earlier this week, “Big Ten championships are won on the road,” if this is the case, the Buckeyes will truly need to earn it. Their first stop on the fourth straight conference championship tour, Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium, anything but a walk in the old football park. While Ohio State leads the all-time series 51-17-5, including a 38-17 victory last season, the Badgers have been dominant at home (16 straight wins) and took the last game between these two teams 17-10 going back to 2003. OSU comes in playing better football than they have all season after defeating Minnesota last week 34-21. With Terrelle Pryor making his second start at quarterback and the return of running back Chris “Beanie” Wells, the offense looked capable of big things while the defense stepped up their intensity against a strong opponent. Leading 34-6, OSU took their foot off the pedal a little bit but the pieces just may be fitting together. Wisconsin on the other hand, will have to fight back from a deflating loss at Michigan where they blew a 19-point lead on the way to a 27-25 defeat. Bret Bielema is a fine leader and should have his troops ready to go, however, sometimes the hangover is greater than most realize and this could very well be a trap game for a great team. While Penn State has gotten most of the hype thus far, it might very likely be one of these teams which takes the crown and thus this game is for much more than a win or a loss. It will serve as springboard for the upcoming in-conference games and as a measuring stick for national analysts who believe both teams may be more hype than substance. It’s a battle of skill vs. heart, each team brings a lot of both to the table, especially the former but it will be the squad with the latter taking home the spoils in what should be a fantastic football affair.

X’s and O’s- (Gameplans)

Ohio State Offense vs. Wisconsin Defense- With a somewhat healthy (80%) Chris Wells returning to the lineup for the second consecutive week, offensive coordinator Jim Bollman will make it a priority to get him into the game early and often. His 106 yards on 14 carries showed he is rounding back into top form, a positive indicator for the OSU run attack. Look for his carries to improve to close to 25 as his size and speed with be difficult for even the Badgers veteran front four to deal with. Beanie will be the main handler with Daniel “Boom” Herron spelling him for 10 carries sporadically as they stick with the tough north to south running style. Keeping the football on the ground will take pressure off the youngster Terrelle Pryor and give him space to make plays. Carries will without a doubt be the top priority but the offense can not be successful without some aerial fireworks as well. This offense will do a lot of back and forth play calling with a designed pitch being followed by a slant or visa versa. The opposing defense will certianly send plenty of blitz packages to shake the freshman’s confidence and thus, TP will be forced to step up and make plays. When he tosses the football, it will often head towards veteran receivers Brian Robiskie and Hartline as they will be his main targets of attack. Rory Nicol is out this week but Jake Ballard will get a chance to shine. He could find his way into the game as a check down option. In his first start on the road, Pryor’s playbook will be a little simpler than normal but could feature a few advantageous plays. Wisconsin is not a place to bring gimmicky reverses and flee-flickers to the table but a few wrinkles couldn’t hurt. The production will vie on the battle up front between the team’s lineman and their ability to take advantage of man to man coverage and spacing in gaps to create the big play. The offense will ride a great deal on no. 28 but it will be the ingenuity and calm demeanor of no.2 in a tough environment which will set the overall tone. Do not be surprised to see a deep ball or two if he sees some of the linebackers or secondary men creeping up to spy and you can pencil in a few designed draws from the shotgun and pistol formation on first down and long and on short conversions. Wisco is a veteran team consisting of five seniors and four juniors so their stance will be to try and force turnovers while limiting the the red zone looks.

Ohio State Defense vs. Wisconsin offense- For the first time all season, the Buckeye defense will see an offense who’s bread and butter relies on their ability to pound the football and rotate backs to wear down the opposition. In tailbacks PJ Hill, Zach Brown and John Clay, the Badgers have one of the top rushing cores in the conference if not in all of the nation. Behind an offensive line which features five future NFL prospects, UW has made a living on opening up nookd and crannies and converting when opportunities arise on the field. Bret Bielema is a bit old school and keeps to the conventional play calling, therefore look for a lot of sweeps, draws and counters. Quarterback Allan Evridge is not going to dazzle with the arm but can make plays when called upon and has a great cast of receivers and tight ends to work with. Look for some mid-range passes and some deep post routes when OSU is in the 4-3 base defense and nickle package with the blitz being shown. Back and healthy is college football’s top H-back and Mackey Award winner Travis Beckum, he is sure to be a top priority for the Badgers offensive schemes. Tight end Garrett Graham and wide receiver David Gilreath are also big threats catching the football and should see action on some intermediate passes and third down plays. Expect OSU defensively to be a little bigger up front this week against the run. Last week their schemes favored a mobile quarterback, this go around it will closer to eight men in the box with an emphasis on making plays in the backfield. Wilson and Gibson will be the ends, with a deep rotation in the middle of the line. There will be more of the three linebacker set with less help over the top and a specialization on the space between the line of scrimmage and first down marker. In the secondary, Donald Washington and Chimdi Chekwa will sub with Jenkins, Russell and Coleman (Hines at nickel) finishing out the unit. The secondary has created some turnovers over the past few weeks, it is time the front seven did their fare share with some sacks and a forced fumble or two.

Five Key Matchups-

5. C Michael Brewster/OG Jim Cordle vs. Camp Randall Stadium atmosphere- The line play will make or break this Buckeye offense.

4. WR Brian Robiskie vs. CB Allen Langford- He was hot last week, can the senior come up big against the senior?

3. PJ Hill vs. James Laurinaitis/Chris Wells vs. Jonathan Casillas- The leader of the Badgers O/D vs. the captain of the D/O.

2. OLB Marcus Freeman vs. TE/H-Back Travis Beckum- The most talented athletes on their side of the football.

1. Terrelle Pryor vs. Terrelle Pryor- Can the freshman keep his composure under the bright lights in Madison?

Ohio State Wins if….

*Terrelle Pryor stays inside himself and does not turn the ball over more than once

*Chris Wells runs for 140 yards and a pair of touchdowns

*OSU’s offensive line can limit the mental mistakes and protect their most vital assets

*The Bucks defensive line can get the same intense pressure they did against Minnesota

*Wisconsin’s offense is kept to 300 total yards, with under 200 coming on the ground (Hill, Brown, Clay)

*The Badgers offensive line shows the same weaknesses they did against Michigan, especially against pass rushes

* Casillas, Shane Carter and Matt Shaughnessy are kept from making the big time plays they are capable of on defense

Final Score- *OSU 30 Wisconsin 17