Oct 28, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord (6) throws a pass during the NCAA football game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Expert picks for Wisconsin vs Ohio State: No upset, but Badgers might cover huge spread

Originally posted on Wisconsin Badgers on SI
By Lorin Cox | Last updated Oct 17, 2025 5:13 PM ET

You're not going to find a single, credible college football reporter or analyst picking the Wisconsin Badgers to beat the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday.

But at least a few think Wisconsin has a chance to cover a massive betting point spread.

It's no surprise that all six writers on USA Today's college football panel are picking the Buckeyes to win.

The same is true for the Wisconsin beat reporters at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Ohio State reporters for the Columbus Dispatch.

.@jsteppe and I give you our score for tomorrow's game. What is yours? ... Our predictions for the Wisconsin-Ohio State football game https://t.co/JKfIMmG5iV via @journalsentinel
— Mark Stewart Ⓜ️ (@MarkStewartMJS) October 17, 2025

But over at CBS Sports, their panel makes their college football picks against the spread, and two of their writers have Wisconsin covering a 25.5-point spread at home.

The picks given by all of the aforementioned beat writers don't mention the spread, but none of the score predictions they gave had the Badgers within that margin of victory to the Buckeyes.

Last week, Illinois became the first team this season to score double-digits on the Ohio State defense, while Wisconsin is coming off of a shutout loss to Iowa.

For the Badgers to cover, the Buckeyes defense will need to struggle a little more, and the Wisconsin offense will need to solve a lot of their own issues to start putting points on the board again.

There may not be much hope for a win, but there's still hope for progress in a loss.

This article first appeared on Wisconsin Badgers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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