Ohio State vs. Wisconsin score prediction by expert football model

Top-ranked Ohio State hits the road for a second-straight week in a Big Ten battle against Wisconsin in college football’s Week 8 action on Saturday. Here is the latest prediction for the game from an expert model that projects scores.

Ohio State preserved its undefeated record with an 18-point victory against ranked Illinois on the road last weekend, and is away from home for the third time this season against a conference opponent looking to improve to 4-0 in Big Ten play.

Wisconsin could definitely use a re-think on offense. It ranks fifth-worst in college football in scoring, putting up just over 15 points per game on average, and ranks 112th in passing with 6 touchdowns and 8 interceptions so far.

What do the analytics suggest for when the Buckeyes visit the Badgers this weekend?

For that, let’s turn to the SP+ prediction model to get a preview of how Ohio State and Wisconsin compare in this Week 8 college football game, and add our own projection.

Ohio State vs. Wisconsin score prediction

As expected, the model is siding more strongly with the Buckeyes over the Badgers.

SP+ predicts that Ohio State will defeat Wisconsin by a projected score of 36 to 11 and will win the game by an expected margin of 25.4 points in the process.

The model gives the Buckeyes a strong 94 percent chance of outright victory.

SP+ is a “tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency” that attempts to predict game outcomes by measuring “the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football.”

How good is it this season? So far, the SP+ college football prediction model is 175-177 against the spread with a 49.7 win percentage. Last week, it was 31-25 (55.4%) in its picks against the spread.

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Who is favored?

The betting markets predictably favor the Buckeyes by a wide margin against the Badgers.

Ohio State is a 26.5 point favorite against Wisconsin, according to the updated game lines posted to FanDuel Sportsbook entering the weekend.

FanDuel lists the total at 41.5 points for the matchup.

And it set the moneyline odds for Ohio State at -7000 and for Wisconsin at +2400 to win outright.

The game’s implied score suggests a comfortable victory for the Buckeyes to stay undefeated.

When taking the point spread and total into consideration, it’s implied that Ohio State will defeat Wisconsin by a projected score of 34 to 7.

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How to pick the game

This one might get ugly. Wisconsin does boast one of college football’s better home-field advantages, but its offense is missing in action, scoring just over 15 points per game.

Going against a Buckeyes defense that allows half that per game, ranking first in the country in that category, this should go in the defending national champion’s direction.

If you’re using this prediction to bet on the game, you should take...

• Wisconsin +26.5
• Ohio State to win -7000
• Bet over 41.5 points

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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