The Ohio State Buckeyes are 6-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation. The Wisconsin Badgers are 2-4 and dead last in the Big Ten standings with a 0-3 record against conference opponents.
The Badgers have lost four straight, but most damning for head coach Luke Fickell is the three straight against Maryland, Michigan and Iowa. Against the Hawkeyes, the Badgers suffered a 37-0 loss. Against Iowa.
This is not a good Wisconsin team and there's a real possibility Fickell doesn't make it out of this season with his job.
That didn't stop Ohio State head coach Ryan Day from talking up Wisconsin in a recent news conference, though.
“Again, Luke Fickell is a very good coach,” Day told the media (h/t On3). “He knows winning football and his team plays hard. They play sound football. I know the season hasn’t gone the way they expected it to go, but at the same time, put the film on. They’re one of the better defenses in the country and all it takes is a few big plays and getting the offense in rhythm and they’re gonna be in these games.”
Honestly, this seems like a case of a coach showing respect to someone who has strong ties to Ohio State. Fickell played at OSU from 1993-1996 and he was a defensive coordinator and even the interim head coach in Columbus before getting his first head coaching gig at Cincinnati.
He's about as tied to the Buckeyes as an opposing coach could get, so it's nice of Day to lie on his behalf, because the numbers don't back up what Day is saying.
Specifically, as it relates to Wisconsin's defense, the Badgers are ranked ninth in the Big Ten, giving up 317 yards per game to opponents, and 13th in points per game given up (22.7).
Ohio State's offense is scoring 36.8 points per game and putting up 421.5 yards per contest.
Again, the Badgers just gave up 37 points to Iowa's anemic offense. What the heck will Jeremiah Smith and the Buckeyes be able to accomplish against them?
Frankly, Day is giving Fickell way too much credit. The only thing he and OSU might have to worry about is the scrappiness of a team that hasn't won a game since Sept. 6, but Day clearly will have the Buckeyes prepared for that.
"I think the other thing is that I’m sure they feel like their backs are against the wall a little bit," Day explained. "Fighting for the season, which I can understand. When you get that, you’re gonna get a team that comes out with their hair on fire.”
The Badgers may put up a fight, but there's almost no scenario in which OSU walks out of Madison without a win.
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