Article Keyword Videos to Watch
Sports
Click on the image to start the video.
|
Related Topics
Images - Links - Articles
Franckfort
Related Images
|
Nittany Lions Look To Badger Wisconsin!
Two second tier Big Ten teams hookup in Madison Wisconsin this weekend when 6-3 Penn State takes on the 8-1 Wisconsin Badgers. While not wishing to relegate these schools to the status of as Temple, the fact remains they are far removed from the Ohio States and the Michigans of the college Football scene.
The Badgers protect their house with a fierce passion as they are 16-1 since 1984 in the state of Wisconsin and have won 21 of their past 25 tilts, so bettors may wish to look to lay the -7 that Sportsbook.com is offering on this game.
However, Penn State will prove to be a formidable opponent as they are coming off a 12-0 shutout against Purdue and that has not happened to the Boilermakers in more then a decade. They will need to be at their best as the offense is very vanilla and is ranked just 9th in the conference with just 22.6 points per game scored.
Both teams feature awesome running attacks with senior Tony Hunt and his 2830 career yards going against a stout Wisconsin defense that allows only just 115.3 yards per game. Penn State has two superb linebackers in Dan Connor and Paul Posluszny and they will look to derail B.J. Hill.
Hill is the Big 10's leading rusher with 1222 yards and he knows how to find the end zone with 13 touchdowns accumulated in 2006. When the Badgers decide put the ball in the air, it is the job of QB John Stocco to keep the chains moving. Stocco has completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 200.8 ypg with 14 TDs against only four INTs.
The point spread that opened at Wisconsin -7 has stayed right on that number and I assume Penn State bettors are concerned with the Badgers 6-1-1 spread record this season, while Paterno's crew has not been king to the gamblers with a 3-4-1 mark.
Had I known three years ago that Wisconsin would go 21-8-1 in the past 30 games ATS, I would be retired in Arizona. Guys like me who love to take the points cannot ignore the home teams 11-3 ATS in their past 14 games.
Sportsbooks open the total on the game at 39 and it has dropped to 38, with Penn State's last 9 conference games going under the total 8 times.
You make the call!
About the Author: Bob is an experienced sports writer and handicapper who has written for the sports industry for over a decade. He has been a regular contributer to Sports Scene, a sports consultant for television's 33 Made and other major motion pictures.
|