THE BASICS

The teams: The Wisconsin Badgers (5-2, 3-1) vs the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0, 4-0)

The time: 6:30 p.m. CDT, Saturday

The place: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wis.

The TV coverage: NBC with Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge on the call, and Kathryn Tappen on the sideline.

The last time: Ohio State jumped out to a 28-0 lead and rolled from there for a 52-21 win in Columbus last year.

The series: Ohio State leads 62-18-5

The line: Ohio State -14.5

THE BREAKDOWN: 4 THINGS TO WATCH

1) The atmosphere

Ohio State. Night game. Camp Randall Stadium. Put those three together and you’re going to get an electric atmosphere. And that’s what is expected Saturday as the Buckeyes come to Madison for the first time in seven years. The crowd has played a part in most of the games against Ohio State, powering the Badgers to wins in 2003 and 2010, while also rising to the occasion in 2008, 2012 and 2016 in close losses. Few things bring out the crazy that Madison is known for more than Ohio State coming to town. Can this year’s version of the Badgers do enough to keep them in the game and pull the massive upset?

2) Slowing the Buckeyes

This isn’t the typical Ohio State offense led by a first-round quarterback but they are easily the best group Wisconsin has faced this year. Powered by Kyle McCord at quarterback and All-American wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., the Buckeyes lead the Big Ten in total offense and rank third in scoring. Tight end Cade Stover is a problem, while the team is expecting to get perhaps the second-best WR in the Big Ten, Emeka Egbuka, back against the Badgers. The running game has not been as good as recent years, but All-Big Ten running back TreVeyon Henderson is also expected to return. For the Badgers, who have given up at least 198 yards rushing in three of their four Big Ten games, to have any chance they have to limit the big plays and force a turnover or two.

3) How does Wisconsin score?

When you think of Ohio State, you usually think offense. While it’s definitely still a very good offensive team, this year’s Buckeyes are equally, if not better, on the defensive side of the ball. They rank fifth in the country in total defense and third in scoring defense. One popular metric, ESPN’s SP+, has the Buckeyes as the fifth-best defense in the nation. The last time the Badgers faced a unit like that was two weeks ago against Iowa. In that one they didn’t score a touchdown for the first time in three years. It included turning it over three times, something that simply can not happen on Saturday to keep the game close. Explosive plays have been missing from the Wisconsin offense, too. Would be a good night for a couple of those from Braedyn Locke and the pass game.

4) Building on a strong finish

With 15 minutes left against Illinois, the Badgers were looking at dropping a second-straight Big Ten game with a matchup against the Buckeyes looming for a potential three-game losing streak. Instead, Wisconsin rallied to score the final 18 points of the game to stun the Illini. Coach Luke Fickell said that comeback would be mentioned a lot this week as they try to carry over the good feelings and try to build on them in his first season in Madison. The hope, at least from Wisconsin’s side, is that will manifest itself with a quick start, something that has evaded the Badgers in six of their seven games this year.

NUMBERS TO CONSIDER

— Ohio State is a 14.5-point favorite, the largest spread for a team visiting Camp Randall Stadium since 1991. It’s also just the fourth time since the start of the 2019 season the Badgers have been an underdog. Three of those games were against the Buckeyes, while the fourth was at Iowa in 2022.

— Braelon Allen averaged 13 carries per game in the first four games of the year. But after the loss of Chez Mellusi against Purdue, Allen has averaged 22 carries in the last three contests, including tying his career-high with 29 against Illinois.

— Coach Luke Fickell spent 20 years at Ohio State between his playing and coaching days. He’s one of eight coaches or support staff now with the Badgers that played or coached for the Buckeyes, including defensive coordinator Mike Tressel.

ZONE PREDICTIONS

Zach Heilprin (4-3, 2-5 ATS) ’s prediction: Ohio State 30, Wisconsin 13
Ebo (5-2, 4-3 ATS) ’s prediction: Ohio State 41, Wisconsin 14
Nelson Raisbeck (5-2, 3-4 ATS)’s prediction: Ohio State 35, Wisconsin 17
RJ Brachman’s (5-2, 4-3 ATS) prediction: Ohio State 35, Ohio State 13