Who: No. 3 Ohio State at Wisconsin
When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday
Where: Madison, Wisconsin, at Camp Randall Stadium.
TV/Radio: NBC/1410
Series history: Ohio State leads 62-18-5. The Buckeyes have won nine in a row since an upset loss at Wisconsin in 2010, and they are 27-11-2 in Madison.
Last meeting: The Buckeyes got out to a quick 21-0 lead and never looked back en route to a 52-21 victory last season at Ohio Stadium. C.J. Stroud threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns.
Coaches: In five seasons, Ryan Day of Ohio State is 52-6, with a 35–2 record in the Big Ten and a 3-0 record against Wisconsin.
Luke Fickell, a graduate of Ohio State, is 6-2 in his debut season at Wisconsin and 69-27 in his career after nine seasons as a head coach. He is 0-1 against Ohio State with a 42-0 loss during his tenure at Cincinnati in 2019.
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
Notes from Ohio State: Ohio State has not visited Wisconsin since 2016. Marvin Harrison Jr. leads the nation yards per catch (18.2)… The Buckeyes rank third in the country in terms of scoring (10.0 points per game) and fourth in terms of total defense (260.2 yards per game)…
Ohio State is 79-29 when playing at night, with a 37-11 record away from home. The Buckeyes have won 15 straight night games during the regular season.
Three former OSU head coaches have faced Ohio State since 1923, according to research by bucknuts.com. Fickell is one of them. At Ohio Stadium, Ohio State defeated Paul Brown’s Great Lakes Naval Training Station team 26–6 in 1944 and Sam Willaman’s Western Reserve team 76-0 in 1934. Starting center Carson Hinzman (St. Croix Central) is the only Wisconsin native on the Ohio State roster.
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
Wisconsin notes: The Badgers last beat a top 3 team when they upset Ohio State 31-18 in 2010…Braelon Allen leads the Big Ten in rushing and is the 14th Badgers to rush for more than 3,000 yards in his career… With 37 catches, Will Pauling is tied for third place in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin defensive coordinator Mike Tressel is the nephew of former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel… Badin High School grad Braedyn Moore, true freshman safety, is one of 10 Wisconsin players from Ohio…
The last prime-time Big Ten game at Camp Randall was the 2020 season-opener, a win against Illinois, but the Badgers have won four home night games in a row since losing to Ohio State in overtime in 2016 under the lights.
Quoted: Fickell on the matchup: “The best teams don’t always win games. The most talented teams don’t always win games. College football, every Saturday, it’s crazy how things happen.
It’s about figuring out where you got to close some gaps and then, ultimately, can you play loose? Can you play fast? And can you still play aggressive no matter who it is you’re playing against?”
Next week: The Buckeyes remain on the road and travel to Rutgers for a noon start next Saturday. Wisconsin is set to play at Indiana.