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The Wisconsin Badgers are 5-1 against the Minnesota Golden Gophers since November of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. Wisconsin and Minnesota will face off in a Big Ten battle at 4 p.m. ET at Huntington Bank Stadium. These two teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous games.
It was all tied up 14-14 at the half for the Badgers and the Nebraska Cornhuskers last week, but Wisconsin stepped up in the second half for a 35-28 victory. RB Braelon Allen was a one-man wrecking crew for Wisconsin, rushing for three TDs and 228 yards on 22 carries. One of the most memorable plays of the matchup was Allen's 71-yard touchdown rush in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, everything went Minnesota's way against the Indiana Hoosiers last week as they made off with a 35-14 win. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Golden Gophers had established a 28-7 advantage. Among those leading the charge for them was RB Ky Thomas, who rushed for two TDs and 105 yards on 26 carries.
The Badgers are the favorite in this one, with an expected 7-point margin of victory. The odds have been favorable for them against the spread on the road this season, even if it's been tough sledding overall. They are 3-0 ATS in away games but only 5-5 all in all.
The wins brought Wisconsin up to 8-3 and Minnesota to 7-4. A pair of offensive stats to keep an eye on: Wisconsin is 197th worst in the nation in passing yards per game, with only 161.3 on average. Minnesotas have had an even harder time: they are stumbling into the game with the 194th fewest passing yards per game in the nation, having accrued only 163.5 on average. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
