Fifth Quarter Consensus: Buckeyes leave Madison with win

GameDay Coverage: B5Q will have a special game thread open at 8 a.m. CT Saturday during ESPN's College GameDay broadcast on ESPNU (8-9 a.m.) and ESPN (9-11 a.m.). We'll leave this open all day long to discuss the day's games and happenings around Madison.

And as always, be sure to follow @B5Q on Twitter all day long for the latest pregame updates including coverage from Field House Madness at 2:30 p.m. CT.

The Predictions

Jake Harris (6-0, +92): Ohio State 21, Wisconsin 17

Adam Tupitza (6-0, +114): Ohio State 24, Wisconsin 20

Adam Hoge (5-1, +107): Ohio State 17, Wisconsin 13

John Veldhuis (5-1, +119): Wisconsin 21, Ohio State 20

Phil Mitten (3-1, +56): Ohio State 24, Wisconsin 16

The Reasoning

People make a lot of the Badgers' home record as well as their record in night games, but Wisconsin has actually lost two of its last three home night games, one of which was against Ohio State. It's going to take more than one of the most raucous crowds Camp Randall Stadium has ever seen to beat these Buckeyes.

We documented the Badgers' struggles against ranked teams under head coach Bret Bielema both before and after their loss to Michigan State two weeks ago. Specifically, heading into a contest against the top-ranked team in the land, Bielema is winless against top-10 opponents. While Wisconsin will have the crowd on its side in a nationally televised night game and should be playing with nothing to lose, it is still hard to pick the Badgers to win the type of game they have consistently struggled with.

Make no mistake; Wisconsin has a chance. This is a talented, veteran team that has played the Buckeyes tough before and has more motivation than ever to put together a signature victory. OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor has been better this year, but who have the Buckeyes played? They have only been on the road once since the Rose Bowl and, in two meetings with Wisconsin, Pryor has thrown more interceptions than touchdown passes. He also will be recovering from a knee injury, so he may be hesitant to run.

Ultimately, though, Ohio State just has too much talent and discipline on both sides of the football for Wisconsin to pull out the win. The Buckeyes' fearsome front seven will control the line of scrimmage and shut down the Badgers' run game, forcing Scott Tolzien to go to the air. It is likely that Wisconsin's streak of four consecutive games without a turnover will end, as OSU leads the conference in turnover margin. While both teams have been hampered by poor special-teams play, the Buckeyes can probably afford a mistake or two in that department more than the Badgers can.

A win for Wisconsin would be the type of program-defining accomplishment this team would relish. It would go a long way towards restoring fans' confidence in Bielema and, oh, I almost forgot, it would make for one hell of a night in Madtown.

Who has the edge?

Offense: Wisconsin

Defense: Ohio State

Special Teams: Ohio State

Coaching: Ohio State

Intangibles: Wisconsin

-Jake Harris