Written by T.J. Inman

Who: #12 Indiana Hoosiers (5-1) at #16 Wisconsin Badgers (2-1)

Where: Camp Randall Stadium

When: Saturday, December 5 at 3:30 on ABC

Odds: -14 Wisconsin – Game lines provided by legal Indiana Sports Betting apps

Series History: The Badgers and Hoosiers have played each other 61 times throughout history and things were relatively even between the two…until 2005. Since then, Wisconsin has tortured Indiana and handed them a series of beatdowns that has resulted in ten straight Badger victories. In 2005, Barry Alvarez’s Badgers won 41-24. Bret Bielema took over and things got really ugly: 52-17, 33-3, 55-20, 31-28 (a rare close one), 83-20 in 2010, 59-7 in 2011, 62-14 in 2012, 51-3 in 2013. The only matchup between current head coaches Paul Chryst and Tom Allen was in 2017 and Wisconsin won 45-17.

What’s at Stake: The Wisconsin Badgers have only played three games and won’t get to the six-game threshold to be eligible for the Big Ten West championship. As a result, they are playing for pride, each player’s draft stock and bowl position. The stakes for Indiana are significantly higher. One more cancellation for Ohio State leaves Indiana in the driver’s seat for the Big Ten East title and a chance to play Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game. A win over Wisconsin would put IU in prime position for a New Year’s Six bowl game and a place in the College Football Playoff top ten.

Things to Watch

1. Jack Tuttle Takes Over

The circumstances for Jack Tuttle making his first career start at quarterback for the Indiana Hoosiers are not what anyone would hope for. Michael Penix tore his ACL in the third quarter of IU’s win over Maryland and that elevates Jack Tuttle from backup to starter. The former four-star recruit from California has earned rave reviews for his improvement and work ethic and the coaches believe he is ready for this opportunity. The offensive scheme is not going to have wholesale changes. Play-calling in specific scenarios may have Nick Sheridan approach things differently than he would with Michael Penix but it will be very interesting to see how Jack Tuttle performs in his debut. His first start comes against a really good defense. The Badgers have given up seven, 11 and 17 points in their three games this season.

2. Rattling Mertz

Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz is not much more experienced than Jack Tuttle. Mertz will be making his fourth start and the performances have been mixed. He was outstanding in their first two games, dominant victories over Michigan and Illinois. The redshirt freshman struggled mightily two weeks ago against Northwestern though, the first good defense he faced. Mertz was 23-41 for 230 yards with one touchdown and three costly interceptions. Tight end Jake Ferguson is definitely his favorite target and no other pass catcher catches the eye as a consistent threat. Chimere Dike is probably the biggest threat from the wide receiver group and running back Garrett Groshek will be one to watch from the backfield as a receiver but Jake Ferguson is the security blanket and best weapon. The Hoosiers have been outstanding at forcing quarterbacks into mistakes and then capitalizing on those errors with interceptions. They’ll look to dial up pressure against the strong Wisconsin offensive line and hope Mertz presents the secondary with a chance to make some plays.

3. Replicating the Running Game Success

Indiana used some creative packages to get the running game against Maryland last Saturday and it carried their offense on the day. Stevie Scott and David Ellis both had success from the Wildcat and Tim Baldwin Jr. ran for more than 100 yards in his first extensive action of the season. The Hoosiers hope to get Sampson James to add to their arsenal and left tackle Caleb Jones could be back as well. Regardless, they’ll need to find ways to run the ball with success against a much better Wisconsin front than what the Terrapins presented. Indiana will likely use the Wildcat package again and look for them to throw some wrinkles in that the Badgers have not seen before. With a new quarterback at the helm, everyone else on the offensive side of the ball will need to be that much sharper to help get a victory in Madison.

Juliet Gahan’s Pregame Video

Big Ten Betting Picks

Indiana (+14) at Wisconsin

I have no clue what Wisconsin has done to be favored by 14 points. The point total is 45 and the Badgers are 14. That’s a projected score of something like 31-17 or so. I could be very wrong but I don’t think Wisconsin beats the Hoosiers by that comfortable of a margin.

Ohio State (-24) at Michigan State

The Buckeyes have sat idly by and waited to get a chance to play. They know they have a very small margin for error if they are to make it to the College Football Playoff. That means putting up big numbers and being extremely impressive against the Spartans. MSU is coming off of a nice win over Northwestern but they have been unable to be remotely consistent.

In partnership with legal Indiana Sports Betting apps, this article will include a couple of Big Ten betting picks each week!