Big Ten Championship Preview 2019: Ohio State vs. Wisconsin

Another college football regular season is come and gone now. After successful seasons, Wisconsin will meet with Ohio State to determine the winner of the Big Ten. Ohio State has won the Big Ten Championship the last two seasons by beating Wisconsin in 2017, and Northwestern in 2018.This year they will take on Wisconsin and try to win their third consecutive Big Ten Championship which can help ensure them a playoff spot. Here is a preview of the game:

Game Details

When: Saturday, December 7 | 8:00 PM EST

Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN

Watch: FOX

Heisman Watch

Both of these teams feature a player that has been in Heisman talks this season. Even though it is unlikely that either of them will win the award, they both are having impressive college football careers:

Ohio State: Chase Young

Chase Young (DE) pressures Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan. (Image courtesy of sportsillustrated.com)

Chase Young has had a crazy season. He broke the Ohio State sack record by finishing the season with 16.5 sacks. He also missed two games, those being against Maryland and Rutgers. Young likely could have added to his sack total had he played in those contests.

Nonetheless, Chase Young will get to play in the Big Ten Championship this week. This is exciting news for the Buckeyes, because Chase Young had a career day against Wisconsin back on October 26. He finished the game with six solo tackles, four sacks and two forced fumbles. Coach Ryan Day would love to see Young put up similar numbers Saturday night.

Wisconsin: Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor reached an impressive milestone this season. The junior running back had his 12th 200-yard rushing game this season, breaking the FBS record previously held by Herschel Walker. There have been talks of him being able to break the all-time FBS rushing record of 6,397 yards set by former Badger Ron Dayne. That is if Taylor decides to stay for another season in Madison, though there is a pretty high chance that he will be wrapping up his college football career after this season.

He did struggle against the Buckeyes this season. He had 20 attempts that went for just 52 yards. Improving the run game this week could be a big factor for the Badgers in this one.

Ohio State Offense vs. Wisconsin Defense

Jack Baun returning a pick six against Michigan State. (Image courtesy of Bucky’s 5th Quarter.)

This will likely be a matchup with big implications on this game. Ohio State ranks first in the FBS in offensive touchdowns with 81. That is seven more than second-place LSU who finished the regular season with 74 offensive touchdowns. Wisconsin, however, ranks sixth in total defense with just 22 opponent touchdowns allowed on the season. Even though Ohio State racked up 38 against Wisconsin in October, that does not mean the same result will ensue. Whoever plays better on this side of the ball can be a big element in the outcome of this game.

Key players on this side of the ball:

Ohio State: Justin Fields, Quarterback, No. 1

Wisconsin: Jack Baun, Linebacker, No. 56

Wisconsin Offense vs. Ohio State Defense

Ohio State finished the 2019 regular season ranked first in the FBS in total defense. Combine that with their offense, and it can be seen why they outscored their opponents 599-142 this season. They only allowed seven points to Wisconsin, who did score their touchdown on a nice pass from quarterback Jack Coan. If Wisconsin can have a large time of possession and efficient drives, that can be a huge help against this talented Ohio State defense. Chase Young also finished the regular season with zero tackles against Michigan. Looking into how the Wolverines stopped Young could be smart for Wisconsin as well.

Key players on this side of the ball:

Wisconsin: Jonathan Taylor, Runningback, No. 23

Ohio State: Chase Young, Defensive End, No. 2

Feature Image Courtesy of USA TODAY.

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