Wisconsin at Ohio State

* Date, Time: Sat., Oct. 10, 3:30 p.m. (Eastern)

* Location: Ohio Stadium

* TV: ABC (regional telecast; ESPN outer-market; announcers: Sean McDonough, Matt Millen and Holly Rowe; click here for the coverage map)

* Records, Rankings: Ohio State, 4-1 overall, 2-0 Big Ten, ranked eighth in USA Today coaches poll and ninth in Associated Press poll; Wisconsin, 5-0 overall, 2-0 Big Ten, ranked 25^th in USA Today coaches poll, unranked in AP poll.

* Coaches: Ohio State, Jim Tressel (ninth year at OSU, 87-20; 24th year overall, 222-77-2; vs. Wisconsin, 3-3); Wisconsin, Bret Bielema (fourth year at Wisconsin, 33-11; vs. OSU, 0-2).

* Series History: Ohio State leads the all-time series 52-17-5, including 28-7-3 in Columbus. Ohio State won 21 straight in the series between 1960-80. Since then, OSU enjoys only a 13-10-1 edge in the series.

Wisconsin has won three of the last four meetings in Columbus. But the Buckeyes have downed UW the last two seasons, prevailing 38-17 in 2007 in Columbus and 20-17 last year in Madison.

* Wisconsin Schedule: Sept. 5, Northern Illinois, W 28-20; Sept. 12, Fresno State, W 34-31 (2 OT); Sept. 19, Wofford, W 44-14; Sept. 26, Michigan State, W 38-30; Oct. 3, at Minnesota, W 31-28; Oct. 10, at Ohio State; Oct. 17, Iowa; Oct. 31, Purdue; Nov. 7, at Indiana; Nov. 14, Michigan; Nov. 21, at Northwestern; Dec. 5, at Hawaii.

* Wisconsin Key Players (2009 Stats): QB Scott Tolzien (82 of 125 passing, 1,043 yards, 9 TDs, 3 INTs), RB John Clay (112 carries, 582 yards, 7 TDs), RB Zach Brown (52 carries, 211 yards, 3 TDs), TE Garrett Graham (23 catches, 268 yards, 4 TDs), WR Nick Toon (22 catches, 269 yards, 2 TDs), LB Mike Taylor (35 tackles, 5 TFLs, 1 INT, 1 sack), LB Jaevery McFadden (32 tackles), LB Culmer St. Jean (31 tackles), S Chris Maragos (26 tackles, 2 TFLs, 3 INTs), DE O’Brien Schofield (26 tackles, 4-1/2 sacks, 11 TFLs).

* Wisconsin Fast Facts: Location: Madison, Wis.; Enrollment, 42,041; Conference: Big Ten Conference; Nickname, Badgers; Colors, Cardinal and White; Stadium, Camp Randall Stadium (surface, FieldTurf; capacity, 80,321).

* Ohio State Schedule: Sept. 5, Navy, W 31-27; Sept. 12, USC, L 18-15; Sept. 19, vs. Toledo (at Cleveland), W 38-0; Sept. 26, Illinois, W 30-0; Oct. 3, at Indiana, W 33-14; Oct. 10, Wisconsin; Oct. 17, at Purdue; Oct. 24, Minnesota; Oct. 31, New Mexico State; Nov. 7, at Penn State; Nov. 14, Iowa; Nov. 21, at Michigan.

* Ohio State Key Players (2009 Stats): QB Terrelle Pryor (67 of 115 passing, 861 yards, 8 TDs, 5 INTs; 55 carries, 298 yards, 3 TDs), RB Brandon Saine (49 carries, 294 yards), RB Dan Herron (64 carries, 233 yards, 5 TDs), WR DeVier Posey (19 catches, 214 yards, 2 TDs), WR Dane Sanzenbacher (15 catches, 309 yards, 4 TDs), LB Brian Rolle (37 tackles, 1-1/2 TFLs, 1 INT), LB Ross Homan (27 tackles, 1 INT), DB Kurt Coleman (29 tackles, 1 INT), DE Cameron Heyward (16 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 TFLs).

Depth Charts

Ohio State Offense

WR 8 DeVier Posey, 6-3, 205, So.

9  Duron Carter, 6-2, 190, Fr.

LT  75 Mike Adams, 6-8, 322, So.

or 55 Andrew Miller, 6-7, 295, Jr.

LG 56 Justin Boren, 6-3, 315, Jr.

55 Andrew Miller, 6-7, 295, Jr.

C  50 Mike Brewster, 6-5, 296, So.

66 Andrew Moses, 6-3, 280, Sr.

74 Jack Mewhort, 6-7, 290, Fr.

RG 70 Bryant Browning, 6-4, 312, Jr.

66 Andrew Moses, 6-3, 280, Sr.

RT  76 J.B. Shugarts, 6-8, 298, So.

79 Marcus Hall, 6-5, 300, Fr.

TE 86 Jake Ballard, 6-6, 256, Sr.

11 Jake Stoneburner, 6-5, 230, R-Fr.

QB  2 Terrelle Pryor, 6-6, 235, So.

14 Joe Bauserman, 6-2, 220, So.

TB  1 Dan Herron, 5-10, 193, So.

or 3 Brandon Saine, 6-1, 217, Jr.

FB 44  Zach Boren, 6-1, 255, Fr.

49 Adam Homan, 6-4, 235, Fr.

WR  12 Dane Sanzenbacher, 5-11, 175, Jr.

82 Ray Small, 5-11, 180, Sr.

K 20 Aaron Pettrey, 6-2, 199, Sr.

12  Devin Barclay, 5-11, 195, Jr.

Ohio State Defense

DE  90 Thaddeus Gibson, 6-2, 240, Jr.

43 Nathan Williams, 6-4, 245, So.

98 Solomon Thomas, 6-5, 240, So.

DT  84 Doug Worthington, 6-6, 276, Sr

9   Robert Rose, 6-5, 285, Sr.

53 Garrett Goebel, 6-5, 280, R-Fr.

DT  92 Todd Denlinger, 6-2, 292, Sr.

54 John Simon, 6-3, 265, Fr.

DE  97  Cameron Heyward, 6-6, 287, Jr.

87 Lawrence Wilson, 6-4, 274, Sr.

WLB  51 Ross Homan, 6-0, 229, Jr.

42 Andrew Sweat, 6-2, 220, So.

MLB  36 Brian Rolle, 5-11, 221, Jr.

32 Storm Klein, 6-3, 225, Fr.

SLB  38 Austin Spitler, 6-3, 234, Sr.

6 Etienne Sabino, 6-3, 232, So.

CB 10 Devon Torrence, 6-1, 193, Jr.

13 Andre Amos, 6-1, 183, Sr.

SS  4 Kurt Coleman, 5-11, 188, Sr.

19 Orhian Johnson, 6-2, 178, R-Fr.

FS  7 Jermale Hines, 6-2, 210, Jr.

21 Anderson Russell, 6-0, 205, Sr.

CB  5 Chimdi Chekwa, 6-0, 188, Jr.

18 Travis Howard, 6-1, 180, R-Fr.

P  48 Jon Thoma, 6-2, 201, Sr.

17 Ben Buchanan, 6-0, 200, R-Fr.

Wisconsin Offense

LT 68 Gabe Carimi, 6-7, 325, Jr.

58 Ricky Wagner, 6-6, 313, Fr.

LG 74 John Moffitt, 6-5, 320, Jr.

78 Jake Bscherer, 6-7, 310, Jr.

C 66 Peter Konz, 6-5, 315, Fr.

72 Travis Frederick, 6-4, 336, Fr.

RG 70 Kevin Zeitler, 6-4, 317, So.

76 Bill Nagy, 6-3, 310, Jr.

RT 67 Josh Oglesby, 6-7, 330, So.

58 Ricky Wagner, 6-6, 313, R-Fr.

TE 89 Garrett Graham, 6-3, 250, Sr.

82 Jake Byrne, 6-4, 260, So.

QB 16 Scott Tolzien, 6-3, 205, Jr.

10 Curt Phillips, 6-3, 228, R-Fr.

RB 32 John Clay, 6-1, 248, So.

or 30 Zach Brown, 5-10, 210, Jr.

22 Erik Smith, 6-0, 198, R-Fr.

WR 1 Nick Toon, 6-3, 212, So.

85 David Gilreath, 5-11, 170, Jr.

WR 6 Isaac Anderson, 5-10, 177, Jr.

23 Maurice Moore, 5-10, 180, Jr.

TE 84 Lance Kendricks, 6-4, 236, Jr.

or 36 Mickey Turner, 6-3, 250, Sr.

81 Rob Korslin, 6-4, 260, So.

PK 18 Philip Welch, 6-3, 200, So.

96 Alec Lerner, 5-7, 172, Fr.

Wisconsin Defense

DE 50 O’Brien Schofield, 6-3, 248, Sr.

97 Brendan Kelly, 6-6, 240, R-Fr.

DT 45 Dan Moore, 6-2, 283, Sr.

77 Dan Cascone, 6-3, 301, Sr.

DT 95 Patrick Butrym, 6-4, 291, So.

79 Jeff Stehle, 6-6, 310, Sr.

DE 99 J.J. Watt, 6-6, 287, So.

11 David Gilbert, 6-4, 234, Fr.

WLB 47 Jaevery McFadden, 6-2, 230, Sr.

41 Kevin Rouse, 6-0, 232, So.

MLB 15 Culmer St. Jean, 6-0, 233, Jr.

9 Blake Sorensen, 6-1, 231, Jr.

SLB 53 Mike Taylor, 6-2, 221, Fr.

44 Chris Borland, 5-11, 235, Fr.

CB 26 Antonio Fenelus, 5-9, 185, So.

7 Aaron Henry, 6-0, 195, So.

SS 2 Jay Valai, 5-9, 201, Jr.

37 Kevin Claxton, 6-1, 218, So.

FS 21 Chris Maragos, 6-0, 198, Sr.

24 Shelton Johnson, 6-0, 183, R-Fr.

CB 10 Devin Smith, 5-11, 188, So.

29 Niles Brinkley, 5-10, 188, Jr.

P 98 Brad Nortman, 6-3, 209, So.

90 Ryan Wickesberg, 6-1, 215, So.

Breaking It Down

* When Ohio State Has The Ball: The Buckeyes enjoyed a fine showing against Indiana, but still left some meat on the bone with a pair of misses on short field goals as well as an interception in the red zone.

It was good to see Brandon Saine used as the feature back and even better for him to go over the 100-yard mark. Boom Herron figures to be back in the rotation as well after sitting out last week with an ankle injury. These two really could be a nice one-two punch, particularly if the line continues to improve its play each week. OSU has eclipsed 200 yards rushing each of the last three weeks. If OSU can even approach, say, 175 yards rushing, it should be a good day for the Buckeyes.

Terrelle Pryor piloted a great late touchdown drive last year in OSU’s 20-17 win at Wisconsin. He needs to continue doing what he does best – hitting an array of receivers for key gains and also keeping the ball for timely plays that move the chains. Wisconsin’s defense already has eight interceptions – three by safety Chris Maragos – in five games, so Pryor will need to take good care of the ball.

The Badgers have given up a few points so far this year (UW is sixth in the Big Ten in scoring defense at 24.6 points per game), although the secondary seems to be improved.

Last week was a good baptism for first-year starters Mike Adams and J.B. Shugarts at the tackle positions as they went against IU’s Greg Middleton and Jammie Kirlew. Now comes Wisconsin’s O’Brien Schofield, the Big Ten leader at 4-1/2 sacks on the season.

* When Wisconsin Has The Ball: The Badgers have really made some big strides toward offensive balance. Last year, UW lived off the running exploits of P.J. Hill and John Clay. Hill has moved on to the NFL and Clay has emerged as the top running threat. Last week, he had 184 of UW’s 295 rushing yards in the team’s win over Minnesota (31-28).

Wisconsin boasts the Big Ten’s top rushing offense (217.2 yards per game), while Ohio State leads the league in rushing defense (83.4 ypg). Something is going to have to give. It hurts that OSU will be without injured DT Dexter Larimore, although it helps to get safety Kurt Coleman back from his one-game suspension. Over the last three games, the Buckeyes have slammed the door on their opponents. OSU has allowed 13, 82 and 18 yards rushing over the last three games, an average of 37.6 ypg.

Now, we will caution all of this because Wisconsin – for the first time in recent memory – has a hint of balance. Junior Scott Tolzien won the quarterback job from incumbent Dustin Sherer and redshirt Curt Phillips in the preseason and all he has done is lead the Big Ten in passing efficiency so far this year. Tolzien has thrown for 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns against just three interceptions. His top targets are tight end Garrett Graham and wideout Nick Toon. Graham, in particular, creates match-up issues because of his size.

The key, once again, for Ohio State is strong play up front. If the front four can succeed in bottling up Clay and getting after Tolzien, everything else will fall into place.

* How It Will Go: Yes, Wisconsin is 5-0. But it is kind of a shaky 5-0. Wisconsin has a win over I-AA Wofford and has beaten its four I-A opponents by a total of 22 points. UW has enjoyed big leads in several of those games, but has struggled closing out its more competitive opponents. It took the Badgers two overtimes to get past Fresno State, currently 1-3, at home in Week 2.

The Badgers have also not faced a defense yet the caliber of Ohio State’s, which checks in at No. 1 in the Big Ten and ninth nationally in yards allowed (252.6 ypg). It will be interesting to see how that match-up unfolds.

My guess is that the OSU defense will surrender a few yards to the UW rushing assault, but should keep the Badgers in check. Here’s a stat: Ohio State has held its opponents to 21 or fewer points 37 times since the start of the 2006 season. Ohio State is 35-2 in those games. This has been a recipe for success for Ohio State, obviously.

If you look up and Wisconsin is sustaining long drives and Clay is punishing OSU defenders, then you’ll know Wisconsin is in it for the long haul. UW has won three of its last four visits to Ohio Stadium, but the Badgers’ last win in Columbus was five years ago – before any of the current players were on the team and Bret Bielema became the UW head coach. Bielema is still looking for his first win over Ohio State.

My feeling is this game gives Pryor, who is 12-2 as OSU’s starting quarterback, another chance to mature and grow into his role. And if he succeeds in putting the backs and receivers in a position to succeed, the Buckeyes could join Fresno State, Michigan State and Minnesota in scoring at least 27 points against the Badgers. I’ve got it: Ohio State 27-17

* For The Record: I am 4-1 straight-up and 4-1 against-the-spread with Ohio State. (OSU is a 16-point favorite over Wisconsin.)

* Other Picks: On this week’s Bucknuts Radio Hour (click here to listen to this great show), everybody picked Ohio State over Wisconsin. Mr. Bucknuts picked OSU 30-17. Bill Kurelic said OSU 24-7. Dave Biddle said OSU 23-12. Kirk Larrabee said OSU 27-14. Jeff Rapp had OSU 24-17.

Last week, Mr. Bucknuts (picked 27-7) and Larrabee (picked 34-13) were closest in terms of margin. Rapp correctly picked OSU’s score (picked 33-10).

-- Steve Helwagen

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Click here for Bruce Feldman’s notebook that lays out 10 scenarios where the SEC would NOT be in the BCS title game. He also has a draft scout talking about Thad Gibson and what Terrelle Pryor did to make the Wisconsin offensive coordinator go from the field to the booth.