Wisconsin vs Ohio State Opening Odds – Buckeyes 17-Point Home Favorites Over Badgers in Week 4

• No. 3 Ohio State has opened as a 17-point favorite against Wisconsin on Sept 24
• The Buckeyes are aiming for a 4-0 start, while the Badgers would move to 3-1 if they pull off the upset
• Read below for the full Wisconsin vs Ohio State opening odds and line movement prediction

No. 3 Ohio State is listed as a 17-point favorite at home versus Wisconsin as the two rivals prepare for their first meeting in three years. As hard as this will be for Wisconsin fans to here, this is a game that may be as one-sided as the point spread suggests.

Ohio State started slowly against Notre Dame but won by 11. After that, easy wins over Arkansas State and Toledo have them ready for Wisconsin. Wisconsin just piled up 66 points against New Mexico State on Saturday.

Let’s take a look at the opening Wisconsin vs Ohio State odds and analyze which direction the line is likely to move.

Wisconsin vs Ohio State Opening Spread/Odds/Line

Odds as of September 18th at DraftKings Sportsbook. Use this DraftKings promo code to bet on the game.

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Ohio State Is an Easy Home Favorite

Ohio State is a team that is aiming higher than just a conference championship. Oddsmakers see the Buckeyes a near lock even in the Big Ten Conference odds, where they sit at -230. That is currently the best odds of any FBS team in the country to win its conference.

The last two games for Ohio State amounted to almost scrimmages to get ready for their Big Ten conference schedule. Toledo and Ohio did not push them like Notre Dame did early. The Buckeyes learned some lessons from that first primetime home game versus the Irish, where they were anywhere from a 13 to 15-point favorite.

Ohio State’s drive chart in the first half:
– TD
– TD
– TD
– TD
– TD
– TD

QB C.J. Stroud has twice as many TD passes (4) as incompletions (2).

— sports news x (@sports_news_x) September 18, 2022

The Buckeyes’ defense was tested in the opener against Notre Dame after they went down in the first half. Ohio State barely yielded anything after that as their front-seven kept Notre Dame from establishing any kind of ground game. If they do that again this Saturday, the Badgers could give up quite a few points unlike the Irish.

The Buckeyes are going to wear their alternate all-black jerseys on Saturday. The Buckeyes haven’t worn these uniforms since a 34-10 win over Michigan State in 2019. They’re 3-0 overall in the look, including a 38-10 win over Penn State in 2015 and 36-31 win over Nebraska in 2018. They are 2-1 ATS  in this scenario.

Does Wisconsin Have a Chance?

Head coach Paul Chryst has to be scared three games into the season. After a 17-14 setback to Washington State in Week 2, his Badgers did bounce back resoundingly on Saturday scoring 66 points against New Mexico State. However, that Washington State loss was a very telling one as Wisconsin had a lot of the familiar problems offensively. At least quarterback Graham Mertz is trending in the right direction.

Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz through three games:

– 697 passing yards
– 6 passing touchdowns to 2 interceptions
– Completing 71% of his passes

Badgers are only 2-1, but Mertz is playing the best football of his career. https://t.co/XGw2gpn8Vj

— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) September 17, 2022

While the Badgers’ offense has averaged 39.33 points per game this year, it looked shaky at Washington State while scoring just 14 points. Ohio State is the best team they will face all season and the game is on the road.

The @OhioStateFB vs. Wisconsin game, set for Sept. 24 at Ohio Stadium, will be a 7:30 p.m. start on ABC. This will the the third primetime game in four home games to start the season for Ohio State.

— Jerry Emig (@BuckeyeNotes) September 12, 2022

That is the biggest obstacle for Wisconsin without a doubt. This Badgers team is not quite dynamic enough even with Mertz playing well. They will need to be able to move the ball on the ground against an Ohio State team that has shown to be very stout versus the run. Hostile environments can often create mistakes for the road team.

Some may think 17 points is too many but reports had this line moving into the 18 to 20-point range.

Wisconsin’s defense has to slow down Ohio State much like Notre Dame did to have a shot here.

Expected Line Movement and Early Prediction

The early ATS money appears to be going toward Ohio State. Around 2/3 of the money at this stage is tilting toward the Buckeyes. There is a chance this line moves a couple points toward the home team.