College football odds: Big Ten title game has Wisconsin favored over Penn State
The Wisconsin Badgers are 8-2 straight up and 8-1-1 against the spread in their last 10 games against Big Ten opponents. With a win over the Penn State Nittany Lions this Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Badgers can win the Big Ten championship.
Wisconsin is a 2.5-point betting favorite in Indianapolis at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Badgers are just 1-4 SU and ATS in their last five games against Penn State.
After allowing 17 first-half points to the Minnesota Gophers and heading into halftime trailing by ten, the Badgers didn't surrender another point and went on to win 31-17. It was another strong game for Wisconsin's defense, which ranked third in the nation behind only Alabama and Michigan in scoring defense allowing 13.7 points per game.
However, it also highlighted the improved play of the offense; after scoring 23 points or less in their previous five games, the Badgers have averaged 42.7 points per game over their last three outings.
The Badgers lost to Penn State 31-24 when the two teams last met in 2013. Wisconsin is 4-1 SU and 5-0 ATS in its last five games after losing the previous game in a matchup.
Penn State has been one of the hottest teams in college football since the start of October, ending the regular season on an 8-0 SU and 7-0-1 ATS run. Since upsetting Ohio State 24-21 in Week 7 as 17.5-point home underdogs, the Nittany Lions have won each of their last five games by at least 14 points and an average margin of victory of 30.2 points per game.
Penn State is 3-1 ATS as an underdog this season with two outright upsets.
The total for Saturday night's game is set at 47.5 points on the college football betting lines. The OVER is 4-0 in the last four games between these two teams.
Both of these team's enter Saturday's game in top form, and the small 2.5-point spread is a good indicator of how tough this game is to call. If Clemson or Washington lose in their conference championship games this weekend, the winner of this game has an excellent chance of taking a spot in the College Football Playoff.
