Oregon State Beavers at No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers
Saturday, 9/10/11, 12:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Wisconsin -17
Current Betting Line: Wisconsin -22
Opening Total: 56.5
Current Total: 57
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Oregon State opened the 2011 season in humiliating fashion by dropping a 29-28 home contest to the Sacramento State Hornets as 27.5-point favorites. The Beavers last dropped a contest against a lower division school back in 1996. “We’ve just got to stick together and say we’re going to move on and get better off,” said Beavers backup quarterback Sean Mannion. It wasn’t all bad for the school, as it out-gained its opponent by 129 yards, including 195 on the ground. Oregon State is 10-3 ATS as an underdog the last two-plus years.
The Beavers may already have a quarterback controversy brewing now that Mannion performed well in relieving starter Ryan Katz. He threw for 143 yards in completing 8 of 12 passes compared to Katz’s dismal 11 of 22 performance for 87 yards and a interception. Program insiders are stating that head coach Mike Riley may wait to make a change after this week’s road game in Madison. Oregon State’s running game seems to be in good hands with freshman Malcolm Agnew carrying the load, rushing for 223 yards in the opener.
Wisconsin opened up with the nation watching last Thursday on ESPN and came away with a 51-17 win as 34-point home favorites. The Badgers took the foot off the accelerator early, but still managed to gain 499 yards of total offense. “We’ve been going against our offense for so long, we kind of expected that,” said Badgers safey Aaron Henry about the school’s offense. The numbers are staggering in the first 30 minutes in Wisconsin’s last three home games, scoring at least 37 points in each contest during that time. Wisconsin is 7-7 ATS at home and 7-6 ATS versus Pac-12 competition.
The Badgers have won 29-straight regular-season non-conference games, a mark that trails only the LSU Tigers (34). Wisconsin also has proven victorious at Camp Randall Stadium in 10-straight games, which is tied for the eighth-longest such streak in the country. The backfield duo of Montee Ball and James White were simply too much for the Rebels’ defense to handle, as Ball scored four touchdowns, while White finished with 181 all-purpose yards. Senior quarterback Russell Wilson wasn’t bad either in his debut since transferring from NC State, throwing for 255 yards and two touchdowns.
Bettors will likely back the Beavers due to their 9-3 ATS mark versus winning teams, while the Badgers are 1-3-1 ATS in non-conference games.
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