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College GameDay’s Chris ‘Bear’ Fallica provides key stats to know for Week 8 in the B1G
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Everyone has their own way to analyze college football matchups. Some work well, some don’t, but mostly, in the end, it seems like a guessing game that could be done as well with a dartboard.
But even so, ESPN College GameDay’s very own Chris ‘Bear’ Fallica takes the task to hand in an attempt to give his best guess about what will be on the scoreboard come Saturday. Some of the analysis and angles make for an interesting argument.
It looks like Wisconsin as a favorite isn’t the best bet, which is good news for Purdue on Saturday.
This is the 15th straight game Wisconsin is favored. The Badgers are just 5-9 ATS in the first 14 with seven outright losses. Wisconsin is 2-5 in its last seven Big Ten games (1-6 ATS)…
— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) October 21, 2021
The same goes for No. 5 Ohio State, who is stuggling to cover the spread lately in games vs. the Hoosiers. Though the Buckeyes have won big against Indiana, reaching the spread has posed some problems.
Ohio State is 2-8 ATS in its last ten games vs Indiana. The Buckeyes have been a favorite of 25.2 PPG in those ten games and won by an average of 18.7 PPG…
— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) October 21, 2021
But there’s more good news for No. 25 Purdue, and the defense could be key to an upset against the Badgers.
Purdue has outgained all six of its opponents this season and at No. 16 in Defensive EPA. ranks ahead of Michigan, Alabama and Michigan State…
— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) October 21, 2021
Across the board, there are some ranked underdogs to play, with the B1G watching the Purdue matchup with Wisconsin.
Two undefeated teams are road underdogs this week – No. 8 Oklahoma State +7 at Iowa State and San Diego State +3.5 at Air Force. No. 10 Oregon is a road underdog at 5-2 UCLA. Also No. 25 Purdue is a home underdog to Wisconsin…
— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) October 21, 2021
Whether any of Bear’s takes have any merit remains to be seen, so check back on Sunday.
Scott Schultz covers Michigan State Football, along with Breaking News for B1G Football & Basketball for Saturday Tradition. He also serves as an Automotive News Editor & Writer, and Softball Writer elsewhere on the web. Follow him on Twitter @SRSchultz.