Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, December 5, 2014
Here?s a look at 24 interesting numbers involving Ohio State and Wisconsin in anticipation of their meeting in the Big Ten championship game.
Saturday's championship game airs at 8:17 p.m. ET on Fox (scoreboard here). I'll be at the game covering it, too. Also on BTN this Saturday, game day coverage begins with "BTN Live" at 11 a.m. ET and then later with the Big Ten Championship Pregame Show presented by Auto-Owners Insurance at 6:30 p.m. from Lucas Oil Stadium.
Follow me on Twitter (@BTNTomDienhart) as it's going to be a great, big busy Saturday.
44.1, points per game for Ohio State, No. 1 in the Big Ten.
16.8, points per game allowed for Wisconsin, No. 1 in the Big Ten. That number is No. 4 in the country.
31-24, score of last year?s meeting between Ohio State and Wisconsin, won in Columbus by the Buckeyes.
37.5, points per game for Wisconsin, No. 3 in the Big Ten.
22.9, points per game allowed for Ohio State, No. 5 in the Big Ten.
69-67, points for and against Wisconsin in the first quarter this season. The Badgers have not scored a first quarter TD in the last three games.
260.3, yards allowed per game by Wisconsin to rank No. 2 in the nation.
.821, Wisconsin?s winning percentage in November and December since 2006, going 32-7.
10, Ohio State?s current winning streak. That?s No. 2 in the nation to Florida State?s 28-game run. Wisconsin is No. 3 with a seven-game streak.
3,090, combined rushing yards for Wisconsin?s Melvin Gordon and Corey Clement, breaking the FBS teammate single-season record of 3,053 established last year by Gordon and James White.
3, regular seasons in a row Ohio State has gone unbeaten in Big Ten play, becoming the first team to accomplish the feat since Minnesota in 1933-35. OSU?s 24-game winning streak in regular-season Big Ten games is league standard. The last regular-season loss was at Michigan in 2011.
11, wins in a row in the state of Indiana for Wisconsin. The streak dates to 2004. During the 11-game winning streak in the Hoosier State-which includes Big Ten title game triumphs in 2011 and 2012-the Badgers have outscored foes by an average of 22.7 points.
2-2, Urban Meyer?s record in league championship games.
34, Big Ten titles won by Ohio State. Only Michigan with 42 has more. The Buckeyes last won the league in 2009.
11, Urban Meyer former assistants who have gone on to become head coaches. One is Wisconsin?s Gary Andersen, who worked under Meyer at Utah. Meyer is 5-1 vs. his former assistants.
9, seasons with at least nine victories since 2004 for Ohio State and Wisconsin. Only Oregon and Boise State with 10 each have more.
8, bowl-eligible teams that Ohio State has beaten this season-Navy, Cincinnati, Maryland, Rutgers, Penn State, Illinois, Michigan State, Minnesota.
99, plays allowed of 10-plus yards this season by Wisconsin, the fewest allowed by a FBS defense in 2014.
18, interceptions for Ohio State, which leads the Big Ten. The Buckeyes picked off 13 passes in Big Ten action.
13, red-zone touchdowns allowed by Wisconsin, tying for the second fewest in the nation.
2, 1,000-yard rushing running backs coached by Urban Meyer. Ezekiel Elliott became the second this season with 1,182-the most ever by a back under Meyer. Last year, Carlos Hyde became the first back under Meyer to reach 1,000.
7.2, yards per carry for Wisconsin, which leads the nation.
.579, Ohio State?s third-down conversion rate (77-of-133) since Week Two, which is the highest in FBS.
20.0, tackles for loss for Ohio State?s Joey Bosa, which leads the Big Ten. He also paces the conference with 13.5 sacks.
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About Tom Dienhart | BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, read all of his work at btn.com/tomdienhart, and subscribe to his posts via RSS. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below and read all of his previous answers in his reader mailbag section. |
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