OK, this game just became a great bet. Why? Minnesota had an outside shot to win the Big Ten West but had to have Nebraska upset Iowa on Friday. That's didn't happen. The Gophers already are bowl eligible. So not much motivation here. Now the Badgers win the West with a victory and don't with a loss, so I absolutely think they take care of business. I do recommend buying down to -6.5, however. It won't get to 6.5 on its own and in fact the spread may rise now that UW knows it can't backdoor its way into the Big Ten title game. Sure, every team wants to win, but motivation is the KEY factor on weekends like this.

Few, if any, teams are playing better than Wisconsin. The Badgers have outscored overmatched foes by 21.6 points per game during their seven-game winning streak. The defense is mostly responsible, having allowed 237.7 yards per game, second fewest in the FBS. Minnesota can find little hope in the series history. The Gophers have won just once in the past 17 meetings.

This will be old school, three yards and a cloud of dust, er, pebbles, Big Ten football. Excluding the service academies, which run the option, no teams run the football more than Wisconsin and Minnesota. That means fewer possessions and likely fewer points. Also, the Badgers have the top rushing defense in the nation by a lot. Points will be tough to come by, especially for Minnesota. Take the under.