Wisconsin @ Michigan State preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 27, 2012 ) Michigan State 16, Wisconsin 13

No. 8 Michigan State begins the defense of its Big Ten title when its hosts No. 10 Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans come off a big win at Notre Dame while the Badgers are hoping for a better outing than last week's six-point win over Georgia State.

Michigan State's running game got in gear against the Irish, racking up 260 yards, including 198 and three touchdowns combined by LJ Scott and Gerald Holmes. Defensively, the Spartans have been stingy against the run, allowing a Big Ten-best 72 yards a game, though the Badgers have also been tough, ranking second with an 82.3-yard average. Wisconsin is averaging 31 points but who is starting at quarterback is still up in the air, as coach Paul Chryst has juggled senior Bart Houston and freshman Alex Hornibrook in the season's first three contests. The Badgers are hoping to get leading rusher Corey Clement (197 yards, three TDs) back after he missed the Georgia State game with an ankle injury, though he was still questionable in the days before the contest.

TV: Noon ET. Big Ten Network. LINE: Michigan State -5

ABOUT WISCONSIN (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten): Wisconsin is unbeaten and averaging more than 30 points, but the Badgers are still very concerned about their play in the red zone this season. Chryst’s squad is 91st in the nation in touchdowns scored per red-zone trip at 53.3 percent (8-for-15), so the head coach was understandably perturbed when asked about it in the week before the matchup with the Spartans. Last year, the team scored a touchdown on 64.8 percent of its trips into the red zone, a percentage the Badgers will need to get much closer to if they hope to contend in the Big Ten West.

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (2-0, 0-0): A big question for Michigan State entering the season was the play at quarterback, with Tyler O’Connor taking the reins of the defending league champion’s offense. But two games in, and O’Connor has shown poise, even on the road in front of a raucous crowd in South Bend, Ind., and his numbers have been solid (431 yards, five TDs, two interceptions). With the Spartans’ running game getting in gear and O’Connor having targets like R.J. Shelton and emerging freshman Donnie Corley to throw to, the quarterback could end up being one of coach Mark Dantonio’s smallest worries going forward.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Wisconsin ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten and third in the country in time of possession, averaging 38:25.

2. Badgers PK Rafael Gaglianone has been nearly perfect this year, connecting on 7-of-8 field-goal attempts and hitting 10-of-10 PATs.

3. Michigan State has won 10 of its last 13 contests played against ranked opponents, including six of its last seven, with the only loss coming to eventual national champion Alabama in last year’s national semifinals.

PREDICTION: Michigan State 27, Wisconsin 20