5 keys for Ohio State football vs. Wisconsin on Saturday

The Ohio State football team has been a road warrior over the last four weeks, having traveled away from the banks of the Olentangy three of the last four weeks. That includes the matchup this Saturday when the Buckeyestravel to Madison to take on a Wisconsin team that's searching for a lot of answers.

The oddsmakers don't think this one will be much of a challenge, but OSU can ill-afford to look past anyone if it wants to keep all of its lofty goals that include a Big Ten title and College Football Playoff national championship still on the table. There's room to stub a toe, but this is not the time to do it.

As with any game, there are things that have to go Ohio State's way in order to remain undefeated and on track for really big things, and we are doing our best to outline those ahead of the matchup set for Saturday.

Here are five keys to Ohio State winning up where the brats and beer flow freely on Saturday in Camp Randall Stadium.

Ohio State needs to get out to a fast start

Well, duh. Any team would like to get out to a fast start, but it's especially important when you are the team that is favored by a bushel and expected to easily take care of business in the other team's venue. Wisconsin has had a miserable start to its Big Ten schedule, and the last thing you want to happen if you are Ohio State is to let it hang in there early on, allow the crowd to get in it, and then have that belief start to grow for an upset.

The Buckeyes need to get stops on defense to get Wisconsin off the field, then do everything they can to move the ball on the Badgers' defense and put points on the board early. For a team that has its psyche in a tenuous place, getting out in front could bring back all the doubts and despair of what's happened so far in 2025.

Ohio State must throw the ball to set up the run

This goes against the grain with how things usually work. Typically, teams will look to establish the run to bring some extra defenders into the box and then open things up through the air. But for Ohio State, Wisconsin is actually pretty good against the run, so it might be in the Buckeyes' best interest to utilize those weapons on the outside and down the field with mismatches to start things off.

That should force Wisconsin to take some players out of the box and into coverage to stop the bleeding through the air, which should then allow Ohio State to have the man-for-man advantage in the running game. That should equate to some open lanes and open field opportunities for the running backs.

The Ohio State defense has to win on first down

Wisconsin's offense has struggled big time so far this year. The quarterback situation is a mess because of injury, and that's made it awfully difficult to keep teams honest on defense when it comes to playing against the run.

But here's the thing: if Wisconsin can get some pretty good yards on first down, it has a chance to move the ball. However, if Ohio State can get the Badgers behind the chains on first down, it'll put them in more passing situations, and that's exactly where OSU wants Wisconsin's offense to be. Advantage Ohio State.

Score touchdowns in the red zone for Ohio State

We've seen the Buckeyes have to settle for field goals a little too much this year, rather than cashing in with touchdowns once they get in the red zone. It's not the only thing that can keep Wisconsin in this game, but if OSU doesn't get touchdowns and instead settles for field goals, that can keep the Badgers close.

There's no doubt Wisconsin wants to somehow make this a fourth-quarter game and then try to find a way to win it at the end, but that's not going to happen if Ohio State can score touchdowns when it gets a chance rather than trotting off the field with only three points.

Ohio State cannot significantly lose the turnover battle

The Buckeyes have actually been very good in the turnover department so far in 2025, but if anything is the main architect for a major upset, it's a bushel of interceptions and/or fumbles that take away OSU's possessions and give more to Wisconsin. Look up any major upset and there's a good chance the turnover battle went significantly in the direction of the team that everyone thought had no shot.

It would be great if Ohio State wins the turnover battle, but even plays it pretty even in that department, then everything else should take care of itself with the Buckeyes winning pretty easily and staying undefeated on the season.

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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State vs. Wisconsin: 5 keys for the Buckeyes on Saturday