Wisconsin vs. Minnesota picks and best bets for Week 13

The Wisconsin Badgers and Minnesota Golden Gophers meet in the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe on Saturday afternoon.

By Erik Buchinger Nov 27, 2021, 4:30am PST

The No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers will head on the road for a rivalry matchup against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday afternoon. With a victory, Wisconsin would win the Big Ten West for the fifth time in eight seasons and get a matchup with the Ohio State Buckeyes or Michigan Wolverines in the conference championship. Minnesota will look to get a win in the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe as the Gophers have lost 16 of the last 17 games in this series.

Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

Wisconsin: 6 overall, 46 offense, 2 defense
Minnesota: 23 overall, 57 offense, 16 defense

Injury update

Wisconsin

WR A.J. Abbott - Out (undisclosed)
RB Jackson Acker - Questionable (undisclosed)
LB Marty Strey - Questionable (undisclosed)

Minnesota

No new injuries to report

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

Wisconsin: 6-5 ATS
Minnesota: 6-4-1 ATS

Total

Wisconsin: Over 5-5-1
Minnesota: Over 6-5

Returning/Overall Talent from 247Sports

Wisconsin: 23 overall, 22 offense, 31 defense
Minnesota: 54 overall, 54 offense, 52 defense

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Wisconsin -7
Total: 39
Moneyline: Wisconsin -280, Minnesota +225

Opening line: Wisconsin -7
Opening total: 37.5

Weather

38 degrees, 9 MPH wind, 24% chance of rain

The Pick

Wisconsin -7

The best unit on the field by a wide margin is the Badgers’ defense, which will enter this weekend’s set of games at No. 2 in opponent yards per play nationally. Both teams run the ball at an extremely high rate, and the Badgers are a better running team by a wide margin with true freshman Braelon Allen. With a better offense and defense, it’s hard to bet against the Badgers in this spot.

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