Game Time: 10:30 pm ET, Thursday, December 30, 2021
Venue: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Where to Watch: ESPN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: ASU +7, Wisconsin -7; Over/Under: 42 points
Bet365: Point Spread: ASU +7, Wisconsin -7; Over/Under: 42 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: ASU +7, Wisconsin -7; Over/Under: 42 points
Season Record
Arizona State Sun Devils: 8-4 (2nd place, Pac-12 South)
Wisconsin Badgers: 8-4 (3rd place, Big Ten West)
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Arizona State Sun Devils vs Wisconsin Badgers Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
Arizona State Sun Devils: won at home on Nov. 27 against the Arizona Wildcats 38-15.
Wisconsin Badgers: lost on the road on Nov. 27 against the Minnesota Golden Gophers 23-13.
Arizona State Sun Devils Analysis
ASU is coming into this game after finishing the season with an 8-4 record overall and they will be playing their first neutral site game this season in this game. They have won 3 of their last 4 games and are coming into this one off of a win in their last game. Their last loss was against the Oregon State Beavers while their 3 wins in that span came against the USC Trojans, the Washington Huskies, and the Arizona Wildcats in their last game. Jayden Daniels completed 10/14 passes for 86 yards and 2 touchdowns in that one. Rachaad White led the team in rushing with 98 yards and 1 touchdown on 21 carries while Daniels also had 86 yards and 1 TD on the ground himself. Ricky Pearsall led the receivers with 52 yards and 2 touchdowns on 5 receptions. Chase Lucas led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles. Jack Jones, Eric Gentry, Tyler Johnson, and Stanley Lambert all recorded the only sacks in that game with 1 each while Jones came up with the only interception for them in that one. They have scored 356 points in their 12 games this season averaging 29.7 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 251 points against them allowing 20.9 PPG. Their offense is averaging 403.4 YPG while their defense is allowing 330.7 YPG.
Wisconsin Badgers Analysis
Wisconsin is coming into this game after finishing their season with an 8-4 record overall and they are 0-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They have won 7 of their last 8 games but they are coming into this one off of a loss in their last game which snapped a 7 game winning streak that they were on. Their 7 wins in that span were against the Illinois Fighting Illini, the Army Black Knights, the Purdue Boilermakers, the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, the Northwestern Wildcats, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers while their loss came against Minnesota in their last game. Graham Mertz completed 21/38 passes for 171 yards and 1 interception in that one. Braelon Allen led the team in rushing with 47 yards on 17 carries. Danny Davis III led the receivers with 60 yards on 5 receptions while Kendric Pryor had 33 yards on 5 receptions. Leo Chenal led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 6 assisted ones along with 0.5 sacks. Keeanu Benton led the defense in sacks in that game with 2 while Scott Nelson came up with the only interception for them in that one. They have scored 310 points in their 12 games this season averaging 25.8 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 197 points against them allowing 16.4 PPG. Their offense is averaging 377.3 YPG while their defense is allowing 241.4 YPG.
Arizona State vs Wisconsin Prediction
Wisconsin is coming into this Las Vegas Bowl as a 7 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Both of these teams had great seasons this year but Wisconsin was a much better team all around. They lost their last game of the season which would have sent them to the Big Ten Title game but they had won 7 games straight prior to that loss. Their defense has been great all season and has allowed less than 17 points per game this season. ASU is going to struggle to score on Wisconsin's defense in this game and that is going to be the difference here. The best bet to place in this game is on Wisconsin to cover the spread here as they will keep ASU from scoring and will pull away as the game goes on.
Arizona State Wisconsin Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Thursday, December 30, 2021 (10:30 pm ET start time) is Wisconsin 28 ASU 13.
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NCAAF Betting Trends
Arizona State Sun Devils: 6-11 ATS in a bowl game. 5-10 ATS in minor bowl games (played in December). 2-5 ATS as a neutral field underdog of 7 points or less. 6-12 ATS in games played on a neutral field. 8-14 ATS in December games. 2-5 ATS in non-conference games. 3-7 ATS off a home win. 1-7 ATS after allowing 100 or less rushing yards last game.
Wisconsin Badgers: 7-3 ATS in minor bowl games (played in December). 27-15 ATS when the total is 42 or less. 36-23 ATS when playing with 2 weeks or more of rest. 82-52 ATS off 1 or more consecutive unders. 26-11 ATS after gaining 100 or less rushing yards last game.
Key Injuries
Arizona State Sun Devils: J. Jones (DB) Out Dec 30 - Personal. H. Hattis (OL) Ques Dec 30 - Undisclosed injury. J. Conyers (TE) Ques Dec 30 - Undisclosed injury.
Wisconsin Badgers: S. Lytle (LB) Ques Dec 30 - Undisclosed injury. M. Strey (LB) Ques Dec 30 - Undisclosed injury. A. Abbott (WR) Ques Dec 30 - Undisclosed injury.
Notable Quotes
"The day I don't have the energy to walk up those stairs, I'm going to walk back down. I'm the coach. I'm going to be the coach." - Herm Edwards on retiring after a win against Arizona to close out their regular season.
"The biggest thing was just not getting in a rhythm. They're a good defense, but we've all got to execute together and truly move the ball one first down at a time." - Graham Mertz on their loss against Minnesota in their last game of the regular season.
Starting Lineups
Arizona State Sun Devils
WR Johnson, Andre
WR Wilson, Johnny
WR Pearsall, Ricky
TE/FB Curtis Hodges
QB Daniels, Jayden
RB Rachaad White
Wisconsin Badgers
WR Pryor, Kendric
WR Davis III, Danny
TE Ferguson, Jake
QB Mertz, Graham
RB Allen, Braelon
FB Chenal, John
Statistical Leaders
Arizona State Sun Devils
Passing: J. Daniels (2221)
Rushing: R. White (1000)
Receiving: R. Pearsall (515)
Touchdowns: R. White (16)
Wisconsin Badgers
Passing: G. Mertz (1821)
Rushing: B. Allen (1109)
Receiving: D. Davis III (478)
Touchdowns: B. Allen (12)
Coaches:
Arizona State Sun Devils: Herm Edwards (4th season)
Wisconsin Badgers: Paul Chryst (7th season)