Wisconsin vs Oklahoma State Preview and Prediction For the Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Tuesday's college football bowl game action concludes with a late-night contest in Phoenix at the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Thanks to a flood of transfer portal entrants at both programs, it's anyone's guess as to what will unfold when the Wisconsin Badgers meet the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Perhaps it is that same unpredictability that will make for a great game! What we do know for certain is that the Wisconsin vs Oklahoma State odds are favoring the Big Ten Conference representative in this matchup.

The following game preview provides our official Wisconsin vs Oklahoma State prediction for the Guaranteed Rate Bowl matchup.

Wisconsin vs Oklahoma State Preview and Prediction | Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Wisconsin Badgers (6-6, 4-5 Big Ten) vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-5, 4-5 Big 12)
Date: Tuesday, December 27, 2022
Time: 10:15 p.m. EST
Venue: Chase Field — Phoenix, AZ
Coverage: ESPN

Photo byJohn Fisher/Getty Images

It didn't take long for Wisconsin fans to realize that their team would fall well short of expectations in 2022. A non-conference loss to Washington State set the panic ball in motion. Wisconsin then opened up Big Ten Conference play with consecutive blowout losses to Ohio State and Illinois. Paul Chryst was fired and Jim Leonard took over on an interim basis. The Badgers weren't even able to clinch bowl eligibility until the penultimate game of the season when they scored in the final minute to slip past Nebraska by a single point.

On the contrary, Oklahoma State started the season off strong. The Cowboys avenged their loss in last year's Big 12 Conference title game by beating Baylor in their league opener. However, a season that got off to a 6-1 start got turned on its head by injuries. An embarrassing 48-0 shutout loss to Kansas State marked the start of a late-season swoon that saw OSU lose four of its final five games. Mike Gundy lost a number of key contributors to the transfer portal at the conclusion of the regular season.

Wisconsin vs Oklahoma State College Football Trends

• Badgers are 2-7 against the spread (ATS) in their last nine games against teams with a winning record.
• Five of the Badgers' last six games following an ATS loss have gone OVER the total.
• The UNDER is 6-1 in the Badgers' last seven games played in the month of December.
• Cowboys are 6-0 ATS in their last six bowl games.
• The UNDER is 12-3 in the Cowboys' last 15 games played in the month of December.
• Cowboys are 7-0 ATS in their last seven games against opponents who travel 1000 miles or more to reach the site of the game.
• Badgers have not faced a Big 12 Conference opponent since the 2002 Alamo Bowl when they beat the Cowboys 31-28.

Wisconsin vs Oklahoma State Prediction

Out of all the college football bowl games taking place this year, the Guaranteed Rate Bowl may be the toughest to handicap. Given all of the personnel turnover and transfer portal departures, the season-long stats for both teams have to be taken with a grain of salt. This is especially true of the offenses which both lost their respective starting quarterbacks to transfer.

After a very disappointing career at Wisconsin, Graham Mertz entered the portal and has already committed to making Florida his next destination. His departure means that either Chase Wolff or Myles Burkett will start on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State will be without the services of Spencer Sanders who also made the decision to transfer. Either Garrett Rangel or Gunnar Gundy, the son of head coach Mike Gundy, will start for the Pokes.

While the quarterback situation is a nightmare on its own, the losses for both teams extend well beyond the position. When one thinks of Wisconsin football, strong interior line play typically comes to mind. Well, the Badgers are poised to be without starters on both the offensive and defensive lines in the bowl game. Linebacker Nick Herbig has also opted out to prepare for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Oklahoma State lost several other key contributors on both sides of the ball as well. Running back Dominic Richardson and linebacker Mason Cobb are two of the most noteworthy names on the list of Cowboys that went into the transfer portal at the end of the regular season.

The one thing that Oklahoma State has going for it is coaching continuity. While Gundy isn't leaving Stillwater anytime soon, this will be Jim Leonard's final game as the head man for Wisconsin with Luke Fickell waiting in the wings. Coaching certainly matters in the postseason, and Gundy has thrived both in bowl games and as a betting underdog over the years. If points prove hard to come by, bettors will be glad to have a field goal and change in pocket.

OKLAHOMA STATE COVERS +3.5 will be our official college football Wisconsin vs Oklahoma State prediction for the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.