Wisconsin Badgers at Northwestern Wildcats Odds & Game Pick (2020)
In what should essentially end up being a play-in game to the Big 10 Championship game in Indianapolis next month, two undefeated in Northwestern and Wisconsin will face off this Saturday in Evanston.
For the home Wildcats, a 4-0 start has been blessed with no missed games, picking up wins on the road at Iowa and Purdue on their way to this point. The Badgers, on the other hand, have not been as fortunate.
After a Friday night blowout of Illinois now almost a month ago, the Badgers were forced to cancel the following consecutive weeks due to a COVID-19 breakout. Though they were able to bounce back last week, they face a step up in competition in this one.
Let’s take a closer look at both team’s chances to take one step closer to Indy.
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Details
- Opening Lines: Wisconsin -7; O/U 45.5
- Current Line: Wisconsin -6.5
- O/U: 43.5
- Location: Ryan Field, Evanston, IL
- Start Time: 3:30 pm ET
- Television: ABC
- Last Meeting: September 28, 2019 – Northwestern 15, Wisconsin 24
Overview
Coming into this one with their first 4-0 start in conference play in nearly 30 years, the #19 Wildcats have gotten solid quarterback play from graduate transfer Peyton Ramsey. Through four games, Ramsey has a 6:4 touchdown to interception ratio, three (TDs) of which came last week in the Wildcat’s 27-20 road win against Purdue.
While Ramsey and the run-by-committee rushing game has been solid for the Wildcats, their defense has been one of the best in the country. Through the first four weeks, the unit ranks 7th in points (14) and 10th (301.8) in yards allowed.
Unfortunately for Ramsey and his unit, the opposition this week can contain an offense itself. Though the sample size is small, just two games against what is increasingly appearing to be weak opponents, the Badgers defense has allowed just 9 points and 218.5 yards per game, making them the leaders nationally in both.
Not to be left out of the fun, this Badgers offense has been putting up numbers themselves. Through two games, led by freshman quarterback Graham Mertz, the Wisconsin offense is averaging 47 points and 449 yards per game, putting them near the top of the country in both categories.
- Wisconsin is 4-0 ATS in their last four Big Ten games
- Northwestern is 10-4-3 ATS in their last 17 following an ATS win
- The Underdog is 5-1 ATS in these two teams last six meetings
Bottom Line
While Michigan certainly appears to be doing Michigan things yet again this season, make no mistake that Wisconsin’s drubbing of them last week in Ann Arbor could’ve been even worse. In the win, the Badgers rushed for 341 yards while nine different players got at least one carry.
In this one, I think Wisconsin’s high-powered offense is too much for what’s a strong Northwestern defense, but likely not talented enough on the outside and secondary to keep up with Mertz and his two favorite targets in TE Jake Ferguson and WR Danny Davis.
Though I expect it to be competitive early, look for Wisconsin to pull away in the third quarter before winning by 10+.
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TJ Perun is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from TJ, check out his archive and follow him @JohnnyCovers.