The Western Michigan Broncos enter this Cotton Bowl with an undefeated season still intact. The only other college football team that went undefeated was the Crimson Tide who rank No. 1 in the standings, earning a College Football Playoff berth. The Wisconsin Badgers meanwhile ended the season ranked ahead of the Broncos despite three losses. But a win for the Broncos could signal the need to expand the College Football playoffs as they’d become just the seventh team to end the year undefeated without a chance at the national title since 2004.
Don't miss the Cotton Bowl from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, January 2, 2016. Catch every moment of the game live on ESPN.
Cotton Bowl Odds at BookMaker.eu
Wisconsin -7.5
Western Michigan +7.5
Over/Under 52
When Western Michigan Has the Ball…
Wisconsin is the best defense that the Broncos have faced all season by a rather wide margin. Western Michigan’s offense is both explosive and diverse. They can beat the competition both in the air and on the ground though T.J. Watt could give Zack Terrell fits while the secondary could exploit it when he’s rushed to throw. The Badgers have nabbed 21 interceptions.
While pressure from Watt could rush Terrell, he’s been hard for opposing defenses to handle this season. He’s thrown for 3,376 yards and 32 touchdowns while giving up just three interceptions.
With the Badgers propensity to force interceptions and Terrell’s ability to avoid throwing them, something has to give.
The big key here will be the ability of Corey Davis to get open against a very strong Wisconsin secondary. Davis is the all-time leader in receiving yards in the all of the FBS. Davis and Terrell have hooked up for 1,427 yards and 18 touchdowns this season.
Shutting down the Terrell-Davis connection can heavy stall this offense, but it’s something no defense has been able to accomplish, yet. Of course, no other team can boast a linebacking duo of Watt and Vince Biegel or a secondary as stacked as the one the Badgers boast.
When Wisconsin Has the Ball…
Wisconsin wins on the strength of its defense. If this game turns into more of a shootout, that’s a terrible sign for this unit. It’s all about the linebacking core and particularly stingy rush defense. The Badgers win the battle on the ground, but out rushing the opposition. That’s how they win.
There’s plenty of uncertainty under center for the Badgers as both Bart Houston and Alex Hornibrok could see time in this Cotton Bowl matchup, heaping most of the load on Corey Clement to headline a run-first offense. Even the run game, however, has struggled to produce results from time-to-time this year.
Overall, Clement has carried the ball 292 times for 1,304 yards and 14 touchdowns. Those are pretty good overall numbers, but his 4.5 yards per carry number is good, but not as strong as some of the more elite backs in college football.
Robert Spillane is going to be key to the Broncos ability to slow Clement and the rest of the Wisconsin rushing attack. He’s single-handedly forced three interceptions and two fumbles this season.
In total, the defense ranks No. 4 in college football with just 15.5 PPG, but the offense is mediocre at best with the passing game averaging just 179.2 yards per game. Still, this team has scored 31 or more in its last four straight games. It wasn’t the offense that lost the Big Ten title game as they fell to the Nittany Lions 38-31.
The X Factor
With an undefeated season on the line and a chance to prove the validity of that undefeated record against a top-10 team out of the stacked Big Ten, the Broncos will focused and eager to send a message to the college football elite that this is a team that was undervalued all year long.
Meanwhile, the Broncos find themselves in a position that a win is expected and a loss against a team out of a lesser-conference would be a big disappointment.
Don’t underestimate the importance of motivation. It’s a hard thing to gauge, but there’s no doubt the motivation level is an advantage for Western Michigan. This is an historic moment in the program’s history. They’re in the midst of their best ever season and have a chance to put an emphatic exclamation point on their season while Wisconsin is a bit disappointed in their bowl placement after losses to the elite in their conference in Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go.
Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
