It’s a Week 4 battle of ranked unbeatens in their Big Ten opener. The Michigan Wolverines and Wisconsin Badgers are coming off a bye and they’ve taken different routes to get here, but they collide on Saturday with one team getting its first loss of the season. The maize and blue squeaked by Army in overtime in its last contest. Meanwhile, the Badgers have been a big surprise with a pair of victories by a combined score of 110-0 and current college football odds have them as a 3.5-point favorite. Camp Randall Stadium in Madison is the site of this matchup with kickoff slated for 12 p.m. ET on FOX.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Michigan Wolverines +3.5
Wisconsin Badgers -3.5
Over/Under 43
Michigan at Wisconsin Odds Analysis
The early season outburst has a majority of the public riding the Badgers in this one, even with an extra week to think about it. Bucky opened -2.5 and the line was wagered to -3.5 with more action still to come. The line has flipped between -3 and -3.5 over the last few days and there appears to be some hesitation from oddsmakers to move it off the key number. If the line doesn’t move the juice will, so pay attention to what’s happening. There has been plenty of activity on the over/under. The opening total of 47 was too high for plenty of folks and that number has been bet down four points to its current 43.
Michigan Odds
They are 2-0 but let’s be honest, the Wolverines haven’t given their backers much to get excited about. The off week came early and at the right time for UM, which needs to regroup after nearly getting upset by Army last time out. Going off as a 21.5-point favorite in the Big House, Michigan never led until overtime getting a defensive stop to post the 24-21 victory. The Wolverines looked a little better in the opener taking care of Middle Tennessee, 40-21, however, they failed to cover the 36-point line in that one and they are 0-6 ATS dating back to the final four games of 2018.
Wisconsin Odds
Don’t expect the Badgers to remain perfect, especially now that the competition ramps up a bit. They looked sharp in wins over South Florida and Central Michigan, pitching a pair of shutouts while denting the scoreboard for 110 points. Wisconsin is also coming off a bye and probably wishes it wasn’t. That down time could slow momentum, and so could Michigan’s defense. The Badgers have defended their home field well going 16-2 SU in their last 18 dates and they are 4-0 SU and ATS in the last four with UM at Camp Randall.
Key Stats
Wisconsin hasn’t hurt itself so far this season. Sure, the opposition hasn’t been the most difficult, but Bucky is paying close attention to details. They are the least penalized team and have yielded the fewest penalty yards in the Big Ten. The guys who touch the ball the most have also taken care of the rock. Jack Coan has completed 76.3 percent of his passes and has yet to throw an interception. Jonathan Taylor has carried the ball 35 times with an average of 6.8 yards per carry and hasn’t fumbled. You might recall the issues he had holding onto the rock putting 12 on the ground over the last two seasons.
Last Meeting
The teams will play for the fourth straight year in a crossover game and the Badgers are looking for payback after suffering their worst loss in the series since 1990. Shea Patterson accounted for 214 yards and the Wolverines rattled off 31 unanswered points to break a 7-7 tie en route to a 38-13 victory. Patterson threw for only 124 yards on 14 of 20 passing, that’s because UM churned out 320 yards on the ground, deflating Wisconsin’s defense with chunks at a time. Wisconsin managed only 283 total yards with Taylor accounting for 101 on 17 rush attempts. He entered the game leading the nation with nearly 170 yards per game. Michigan was a 10-point favorite on the college football betting line in that game, easily covering while ending Wisconsin’s 17-game Big Ten regular season winning streak.
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