2. Wisconsin at Northwestern
LINE Wisconsin -10
ATS PICK Wisconsin
I’m steering into the skid assuming everything will settle in once it all stops.
I am well aware at the nightmare that Northwestern occasionally is for Wisconsin. I am very well away that any turnover issues for the Badgers becomes doom against Pat Fitzgerald’s program.
And I’m very, very well aware at the turmoil inside the Wisconsin program.
The easiest calls this year came after coaches got fired. Nebraska, Georgia Tech, Arizona State, they all didn’t suddenly get better after getting rid of their respective head men, and all of them got rolled right after.
No one around Wisconsin is happy about Paul Chryst getting fired. It was a shocker, but so was the abysmal performance against Illinois with two net rushing yards in a 34-10 loss.
But Northwestern is awful.
Granted, Wisconsin hasn’t showed a whole lot of punch so far outside of the 66-7 annihilation of poor New Mexico State, but Northwestern’s defensive front is getting worn as a hat. That’s about to continue.
More than that, the turnover battle should work on the other side. The Wildcats are giving it away in bunches – 12 turnovers in the last four games – and with defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard taking over for now, this become a pride game for that D.
Forget the Ohio State loss – Ohio State is at a whole other level. The Badger defense actually hasn’t been bad. It was solid against Illinois, find in the loss to Washington State, and now it needs some help from the other side.
If Northwestern plays like it has over the last four games, Wisconsin will pound away and keep pounding some more.
If that doesn’t happen and this doesn’t work, then the Badger program really is messed up and we’ll all act accordingly.
I think the opposite happens.