The Wisconsin Badgers head into the Big House to play the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, October 1st at 3:30 p.m. ET. This will be the first meeting since 2010 between the two Big-10 schools. The contest will be aired on ABC for the weekend viewer’s entertainment. Michigan is a -10.5 favorite and the over/under is 44.5.
#8 Wisconsin Badgers (4-0):
The Badgers enter this contest after manhandling fellow Big-10 opponent Michigan State in Lansing. Wisconsin rolled to a 30-6 victory with the help from their red shirt freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook and a stout Badger defensive performance. Wisconsin forced four turnovers and the new kid on the block threw for over 350 yards and three touchdowns.
Alex Hornibrook got thrown to the wolves last Saturday and returned leading the pack after their match-up with the Spartans. The youngster threw up 43 passes and completed 29 of them for 378 yards. Three of those completions were touchdown tosses, while two more attempts fell in the hands of the Michigan State secondary.
The Badgers have four able running backs at coach Paul Chryst’s disposal. They are led by Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale. Together, the two teammates have racked up 107 carries for 433 yards and six trips to the end zone.
Three savvy wide outs have become the Wisconsin signal-caller’s favorite targets. Jazz Peavy, Robert Wheelwright and Troy Fumagalli have totaled 45 catches for almost another 700 yards and two touchdowns.
The With impressive performances against LSU and Michigan State, the Badger defense has proven once again to be the real deal. Wisconsin also hasn’t allowed more than 17 points in any of their four games this season.
Only LSU’s running back and Heisman hopeful Leonard Fournette has rushed over 100 yards on them. As a result, the Badgers rank 10th in the country against the run (80.5). Wisconsin’s secondary is no slouch either. The group ranks 39th in the nation and the defense as a whole has forced nine turnovers this year.
#5 Michigan Wolverines (4-0):
I think it is safe to say the coach Jim Harbaugh has turned the Maize and Blue nation around. The Wolverines have won their four games by an average of 38.3 points, including last weeks 49-10 pounding of Penn State. In fact, the 208 points scored is the most a Wolverine club has ever scored over the first four games.
Quarterback Wilton Speight is catching on quick. The greenhorn under center has 72 completions for almost 900 yards. More importantly, he has nine touchdowns and only one interception. He is getting the ball to his play-makers effectively and letting the game come to him.
Balance is the key for the Wolverine offense. The running game certainly is holding up to its end of the bargain. Four studs all see about the same amount of carries and all of them are averaging over six yards a carry. As a whole, they have piled on almost 800 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns.
Wilton Speight has a solid group of speedy and athletic wide receivers to toss the ball around to. Amara Darboh and Jehu Chesson have 25 catches for over 400 yards and four scores. Tight end Jake Butt is first on the team with 19 catches, that have went for 234 yards and three more touchdowns.
Michigan’s defense is full of play makers that have stifled opposing teams offenses. Standout linebacker Jabrill Peppers has been a beast, anchoring a defense that ranks 13th in the nation in points allowed. He even hopes to play a bigger role on offense, after running the rock twice for 25 yards.
The Wolverine’s will only get better with the return of corner back Jourdan Lewis. Lewis is back from an injury that held him out for the first three games. The senior All-American tallied two tackles and one pass break-up against Penn State and should bolster the country’s 12th ranked passing defense.
Trends and Notes:
The Badgers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall.
The Under is 4-1 in the Badgers last 5 games overall.
The Over is 12-0 in the Wolverines last 12 games overall.
The Wolverines are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Badgers are 7-1-1 ATS in their last 9 meetings with the Wolverines.
Game Prediction:
The Badgers are riding high after an impressive performance against the Spartans. Their redshirt freshman quarterback will get another taste of Michigan football. Wisconsin will lean on their talented running back Corey Clement, in hopes of controlling the clock on Saturday.
Obviously, they will also rely on their stout defense to win the battle of field position and contain the talented play-makers in Ann Arbour. Saying and doing are two different things.
Michigan is stacked on both sides of the ball. Wilton Speight has picked up on what coach Harbaugh is laying down. There are so many options at his disposal for Saturday’s match-up, he just needs to keep getting the ball to them efficiently.
Both defenses can flat out play, but one gets to go up against a quarterback that might be in over his head. The underdog in this rivalry is usually the pick em’ choice and then +10.5 looks juicy. That being said, the over/under 44.5 seems a little low, considering how opportunistic these defenses can be in contributing to points.
Take the better balance team on home turf in the first half. Also, don’t be afraid to take advantage of a game that should have enough big plays to hit that over.
Michigan -6 half-time and the over 44.5.
