The Wisconsin Badgers (6-2) are looking to extend their three-game winning streak as they play the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-4). A player to watch in this matchup is the Big 10’s third-leading passer, Joel Stave (1,757 yards, 8 TDs). Rutgers has shown few signs of life this season, and given that it has lost two in a row, that doesn’t seem likely to change any time soon. The game will begin Saturday, Oct 31 at 12:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on BTN and BTN2.
Wisconsin beat Illinois 24-13 last week. Alex Erickson had a big game in the win, registering 10 receptions for 96 yards and one TD. He also ran for 81 yards on four attempts. Troy Fumagalli added 52 receiving yards on five receptions. Rutgers didn’t have the same success as Wisconsin, getting dominated by Ohio State 49-7. Carlton Agudosi had a solid game for the Scarlet Knights, totaling two receptions for 76 yards.
The Badgers are a heavy 19-point favorite and the Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is presently unavailable.
While the Badgers have a good Straight Up (SU) record this season (6-2), they’ve played below expectations with a 3-5 record Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last five games, the Badgers have records of 4-1 SU and 2-3 ATS. The Badgers passing game will face below-average pass coverage. The Scarlet Knights currently rank 124th in the nation with 309.1 passing yards allowed per game. Transitioning to the Wisconsin defense, there are some things to keep in mind when it is on the field. The Scarlet Knights could have a difficult time throwing the ball against the 22nd-best pass defense in the nation. The Badgers give up 182.2 yards per game through the air.
On the other side, the Scarlet Knights have 3-4 SU and ATS records this season. The Scarlet Knights went 2-3 for both SU and ATS over the last five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Wisconsin, ATS Winner – Wisconsin
Notes
Wisconsin is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games.
Wisconsin is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Wisconsin’s last 5 games.
Wisconsin is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games at home.
Rutgers is 3-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Wisconsin is 5-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
This season, Rutgers is only 1-2 SU in games where it comes out ahead in the turnover battle, and an even 1-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
Wisconsin has drawn an average of 8.1 penalties on opponents this season. Rutgers is an even 2-2 SU when penalized at least eight times in a game.
Per FBS ratings, Wisconsin has an advantage in the passing game. Its offensive passing game (ranked 41st in the nation) will face the 124th-ranked pass defense of Rutgers, while its 22nd-ranked pass defense will look to limit the 54th-ranked aerial attack of the Scarlet Knights.
