The No. 12 Michigan Wolverines (-8) are prepared to play host to their in-conference foe No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers at Michigan Stadium. ABC will televise the action and the game is scheduled to get underway at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Wisconsin Badgers vs. Michigan Wolverines Betting Preview
Wisconsin is projected as the underdog and is currently getting 8 points in this Big 10 game. The Badgers are also receiving +250 moneyline odds while the Wolverines are -330. Some good live betting opportunities might present themselves during this matchup.
This game’s line opened at -7 and the sharp action is siding with the Wolverines.
Each team has posted a positive return this season as the Badgers have recorded 2.0 units while the Wolverines are up 1.4 units.
The Badgers are 4-1 straight up (SU), including 2-0 SU against Big 10 opponents. The Wolverines are 5-1 SU overall and 3-0 SU in conference play.
The Badgers are coming off a resounding 41-24 win over Nebraska last week. Alex Hornibrook completed just 13-of-24 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown. Jonathan Taylor (221 rushing yards on 24 attempts, three TDs) and Taiwan Deal (74 yards on 10 carries, one TD) propelled the ground attack while Jake Ferguson (four receptions, 47 yards, one TD) and Taylor (three catches, 60 yards) manned the receiving duties in the win.
Michigan just earned a 42-21 win over Maryland. Shea Patterson completed 19-of-27 passes for 282 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Karan Higdon (103 yards on 25 rush attempts) spearheaded the running game as Zach Gentry (seven receptions, 112 yards) and Grant Perry (three catches, 24 yards) led the receiving attack in the win.
Wisconsin’s run the ball on 66.4 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Michigan has a rush percentage of 60.4 percent. The Badgers have run for 287 yards per game (including 290 per game against Big Ten opponents) and have 14 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Wolverines are putting up 200 rush yards per game (212 in conference) and have 13 total rushing TDs.
The Badgers offense has averaged 193 yards in the air overall (184 per game versus conference opposition) and has eight passing TDs so far. The Wolverines have recorded 221 pass yards per outing (232.0 against Big 10 foes) and have 12 total pass scores.
Defensively, Wisconsin has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 130 yards and pass for 220 yards per game. The Michigan defense has allowed 134.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 96.5 yards per game on the ground. The Wolverines are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 3.05 to opponents, while the Badgers have given up a 6.93 ANY/A.
Offensively, Hornibrook has put up 758 passing yards this season. He’s connected on 56-of-92 attempts with four passing scores and two interceptions. He has a 7.12 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 8.94 over the past two games.
The Badgers will probably try to maintain the pace by putting the ball into the hands of their running backs. Jonathan Taylor (736 rush yards, eight rush TDs), Garrett Groshek (142 rush yards, one receiving TD), and Taiwan Deal (199 rush yards, three rush TDs) have been focal points in the Wisconsin offensive scheme.
Shea Patterson has connected on 80-of-114 passes for 991 yards, 10 TDs and three INTs for Michigan. His ANY/A stands at 8.32 for the year and 9.40 across his last two outings.
The Wolverines should also look to control the clock by turning to their backfield. In addition to Karan Higdon (seven receiving yards), Zach Gentry (zero rush yards, 260 receiving yards, one receiving TD) and Nico Collins (zero rush yards, 192 receiving yards, one TD) have seen a multitude of touches lately.
These two schools faced off last year with the final outcome being a 24-10 win for Wisconsin.
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Michigan defensive unit has recorded 18 sacks on the year while Wisconsin has just five.
The Michigan offense has lost one fumble this season while Wisconsin has lost three.
The Badgers offense has registered two pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Wolverines have put up five such plays.
The Wisconsin defense has allowed four pass plays of 40+ yards, while Michigan has given up two such plays.
The Wisconsin offense has created 12 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Michigan has created 14 such runs.
The Badgers defense has allowed four rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Wolverines have given up five such runs.
Michigan was favored by 18 points in its previous game and the O/U was set at 44.5. The over cashed and Michigan covered in the 42-21 win over Maryland.
In its last three matchups, Michigan is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
Over its last three matchups, Wisconsin is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
Wisconsin was favored by 19 points in its last game and the O/U was 59.5. The over cashed and Wisconsin failed to cover in the 41-24 victory over Nebraska.
As a team, Wisconsin has rushed for 5.80740740740741 yards per attempt across its last three games and 6.3 over its last two.
Michigan has averaged 5.0 yards per carry over its last three outings and 4.3 over its last two.
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