No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers (-16.5) vs. Northern Illinois Huskies, Total 63.5 |
Wisconsin has won 30-straight regular-season non-conference games and trails only LSU in that category heading into Saturday. The Badgers last lost such a contest back in 2003.
The team has been one of the more visually-impressive squads in the nation, tallying home victories over Oregon State (35-0) and UNLV (51-17) in the opening two weeks. Offensively, the team has out-gained opponents by a combined 320 yards.
Don’t forget about the defensive side of the ball, as its the only one in the country to record a shutout against a BCS team.
The national media is still going to focus in on the high-flying offense, coming into this contest as one of seven teams averaging at least 220 yards rushing and receiving though its first two games.
Starting a season with a 2-0 record is nothing new for head coach Brett Bielema, who hasn’t started any other way. The Badgers have also started a campaign with a 3-0 record in seven straight years.
Quarterback Russell Wilson is leading the team, completing 27-of-34 passes for 444 yards and five touchdowns. He transferred from NC State during the offseason and is averaging 12.9 yards per play, which is the second-best mark in the country.
The college football betting public will find that the Badgers are still just 10-11 ATS as favorites and the ‘over’ is 13-7 in those contests.
Northern Illinois may have been caught looking ahead to this contest in dropping a 45-42 decision to the Kansas Jayhawks as four-point road favorites. That would be an interesting storyline for a MAC school to be looking past a BCS conference opponent.
“They made one more play that we did tonight,” said Huskies head coach Dave Doeren. “Our defense didn’t get off the field on third down.”
The program has plenty of offensive weapons for the Badgers to be concerned about, racking up 462 total yards and scoring at least one touchdown in each quarter last week. Quarterback Chandler Harnish finished 27-of-33 for 315 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 89 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, the team allowed 253 rushing yards and 281 passing yards to the Jayhawks, a team that is far-less capable than the Badgers in scoring points against anybody in the country.
Bettors will find that the Huskies have covered their last five chances against Big Ten opponents, while also posting a 4-1 ATS in games as an underdog of 10.5 or more points in betting predictions.
