Wisconsin vs Northwestern Prediction, Game Preview, and Betting Lines
By Pete Fiutak,
6 hours ago
All of a sudden, both Wisconsin and Northwestern are looking like players in the Big Ten race.
Nah, neither one will be in the title hunt - even though the Badgers are 2-1 in conference play - but they both looked fantastic last week.
Actually, Wisconsin has been wonderful over the last two games, rolling Purdue 52-6 before dominating Rutgers 42-7. It gets Penn State at Iowa, Oregon, and at Nebraska up next before dealing with Minnesota, but win here and the rest of the season becomes interesting.
Northwestern was rolled by Indiana and couldn’t do anything against Washington, but last week it was totally dominant in a 37-10 win at Maryland.
It gets three of the next four games on the road - with Iowa, Purdue, and Michigan away from Lanny and Sharon, and the home game a light breather against Ohio State.
Oct 12, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Will Pauling (6) celebrates his touchdown reception with teammates during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium.
Wisconsin vs Northwestern How to Watch Date: Saturday, October 19, 2024 Game Time: 12:00 pm ET Venue: Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium, Evanston, IL How to Watch: Big Ten Network Northwestern (3-3), Wisconsin (4-2) - Week 8 Schedule, Predictions
Why Wisconsin Will Win
There’s the Wisconsin we were all waiting for.
The backfield lost QB Tyler Van Dyke in the Alabama game, and don’t have star RB Chez Mellusi, but Tawee Walker has turned into a whale of a back, Braedyn Locke has been good enough under center, and the offense is working.
Granted, playing Purdue and Rutgers is a tad easier than dealing with Alabama and USC, but the offense cranked up over 1,300 yards in the last two games as it all started to kick in.
Northwestern has the worst third down offense in the Big Ten because the passing game has among the league’s least accurate passing games. But …
No, they don’t have a high-powered offense, but they’ve failed to turn the ball over in three of the last four games, and against Maryland they were +4 in turnover margin.
Wisconsin has been rock steady at turning the ball over with two giveaways in each of the last four games. Locke has been accurate over the last two weeks, but he hit just half of his passes against Alabama and USC.
Washington and Indiana have dangerous midrange passing games - they each hit the 73% mark against Northwestern - but Maryland couldn’t get its attack moving. This year Northwestern is 3-0 when the other side fails to hit 60% of its passes.
Wisconsin vs Northwestern: Who Will Win
Traditionally, when Northwestern beats Wisconsin - when Wisconsin really is good - it’s because the Badger mistakes start flowing. Northwestern doesn’t make mistakes, UW starts turning it over, and that’s not happening in this.
Wisconsin still isn’t that great even after the last two weeks, but it’ll keep the momentum rolling after a strong last two weeks.
Wisconsin vs Northwestern Prediction, Betting Lines
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