NCAAF Pick: Wisconsin Over 8.5 Wins (-145) at Caesars Sportsbook (check our Caesars Sportsbook Review)
Will the Wisconsin Badgers dominate in Luke Fickell’s first year at Wisconsin? I tend to think so. My analysis is below.
Wisconsin Badgers Preview
It’s a new era for the Wisconsin Badgers. Luck Fickell will take over as head coach of the football program.
Wisconsin went 7-6 last season. But that wasn’t with Fickell. Fickell was with Cincinnati last season.
In seven years, Fickell has gone 57-18 as a college football head coach. Wisconsin got a good one.
The Badgers started to fall apart. They needed someone to bring this team and fanbase back to life. They needed someone who could bring a winning tradition back to Wisconsin. And the Badgers got their guy.
The last time Wisconsin won a Big Ten Championship was in 2012. They’re having issues against other Big Ten West programs. When looking up and down those standings, Wisconsin should have the best resources than any other program in that division.
They need to act like it and recruit like it. Wisconsin finally realized. Let’s take a look at the Badgers’ 2023 football preview.
The Offense
Wisconsin used the transfer portal to its advantage. The Badgers lost Graham Mertz to Florida but brought Tanner Mordecai from SMU to help balance the offense. Behind him are quarterbacks Nick Evers (Oklahoma) and Braedyn Locke (Mississippi State). The Badgers aren’t messing around.
Wisconsin brought in Phil Longo to be the offensive coordinator. He worked under Mack Brown in North Carolina and put together one of the most lethal offenses in the nation.
Mordecai will likely start. He’ll have excellent receivers, like CJ Williams from USC, Will Pauling from Cincinnati, and Bryson Green from Oklahoma State.
Plus, the running game will still be electric, as always. Braelon Allen has returned for the Badgers, and if he stays healthy, he’ll be one of the best running backs in the nation this season. Chez Mellusi is also very good and will be a 1-2 punch with Allen.
The pass protection needs to work with the offensive line, but Wisconsin should be an above-average line, at least in the run game.
The Defense
The Wisconsin-based team is in the Big Ten West. They don’t need an insane offense to win games in that division. They just need a defense that can do its job more times than not.
The Badgers allowed more than 24 points in just three games. That would likely do the job for Wisconsin this year. Again, Fickell used the transfer portal to add more talent on the defensive end.
The Badgers brought in Jason Maitre from Boston College. He should be a real contributor early on.
The pass rush still needs to get better. The Badgers will rely on Gio Paez and Darryl Peterson to help on the defensive front. The front three haven’t changed. They just have more experience under their belt from last year.
Realistically, Wisconsin has their top three tacklers from last year returning. That should be a big boost to this defense.
The Schedule and Win Total
The Badgers are expected to win nine or more games this season via oddsmakers. The win total line is 8.5, with the over juiced to -145. Let’s take a look at the Badgers’ schedule.
They’ll take on Buffalo to begin the season. Chalk that one up as a win. They’ll also have Washington State on the road. You can give me Wisconsin for that game too.
At 2-0, they’ll face Georgia Southern at home. Wisconsin should be 3-0 to begin the year.
After that, they’ll have a road game against Purdue. It would be embarrassing for Fickell to lose his first Big Ten matchup against Purdue. I’ll give Wisconsin another win here. They’d be 4-0 with a game against Rutgers at home. That’s another win for the program.
With five wins, they’ll take on Iowa. That should be an intriguing and exciting matchup. But with Wisconsin home, you can give me the Badgers here too.
Wisconsin would be 6-0 before facing Illinois. I also like Wisconsin to find a way, on the road, against Illinois. However, I’ve got the Badgers losing to Ohio State, even at home, on October 28. That could be a game between two undefeated teams in the Big Ten. That would be electric.
Anyway, at 7-1, Wisconsin should get back in the win column with a win over Indiana. They’ll also beat Northwestern, Nebraska, and Minnesota.
As you can see, I’m high on Wisconsin. They win the Big 10 West division and play for a Big Ten Championship and potentially a National Title. If the Badgers win the Big Ten West, they’ll play in the Big Ten Championship. They’ll play in the College Football Playoff if they win the Big Ten Championship.
NCAAF Pick: Wisconsin Over 8.5 Wins (-145) at Caesars Sportsbook
