The No. 20 Wisconsin Badgers (-6) will meet their conference foe Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. This key afternoon matchup is scheduled to kick off at 12:00 p.m. ET and FOX will showcase the action.
Betting Preview: Northwestern Wildcats vs. Wisconsin Badgers
In this Saturday Big Ten game, Wisconsin is tabbed as the favorite and is currently giving up 6 points. The Badgers are also receiving -240 moneyline odds while the Wildcats are +190. If one team can create a bunch of points early it’ll generate a worthy in-game betting scenario. Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 50.5 points.
Betting odds have moved slightly from where they originally opened. The opening line was 6.5 while the game’s over/under was set initially at 50.
The Badgers have gained 1.0 unit so far and are 2-5 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 5-2.
The Wildcats have gained 3.6 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 3-4 ATS and have an O/U record of 4-3.
The Badgers have gone 5-2 straight up (SU), including 3-1 SU against conference opponents. The Wildcats are 4-3 SU overall and 4-1 SU in conference play.
The Badgers are coming off a resounding 49-20 win over Illinois last weekTheir defense allowed the Fighting Illini to rush for 210 yards on 36 attempts, including two rush TDs. Reggie Corbin had a productive day for the Fighting Illini in that one with 100 rushing yards and a score on nine attempts. On the offensive side of the ball, Alex Hornibrook completed 13-of-22 passes for just 188 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Jonathan Taylor (159 rushing yards on 27 attempts) and Taiwan Deal (111 yards on 12 carries, two TDs) led the running attack in the win while Danny Davis III (four receptions, 48 yards) and Jake Ferguson (three catches, 62 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties.
Northwestern enters this one after just earning an 18-15 win over Rutgers. The team’s defensive unit allowed the Scarlet Knights to rush for 107 yards on 26 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Isaih Pacheco had a good showing in the loss, posting 76 rushing yards and a score on 11 attempts for Rutgers. For Northwestern, Clayton Thorson completed 17-of-34 passes for 150 yards. Isaiah Bowser (108 yards on 24 rush attempts, two TDs) led the ground game in the win while Flynn Nagel (eight receptions, 71 yards) and Chad Hanaoka (two catches, 15 yards) led the pass-catching corps.
Wisconsin has run the ball on 66.4 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Northwestern has a rush percentage of 41.8 percent. The Badgers have produced 282.1 rush yards/game (including 280.0 per game versus Big Ten opponents) and have 19 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Wildcats are putting up 78.1 rush yards per game (72.4 in conference) and have 12 total rushing TDs.
The Badgers offensive scheme has tallied 179.1 yards per game in the air overall (164.0 per game against conference opposition) and has 12 passing scores so far. The Wildcats have produced 296.3 pass yards per contest (277 against Big 10 foes) and have nine total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, Wisconsin appears to have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed 168.7 rush yards and 187.4 pass yards per game. The Northwestern defense has given up 229.7 yards per game to opposing passers and 143.3 yards per game to opposing runners. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to the opposition, as the Badgers have given up an ANY/A of 5.39 to opposing QBs, while the Wildcats are allowing an ANY/A of 5.69.
Thorson has managed to complete 135-of-224 passes for 1,450 yards, six TDs and five INTs for Northwestern. His adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 5.19 for the year and 5.28 over his past two games. In the other locker room, Hornibrook is up to 1,151 passing yards on the year, and has completed 86-of-136 attempts with 10 passing touchdowns and four interceptions. Hornibrook has a 7.68 ANY/A for the year, though that number sits at 3.89 over the past two games.
When these two programs met a year ago, Wisconsin won by three field goals 33-24.
