Wisconsin vs Michigan 10/2/21 College Football Picks, Odds, Predictions

The Wisconsin Badgers meet the Michigan Wolverines Saturday in Week 5 Big Ten college football action from Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Michigan is coming off a week four matchup versus Rutgers. In that game, the Wolverines won by a touchdown. As for Wisconsin, they played Notre Dame in their last outing. The Badgers ended up taking a blowout loss there. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place. 

Michigan kicked off their season in style versus Western Michigan, ultimately powering through a blowout 47-14 win. The Wolverines would keep it going in week two versus Washington with a 31-10 win, and in week three versus Northern Illinois with a 63-10 victory. 

Last weekend versus Rutgers, the Wolverines couldn’t score in the second half but they still hung on for a 20-13 win. QB Cade McNamara put up 163 yards on 9-of-16 passing, and Blake Corum led the rushers with 68 yards from 21 carries.

Over on the Wisconsin side, they opened up the year with a tough game versus Penn State; the Badgers fell 16-10 in that one. Wisconsin would bounce back in their second outing of the year against Eastern Michigan, however. The Badgers came away with a 34-7 victory to even their record. 

In game three versus Notre Dame, Wisconsin had the game tied 10-10 going into the fourth quarter, but coughed up 31 points from there in a 41-13 defeat. QB Graham Mertz finished with 240 yards, one score and four picks, while Chez Mellusi rushed 18 times for 54 yards. 

Michigan is 7-2 ATS in their last nine in October and 5-11 ATS in their last 16 road games. The Wolverines are also 0-5 ATS in their last five overall. 

Meanwhile, the Badgers are 2-6 ATS in their last eight overall and 1-4 ATS in their last five on turf. Wisconsin is 1-5 ATS versus a team with a winning record as well.

PICK: I’m probably sticking with Michigan in this Big Ten showdown. The Wolverines need to recover from their limp second half against Rutgers, though. Michigan posted a tepid 275 yards last weekend, with 15 first downs and 54 total plays to the Knights’ 73. The Wolverines just couldn’t find a good rhythm to sustain drives later in the game. 

As for the Badgers, they imploded in the fourth quarter last weekend and had trouble sustaining drives all afternoon. Wisconsin was just 1-for-14 on third downs and gave away five turnovers. I don’t see them bouncing back well enough to cover here.