The Western Michigan Broncos and the Wisconsin Badgers meet Friday in college football action from Camp Randall Stadium. Here’s a Wisconsin vs Western Michigan prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Wisconsin vs Western Michigan pick.
Western Michigan Broncos Betting Preview
The Broncos had a pretty rough season in 2023, finishing at just 4-8 overall. Western Michigan managed a 3-5 run in the Mid-American Conference, which put the Broncos in last place among the West Division (tied with Ball State record-wise) and out of a bowl berth.
Head coach Lance Taylor returns to the sideline for his second season. He’ll be joined by a pair of new coordinators in Walt Bell (offense) and Scott Power (defense), so there will be plenty of question marks in the early-going. The good news is that Western Michigan was ranked near the middle of the pack in the preseason coach’s poll, which would be an upgrade from last year.
Wisconsin Badgers Betting Preview
Over on the Badgers’ side, they managed a reasonable 7-6 overall run in 2023 and a 5-4 mark in a tough Big Ten. That would put Wisconsin in third place among the West Division, behind Iowa and Northwestern. The Badgers were invited to the ReliaQuest Bowl, where they lost 35-31 to LSU in a tough outcome.
Head coach Luke Fickell has a little experience in his second season, but he’ll lose some important pieces on both sides. Namely, C Tanor Bortolini and RB Braelon Allen are off to the NFL. There’s still plenty of talent on the roster, though. Badgers safety Hunter Wohler may be the best player on the team and should provide some sound leadership.
Why the Wisconsin Badgers will win
- Western Michigan has lost each of its last seven games against opponents from the Big Ten Conference.
- Wisconsin has won seven of its last eight season openers.
- Western Michigan has failed to cover the spread in each of its last seven games against opponents from the Big Ten Conference.
- Western Michigan has lost the first half in 17 of its last 18 games against opponents from the Big Ten Conference.
Why the Western Michigan Broncos will win
- Wisconsin has lost three of its last four games at Camp Randall Stadium.
- Wisconsin has failed to cover the spread in each of its last six home games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Western Michigan has covered the spread in four of its last five road games.
Total Points Facts
- Five of Wisconsin’s last six games at Camp Randall Stadium have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Eight of Western Michigan’s last 10 games against opponents from the Big Ten Conference have gone UNDER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- Wisconsin ranked T6th among FBS teams for Q4 points allowed per game last season (3.8).
- Wisconsin ranked T9th among FBS teams for H2 points allowed per game last season (8.0).
Wisconsin vs Western Michigan Prediction
I’ll probably stick with Wisconsin. This one should prove to be a nice matchup to get the Badgers started as they look ahead to the tough upcoming schedule. There’s a nasty stretch of games starting early in the season including Alabama, USC, Penn State and Oregon. We’ll really get to see what Wisconsin is made of in those matchups.
If the Badgers can return to form on offense (or at least close to it), they’ll at least have a shot in most games. Last year Wisconsin averaged 220.1 yards passing per game and 23.5 points. Those aren’t quite the loftiest scoreboard heights, but with a solid defensive effort it should be enough in most cases.