Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (0-1) vs. Wisconsin Badgers (1-0)
September 6, 2025 4:00 pm EDT
The Line: Wisconsin Badgers -28.5; Over/Under: 46.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and the Wisconsin Badgers meet Saturday in college football action from Camp Randall Stadium. Here’s a Wisconsin vs Middle Tennessee prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Wisconsin vs Middle Tennessee pick.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Betting Preview
Last season under first-year head coach Derek Mason, the Blue Raiders hit some snags in their schedule. Middle Tennessee limped to a 3-9 overall record by season’s end and went just 2-6 in Conference USA games. That effort would put Middle Tennessee just one spot out of the basement in the conference standings ahead of only Kennesaw State (who was ineligible for postseason play due to transition rules anyway). After losing five straight games near the beginning of the season, MTSU beat Kennesaw State and UTEP in a three-game stretch. Losses to Liberty, New Mexico State and FIU capped the season, however.
In their 2025 opener versus Austin Peay back on Saturday the Blue Raiders were down 21-7 by halftime. Middle Tennessee managed a third-quarter touchdown but also gave up points in all four quarters themselves during a 34-14 loss. QB Nicholas Vattiato finished with 104 yards and two scores on 15-of-36 passing, and Jekail Middlebrook rushed for 48 yards on 11 carries. Leading receiver Nahzae Cox had six catches for 50 yards and two touchdowns as well.
Wisconsin Badgers Betting Preview
Over on the Badgers’ side, they posted an unfortunate 5-7 overall run in 2024. It was the first time Wisconsin had notched a losing season since 2001 and broke a 23-year streak of bowl game appearances. The Badgers went just 3-6 in an admittedly tough Big Ten, finishing ahead of only Northwestern, Maryland and Purdue in the conference standings. It was a pretty massive disappointment considering the Badgers were picked to finish seventh in the Big Ten during the preseason media poll. Losses to Penn State, Iowa, Oregon, Nebraska and Minnesota capped a rough campaign.
The good news is that Wisconsin is off and running in 2025 with a victory in the books already. The Badgers took on Miami-Ohio in their opener last Thursday. Following a pretty modest 3-0 edge in the first half, Wisconsin scored a couple of touchdowns in the second on the way to a 17-0 shutout win. QB Danny O’Neil went 12-of-19 for 120 yards, one TD and one interception (with a rush TD), while Dilin Jones had 14 carries for 73 yards as the team’s top rusher. Vinny Anthony had four catches for 57 yards and a score as the team’s leading receiver, and Grant Stec added a couple of catches for 31 yards as well.
Wisconsin Badgers Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 2, Preston Zachman ranks T1st amongst FBS players for interceptions (2) this season.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 2, Amorion Walker ranks T1st amongst qualified players for catch rate (100.0%) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Wisconsin ranks T1st among FBS teams for points allowed per game this season (0.0).
- Wisconsin ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q1 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Middle Tennessee ranks T1st among FBS teams for red zone percentage this season (100.0).
- Middle Tennessee ranks 134th among FBS teams for yards per game this season (153.0).
Wisconsin vs Middle Tennessee Prediction
I might take a stab on Middle Tennessee in this one, however in reality I’m probably not touching it. The Blue Raiders will be overmatched on paper but if Wisconsin doesn’t shut the door with a big effort on offense MTSU could get in there. The Raiders’ O unit wasn’t great against Austin Peay though, posting only 153 yards (109 passing), 13 first downs and an ugly, ugly 0-of-12 result on third-down tries. That’s obviously not going to do it this weekend, especially against Wisconsin’s defense. MTSU’s only hope is to be underestimated.
As for the Badgers, they were pretty well-rounded on offense in their win over Miami-OH with 353 yards (188 passing), 4.7 yards per play and 23 first downs. Where Wisconsin really shined however, was on defense. That unit gave up just 117 total yards (83 passing), 2.9 yards per play, seven first downs and 0-of-9 on third-down tries alongside their two interceptions. It’s hard to imagine Middle Tennessee piling up too many yards on offense in this game, so you could probably make a good case for the Badgers cover-wise.
