It is time to continue our college football odds series with a Western Michigan-Wisconsin prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Western Michigan-Wisconsin.
Year 1 for Wisconsin football under coach Luke Fickell (who did coach UW in its 2022 bowl game after being newly hired by the school) did not go as smoothly as anyone hoped it would. Fickell made the very curious decision to go to a spread passing offense. The decision was curious not because spread passing is a poor choice — it isn't — but only because Fickell inherited Wisconsin players who were recruited to play the Badgers' traditional style of offense: pro-style, smashmouth, big uglies blocking for powerful running backs, with play-action passing in the mix. Fickell inherited a Paul Chryst roster recruited to play in the traditional Wisconsin style. Wanting a more spread passing-based offense is fine, but the issue was that Fickell did not have the personnel in 2023 to run that offense. Yet, he chose it anyway.
This decision — and the scenario which flowed from it — mirrored other ugly transitions at other schools. Mississippi State under Zach Arnett, and Geoff Collins taking over a few years ago from triple-option maestro Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech, were other examples of coaches insisting on an immediate overhaul of offenses despite inheriting personnel recruited to run a very different style of offense. Most people would tell you that Fickell should have retained Wisconsin's old style of offense in 2023, with minimal disruptions. Then he could have recruited new players more suited to the new style of offense. The 2023 season should have been a bridge year for Wisconsin, but Fickell didn't want to build a bridge. He wanted an immediate change in the Badgers' style of play.
That desire for immediacy cost him and Wisconsin. The Badgers clearly did not have the personnel needed to run coordinator Phil Longo's preferred style of offense. Wisconsin frequently got stuck on that side of the ball and performed nowhere close to expectations.
Now, in 2024, Wisconsin might be ready to play offense the way Fickell and Longo expect it to. Miami Hurricane transfer Tyler Van Dyke is the new quarterback. If Wisconsin's offensive line can protect him, the Badger offense could take off and UW might surprise some people in the new and expanded 18-team Big Ten Conference. The offense gets its first test drive against Western Michigan on Friday night in Madison at Camp Randall Stadium.
Here are the Western Michigan-Wisconsin College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Western Michigan-Wisconsin Odds
Western Michigan: +23.5 (-105)
Moneyline: +1280
Wisconsin: -23.5 (-115)
Moneyline: -3500
Over: 55.5 (-115)
Under: 55.5 (-105)
How to Watch Western Michigan-Wisconsin
Time: 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
TV: Fox Sports 1
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Western Michigan Could Cover The Spread/Win
It's really very simple: Wisconsin might have a good offense, but we don't know that right now. The offense could develop into something really special over the course of three full months and 12 full games, but in Week 1, there might be plenty of hiccups and rough edges. The spread is large. All Western Michigan has to do to cover the spread is lose by only three touchdowns. Wisconsin 38, WMU 17, means Western covers the spread.
Why Wisconsin Could Cover The Spread/Win
This offense is waiting to explode. The Badgers now have personnel more suited to what they want to achieve on offense. If the pieces all fit and come together in this game, Wisconsin — a team not known for scoring big — will put 50 on WMU and win by 35.
Final Western Michigan-Wisconsin Prediction & Pick
Are you sure you know what will happen here? We're not. We're going to study some teams in Week 1 if we're not sure we know what to expect. Study, take notes, and learn so that in future weeks, you can make a more confident betting play. Sit this one out.
Final Western Michigan-Wisconsin Prediction & Pick: Western Michigan +23.5
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