The Wisconsin Badgers take on the Washington State Cougars. Check out our college football odds series for our Wisconsin Washington State prediction and pick. Find how to watch Wisconsin Washington State.

The Wisconsin Badgers are trying to marry the new and the old this year. They don't want to abandon their reputation for being able to run the ball and play tough, hard-nosed defense. Those have been calling cards for the Wisconsin program for over 30 years, since Barry Alvarez arrived and turned around what had been a moribund program for multiple decades. However, new coach Luke Fickell doesn't want to remain stagnant or predictable. He came in as the new head coach of the Badgers and hired Phil Longo as his new offensive coordinator. Longo has been to North Carolina and Ole Miss, among other places, and he embraces modern spread concepts in an era when college football has become more focused on enhancing the passing game and maximizing offense. Fickell wants Wisconsin's passing game to enter the 21st century. He took over for Paul Chryst, a coach who was simply unable to develop previous UW quarterback Graham Mertz, who is now a Florida Gator.

Wisconsin is trying to maintain its old virtues but develop new ones as well under Fickell. The first really big test for Fickell as the Badgers' head coach is a road trip to Washington State, a team which beat Wisconsin in Madison last year.

Here are the Wisconsin-Washington State College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Football Odds: Wisconsin-Washington State Odds

Wisconsin Badgers: -6.5 (-105)

Washington State Cougars: +6.5 (-115)

Over: 58.5 (-105)

Under: 58.5 (-115)

How To Watch Wisconsin vs Washington State

TV: ABC

Stream: ESPN Plus

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT

*Watch Wisconsin vs Washington State LIVE on fuboTV (click for free trial)*

Why Wisconsin Could Cover the Spread

The Badgers have modernized. Their offense isn't going to get stuck in this game the way it did one year ago in a painful loss to Washington State. Last year, and frankly for the past few years, Wisconsin's offense was predictable and easy to defend. Part of that was admittedly Graham Mertz not being very good, but a lot of it was Wisconsin not having the ideas to reshape the offense and create new options for the skill players. Wisconsin has operated within a familiar and narrow framework for several years: run the ball, establish control of the line of scrimmage, get into favorable down-and-distance situations, and use play action when the defense comes into the tackle box to stuff the run. It's not as though those principles will be abandoned by Luke Fickell and Phil Longo, but there will be more options for this Badger offense, and that will matter against Washington State's defense.

Why Washington State Could Cover the Spread

The fact that Wisconsin is modernizing and developing its approach to offense should serve the Badgers well in the long run, but will it help Wisconsin in this one game? When teams try to shift from one scheme to another and change coaching staffs, the first year of that shift often involves an imperfect fit in terms of personnel. The players who are being asked to run the new offense were more suited to run the previous season's offense. Wisconsin could be caught in between identities and playing styles, and that would work to Washington State's advantage. The Cougars are playing at home and should play with great energy. Wisconsin will need to be precise to win this game, and that's not likely given the transition the Badgers are trying to pull off. UW will be a good team in November, but September could be a bumpy ride.

Final Wisconsin-Washington State Prediction & Pick

The Wisconsin transition will probably limit what the Badgers do in this game. Take Washington State against the spread.

Final Wisconsin-Washington State Prediction & Pick: Washington State +6.5