Michigan Wolverines vs. Wisconsin Badgers Game Preview: How to watch, start time, betting line, and prediction
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MICHIGAN OUTLOOK
It's crazy how quickly a season can change. After a month of football, the Wolverines appeared destined to make the College Football Playoff. Wilton Speight made it seem like he would be the steady leader of the offense, and the defense was shutting down opposing offenses despite the lack of returning starters. Speight got hurt, and the offense struggled in their fifth game, and was nonexistent in the blowout loss to Penn State a couple weeks later. The one thing that has remained constant is the defense.
Michigan is now a month removed from its last loss, and it's because they've allowed just 34 points in the last three games. In fact, besides the Penn State loss, the Wolverines have yet to allow more than 20 points in any game. A team can always count on being in a game if their defense can consistently play at a high level, and defensive coordinator Don Brown has his group locked and loaded each week. Brown's group wins the battles at the line of scrimmage, and he has six players with seven or more tackles for loss. If only the offense had a Don Brown running the show.
For how elite the defense is, the offense has been equally as average or worse. Michigan has the worst offense in the state, and those struggles have put plenty of pressure on the defense. Jim Harbaugh also is on his third string starter, Brandon Peters. Fans have been calling for Peters for a while because of the struggles of Speight and O'Korn, but now they don't have any other options if Peters heads down the same path.
One thing to keep in mind is that this team lost A LOT coming into this season. Five returning starters put the Wolverines behind right away, so an 8-2 record is a success. I know that's not the expectation in Ann Arbor, but this has been a good season thus far. Harbaugh just better hope that Brown doesn't go anywhere.
WISCONSIN OUTLOOK
Last week's matchup with Iowa did not start well. Alex Hornibrook threw two interceptions for touchdowns, and the offense was not moving well. Four Wisconsin turnovers made for an ugly offensive performance, and they'll need to correct those mistakes if they want a chance at making the College Football Playoff. The Badgers currently sit at #5, but essentially control their own destiny.
A win over Michigan would give the Badgers another impressive win to their resume, and winning the conference championship would all but guarantee they would receive a playoff spot. With Clemson and Miami playing for the ACC championship, one of those teams is going to add another loss, leaving a spot open for Wisconsin. So, if you're a Badger fan, making the playoff now isn't something you need to worry about. The turnovers are.
Hornibrook's worst game this season could have resulted in a loss and crushed playoff dreams. Luckily, his defense stepped up in a big way. If you hold a team to just 66 total yards in a game, the odds of your team winning are pretty high. Wisconsin made life miserable for Iowa Saturday, and provided some relief to an offense that was plagued with issues. A similar performance isn't likely going forward, but they can't rely on the defense like this again. Jonathan Taylor's two fumbles (one lost) were the first sign of any struggle for the young freshman this season.
A repeat of last week's performance offensively won't end well for Wisconsin. Michigan's defense is the best they will see and, while the Wolverines offense isn't the greatest, this isn't territory the Badgers want to travel through again.
PREDICTION
Until last week, Wisconsin's offense was humming along just fine. Four turnovers will obviously change that. Michigan's defense could cause more issues for the Badgers offense, but that doesn't necessarily mean an upset. Winning in Camp Randall isn't easy, and beating the home team in general isn't either. Wisconsin is 6-2 dating back to last year against ranked competition. Like I said, they control their own destiny, and we will see how much the Badgers understand that Saturday.
My pick: Wisconsin 24 Michigan 21
