The Wisconsin Badgers had a huge 13-10 victory over the then-No. 24 Washington Huskies this past weekend, getting their first win since early September and snapping a six-game losing streak.
It was a major
relief for head coach Luke Fickell, who had been looking for his first Big Ten win in over a year, as Wisconsin had lost its last 10 in conference play prior to Saturday.
With the win, Wisconsin improved to 3-6 with three games left in the year. But, things don’t get any easier this weekend, as the Badgers are traveling to face the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium.
Well, the odds aren’t too kind to the Badgers, who opened as a whopping 30.5-point underdog against the Hoosiers. That line has since dropped to 29.5, with the over/under at 44.5 points. Currently, Wisconsin is a -155 favorite to score under 7.5 points.
The Hoosiers are coming off their closest game of the season, beating the Penn State Nittany Lions by three thanks to an amazing touchdown catch from wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. late in the fourth quarter. Before that, though, Indiana had been dominating teams.
The Hoosiers had put up 55 and 56 points, respectively, in wins over the Maryland Terrapins and UCLA Bruins in back-to-back weeks, which marked the fourth and fifth times they had scored at least 50 points this season.
They also beat the Michigan State Spartans by 25, beat the Oregon Ducks on the road by 10, and blew out the Illinois Fighting Illini 63-10.
So, it will certainly be a challenge for the Badgers, as the Hoosiers are one of the top offenses and defenses in the country. Wisconsin’s offense remains a big question mark, as its offense was primarily generated by elite defense this past weekend.
The Badgers lone touchdown drive came because of a Mason Posa strip sack that got Wisconsin in a goal-to-go situation. Its two field goal drives came when Wisconsin started in plus territory, needing only 18 and 22 yards on those respective drives.
So, Wisconsin will need to figure out some things on that end, but it’ll be the defense that will have to save the Badgers from being blown out. Momentum is on their side, but Wisconsin faces one of its toughest opponents of the season. We’ll see what the outcome looks like on Saturday.
