After a bye week, which gave the Wisconsin Badgers more time than usual to try and put the pieces of a broken early season back together, Luke Fickell’s squad hits the road for a tilt with the No. 20 Michigan
Wolverines.
Without further delay, here are the Best, Worst, and Most Likely outcomes for Fick’s heavy underdogs
in this contest. If you’re the drinking type, now is a good time to pound a shot.Best Case
I’m trying to recall one of these where I didn’t at least have a close Badger win in my Best Case, and I can’t think of anything. But here we are. This team (read: this coaching staff) has transformed me from a brazenly optimistic borderline cheerleader to a cynical, broken-down husk.
If Wisconsin comes in with a solid game plan and plays tough, disciplined ball from the jump, there’s a shot they can keep the contest from being a Wolverine romp. This will be a defense-led “effort game” (like Oregon in 2024) that Michigan can’t quite run away with, but finds just enough plays to pull away from the Badgers in the second half when it counts.
Prediction: Michigan 27-13.
Worst Case
Suppose the Badgers bring the Maryland game effort/execution to the Big House. In that case, they will get obliterated by a defense full of future NFL guys and a quarterback in Bryce Underwood that’s even better and more crafty than Maryland’s Malik Washington. Underwood has to be greedily licking his chops at the chance to exploit an underperforming and banged-up Wisconsin secondary.
Here, the Wolverines curb stop Bucky early and often, and swagger off after with an easy, breezy blowout win that turns the FIRE FICK volume all the way up to 11 in Madtown.
Prediction: Michigan 45-3.
Most Likely Case
A bye week usually helps a team, but the Badgers are still up a creek without a functioning quarterback/offensive line, so a tricky contest at Michigan likely won’t help matters.
The Wolverines’ superior coaching/horses and robust home stadium advantage combine to make it a long Saturday for the Badgers, who finish the game with more questions than they had coming in as Iowa waits in the wings. Next Saturday night immediately becomes Fickell’s most important game to date as Wisconsin’s coach.
Prediction: Michigan 38-10.
