The Wisconsin Badgers are kicking off conference play in Week 4 when they face off against the Maryland Terrapins, with kickoff set for 11:00 a.m. on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium on NBC.
It was a rough weekend for the Badgers on the road in Week 3, as they lost 38-14 at the hands of the Alabama Crimson Tide, dropping to 2-1 on the season.
Now, they take on a Maryland team that has started 3-0, albeit against lower competition, as they’ve played FAU, Northern Illinois, and Towson through its first
three games. The Terrapins are starting true freshman Malik Washington at quarterback, and he’s thrown for 773 yards, six touchdowns, and an interception to start the season.
Wisconsin could return starting quarterback Billy Edwards in the Big Ten opener, as he is currently day-to-day with the knee sprain he suffered in Week 1.
“Billy, he is going to be day to day [this week],” head coach Luke Fickell said on Monday. “I think he warmed up Saturday and has continued to do things for us. It’s just, at some point, we are going to have to save Billy from Billy, but we’ve also got to make some decisions as we move along. Right now, we wouldn’t know.”
If he can’t go, it would be sophomore Danny O’Neil making his third career start. If he can go, however, there could be some extra animosity as Edwards would be facing his former team.
Given how the Badgers schedule looks after this weekend’s game, this one is essentially a must-win if Wisconsin wants to win a bowl game.
What are the opening odds looking like ahead of the Week 4 matchup for the Badgers?
FanDuel Sportsbook currently lists the Badgers as 9.5-point favorites, with the over/under for total points currently set at 43.5 points. Wisconsin is a –320 favorite on the moneyline.
Given the uncertainty at quarterback, that’s quite the spread for the Badgers, who open as pretty big favorites in this one. Yes, home-field advantage plays a factor, but Wisconsin would be near-touchdown favorites on a neutral field, according to this spread.
That’s putting a lot of faith into the Badgers defensively, but they need a big win here to start conference play, especially given how brutal the following month is.
Stay tuned for updates throughout the week as it’s time for Week 4!
Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See sports
