Coming off a disappointing 34-0 loss to the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, the Wisconsin Badgers are hitting the road to face another Top 10 team, playing the No. 6 Oregon Ducks in Eugene on Saturday. Kickoff
is slated for 6:00 p.m. on FS1.
Wisconsin had a rough outing against Ohio State that looked worse than the box score indicated. Offensively, they just couldn’t move the ball, conjuring up only 144 yards, of which 50 came on the last drive. Starting Hunter Simmons for the third straight game, the Badgers had no aerial attack, as the quarterback threw for 54 yards and an interception on 6/12 passing.
Additionally, prior to their last drive, the Badgers had only 40 rushing yards on 23 attempts, going for less than two yards per carry.
Defensively, Wisconsin showed some fight, holding Ohio State to a field goal on a short field and later getting away with a missed field goal. Those two chances kept the first-half lead at 17-0, despite Ohio State dominating the half.
The Badgers held Ohio State to a field goal to open the third quarter on a long 11-play drive, but did give up touchdowns on its final two defensive drives to end with a 34-0 score.
Wisconsin is now riding a five-game losing streak, and none of those games have been relatively close. The Badgers have lost each of them by 14+ points, with the offense being a key issue as they’ve now been shut out in two consecutive games.
Up comes Oregon, who blew out Rutgers 56-10 last week to bounce back from a 30-20 loss to the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers. The Ducks have a top-10 scoring offense and scoring defense, which doesn’t bode well for the Badgers and their No. 133-ranked offense.
Currently, the Badgers are 31.5-point underdogs, with the over/under at 44,5 points. Let’s get into some fun predictions for the game.
Last week
Last week, we had one prediction: Ohio State to cover the 26.5-point spread, which they did in a 34-0 shutout. That brought us up to 6-7 on plays this season, and we have another wild spread to predict this weekend with Oregon.
The opening odds actually started at +34.5 for the Badgers and have now come down to +31.5. Additionally, the points were initially at 41.5, but have since climbed to 44.5.
Prediction
No. 1: Wisconsin to not score a touchdown (+200)
Wisconsin hasn’t scored a touchdown in two straight weeks. They’ve scored two touchdowns in four Big Ten games, and one of those came on the final drive of a 27-3 game.
They’re facing an Oregon team that is sixth in the country, allowing 14.4 points per game, and they just beat Rutgers 56-10, with the lone touchdown coming on the final drive of the game after a muffed punt.
I don’t think Wisconsin goes three straight games scoreless. There will be some opportunity where they’ll be able to score, potentially at the end of the day. I’m just wary they get a touchdown, given their offensive execution.
It’s wild that we’ve gotten to this point. But, there’s absolutely no confidence in this offense. They’re trying to run the ball against top-tier defensive lines that absolutely know what’s coming. The offensive coordinator doesn’t seem to have any confidence in his own quarterback. And the passing game has been absymal the last two weeks.
No. 2: Oregon to cover 31.5-point spread
The Ducks have been a scoring powerhouse, going for 59, 69, 34, 41, 30, 20, and 56 points in their seven games this season.
In this one, to cover the spread, they have to score only 35 points if Wisconsin only gets a field goal. I’m wary about the over, just because I’m not sure that the Badgers are able to score enough, but Oregon could clear it on its own if they have a game like last week.
Oregon thrives on explosive plays, and the Badgers may be susceptible in the secondary. They’ve also been more dominant on the ground. They’re seventh in the country with over 240 rushing yards per game, and second in the country, averaging 6.6 yards per rush.
That’s a bad formula for the Badgers, who have really struggled against strong rushing attacks (Michigan, Iowa). It’s shaping up to be another ugly outing for Wisconsin, which doesn’t bode well for the letter of confidence that Athletic Director Chris McIntosh put out earlier this week.
