While a reasonable person would correctly note that, in some sense, there probably isn’t a Best Case Scenario possible for the Wisconsin Badgers in Eugene against the No. 6 Oregon Ducks on Saturday night,
I’ll do my best here to mine some reasonable predictive demarcations.
Hang on tight, kids.
Best Case
I tried for 15 minutes to find a scenario here that doesn’t feel like I’m still piling on, and this is what I’m left with.
Oregon comes out flat against an overmatched foe (in a game with humiliating 34.5 point spread), takes a while to crank up its high octane offense, and Dan Lanning pulls back a bit in the second half to preserve players for real games.
Oh, and Wisconsin somehow finds a way to score.
Prediction: Oregon 35-7.
Worst Case
Take one of the hardest college football environments to play in, add a night game, toss in a pinch of totally inept Wisconsin offense, and sprinkle on several checked out Badgers and, perhaps, also a checked-out head coach. Mix and bake for 3.5 hours and remove from the oven.
Prediction: Oregon 59-0.
Most Likely Case
We all know that Wisconsin is losing and likely by a lot. The pivot here will be the effort they bring to Eugene.
Despite Chris McIntosh trying to send a message that he’s still in on Fickell, his letter to Badger Nation landed with a sick thud this week. So, it’s hard to imagine that it did anything positive for the Wisconsin locker room.
While some Badgers will no doubt fight hard, this one is still going to be a bloodbath. And unlike Ryan Day, Dan Lanning won’t call off the dogs.
Prediction: Oregon 48-0.
