Fresh off a massive upset win over Penn State, the Wisconsin Badgers return to Camp Randall Stadium to take on Michigan State.
The Spartans make the trip to Madison having lost their last two games. MSU started the year a perfect 2-0, but they were quickly humbled by the likes of Notre Dame and Nebraska.
This game is another major milestone in the Luke Fickell era as it's the 2026 conference opener for his Badgers, a team that was only a few AP votes shy of cracking the Top 25.
UW is starting to take the world by storm, as seen with their votes in the US LBM Coaches Poll as well.
With kickoff just a few days away, Badgers Wire's Jordon Lawrenz had a chance to speak with Spartans Wire's Andrew Brewster about what to expect in this Week 5 matchup.
Obviously, the elephant in the room is Cam Edward's season-ending injury. How does that affect this team moving forward?
It affects them immensely. Cam Edwards was arguably the best player on the offense this year and easily their biggest weapon. This is a team that wants to run the ball, and this is an extremely painful injury for them.
Michigan State opened as double-digit underdogs to Wisconsin; does that feel like a fair assessment for the Spartans?
Yes, although, don't expect MSU to just roll over. This is still a well-coached team that won't be phoning in any games this year, but they are lacking talent in obvious ways.
What are your biggest takeaways from this team's last two losses against Notre Dame and Nebraska?
The biggest takeaway is related to what I said above. The team is lacking talent. Everyone knows it. But it's also obvious the culture is changing from what we saw the past few years. MSU gave Notre Dame a fight. Nebraska was more disappointing.
What grade would you give Alessio Milivojevic through the first four games of the year?
I can't give him higher than a C-. He's a solid, dependable, game-managing QB at this point in his career. He mostly makes good decisions. But he hasn't shown he can make the big plays yet. The deep ball has largely eluded him.
In your opinion, what advantages do you think MSU has over UW? Where do you see a path to victory in this one?
Well, the only clear advantage is on special teams, where MSU is as good as anyone, but that's not exactly enough to win a football game. I would probably argue MSU has a better coaching staff. Playing smart, ball-control football and keeping Wisconsin’s offense off the field will be the key here, but that’s going to be hard without Cam Edwards.
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Michigan State football expert previews Week 5 showdown at Wisconsin
