It’s going down on Saturday night as the Badgers travel to Michigan to face off against the Wolverines. The game was initially scheduled to have been played a week ago, but positive COVID tests kept Wisconsin out of the action for three weeks following its opening victory against Illinois.
Assuming he clears protocol, we’ll get to see Graham Mertz out there again. He was a man on a mission in his debut, completing 20 of 21 passes and tossing five touchdown strikes. Overall, his quarterback rating was over 250. You very rarely see somebody put up numbers like that, so hopefully, he is able to play in this one.
Michigan, on the other hand, has not had much luck this season. There is no hope for them at this point to land in the conference title game at year’s end. They’ve dropped two of three games and have looked unimpressive in all areas. Jim Harbaugh’s crew usually just struggles against Ohio State and plays pretty well against other competition. Well, clearly not this year.
This is MUST-WIN territory for the Wolverines.
The spread for Saturday’s showdown favors the Badgers by 4.5 points. The over/under is set at 54.
Badgers Looking to Pick Up Where They Left Off
After completely dominating against the Fighting Illini three weeks ago, we’ll finally see the Badgers out there again this weekend. And we’re very fortunate to be able to, given how many games have been canceled due to spikes in student-athletes and coaches testing positive for COVID-19.
In their first game, which was played on a Friday night, Mertz set the world on fire, letting everybody know he was out for blood in his debut season. He also put NFL teams on notice for the draft in a few years that he could possibly come in and be a starter at the next level. All from just one effective start.
Paul Chryst’s team has talent across the board and will be hoping to take it right to Michigan. A win here would have them feeling really good.
Wolverines Trying to Get Back on Track
So many teams could try and make excuses for poor play this year, but if you’re a program at the level of Michigan, you don’t get to do that. Jim Harbaugh’s guys shouldn’t be 1-2 right now, but you can’t change what’s happened. You can only move forward and hope for improvement.
Joe Milton has thrown for 869 yards and four touchdowns while also firing off a pair of interceptions. He’s completed 61% of his passes while also picking up a score on the ground. In all, Michigan is averaging 31 points per game while also allowing 29.
The DB’s will need to be aggressive in trying to keep things tough for Graham Mertz. If they aren’t playing tight coverage and guys are open, the game will be over after three Badgers possessions. This is assuming, of course, that Mertz can go. If not, Michigan +4.5 is a pretty safe bet.
If Mertz Plays, Wisconsin Wins
It is a pretty simple situation here. The Wisconsin QB situation will determine how to bet on this one. Keep a close eye on the Mertz’ availability before committing one way or another.
IF MERTZ PLAYS: WISC -4.5
IF MERTZ DOESN’T PLAY: MICH +4.5
100% up to $3,000 Bonus
Bovada is our most recommended ONLINE CASINO and POKER ROOM for US players with excellent deposit options. Get your 100% signup bonus today.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.