In a ranked showdown between No. 11 Michigan and No. 13 Wisconsin, two titans battle in an important early-season Big Ten contest.
It’s no secret now that under head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Wolverines haven’t done well in big games. Under Harbaugh, Michigan is 8-10 against ranked opponents. Against Wisconsin though, they are 2-1, including a 38-13 drubbing last season. So calling this anything other than a season-changing game would be an understatement. Especially for the Wolverines after a rough showing against Army two weeks ago.
Michigan was able to walk away with a win, but just barely. It took two overtimes, and some sloppy offensive play to defeat the Black Knights, but they got it done nonetheless. Shea Patterson didn’t look great, going 19-for-29 and throwing for 207 yards, but the defense was able to hold Army to 243 total yards and pull out the victory.
The bright spot for the Wolverines was Zach Charbonnet, the true freshman running back that ran for 100 yards and three touchdowns. He looked great in the run game and with starting All-Big Ten left tackle, Jon Runyan back in action this week, the run game should be even better.
Unfortunately for Michigan though, Charbonnet pales in comparison to Jonathan Taylor of Wisconsin, the best running back in college football. Through two games the junior has already ran for 237 yards and five touchdowns. Taylor has already become a legitimate threat to be invited to New York come the end of the season.
The passing game has seen an improvement under Jack Coan as well. The Badger quarterback has completed 76.3 percent of his passes for 564 yards and five touchdowns in two games. If they can continue this furious offensive attack inside Big Ten play, they have a legitimate chance at dethroning Ohio State as Big Ten champions.
As for the Badger defense, the only stat you really need to know is that they have yet to get a point scored on them. They have shut out both South Florida and Central Michigan to start the season.
Date: Saturday, Sep. 21
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Stadium: Camp Randall Stadium
TV Channel: FOX
Odds: Wisconsin -4.0 (Bovada)
Over/Under: 45.0 (Bovada)
Live Stream: FoxSports.com
Predction: Wisconsin has outscored their first two opponents 110-0. Obviously the chances of their shutout streak continuing are slim against Michigan, but we shouldn’t ignore how good they have been on defense. To add to it too, Michigan’s offense hasn’t been great either as they are still adjusting under new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. That spells trouble against a Wisconsin defense that is No. 1 in the nation, and the status of star receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones still unknown. Because of that, I’ll take Wisconsin to cover the four-point spread at home. I will also take the under as Michigan’s defense should be able to keep them in this game.
Score: Wisconsin 24, Michigan 14