Wisconsin Michigan State Betting – Big Ten Foes Try To Climb The Ladder In East Lansing
The Wisconsin Badgers and Michigan State Spartans are both 4-0, but neither team has done anything special. Winning this Saturday would change that reality.
NCAA football betting: Wisconsin Badgers @ Michigan State Spartans
Online Betting Odds: Wisconsin -1.5
Why To Bet On Wisconsin
When the 2010 season began, Wisconsin was a trendy darkhorse pick in the Big Ten. Running back John Clay and quarterback Scott Tolzien returned to anchor a balanced offense that figured to do a great deal of damage. Over the past several years under former coach Barry Alvarez and current coach Bret Bielema, Wisconsin has developed a good mix of speed on the perimeter and power on the line of scrimmage. The 2010 squad figured to be one of the better and more seasoned UW teams. It scuffled a bit in the early stages of 2009, but finished strong by powering past Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl. Now that Wisconsin has gotten past the non-conference portion of its 2010 slate, this team can impose its brawny brand of ball on the opposition. Tolzien shouldn’t be intimidated by going into Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. Moreover, Wisconsin has exactly the kind of offense – a run-based, play-action-rich attack – that can drain the clock and take a hostile crowd out of a game. This is a very reasonable matchup for the Badgers.
Why To Bet On Michigan State
The big issue for Michigan State over the years has been confidence. The Spartans fly high for periods of time but have a hard time finishing games in the fourth quarter. This year, things could be different. On Sept. 18, Sparty stunned the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in overtime, 34-31, as head coach Mark Dantonio – just hours before suffering a heart attack – dialed up a supremely ballsy 4th-and-14 fake field goal that snookered the Fighting Irish for a 29-yard touchdown pass. Michigan State was about to attempt a 46-yard field goal just to attain a tie. Many observers felt that Sparty was going to come up short in yet another significant game for the program, but with Dantonio’s daring display, executed perfectly by his special-teams unit, the outlook for the 2010 team changed. As long as this group believes in itself and carries a positive vibe onto the field, it stands a very good chance of beating every Big Ten opponent other than the Ohio State Buckeyes or the Iowa Hawkeyes. If quarterback Kirk Cousins doesn’t commit a single turnover, the Spartans will like their chances against the Badgers.
How The Game Will Play Out
The thing about Michigan State football teams is that even in the years when they beat Notre Dame and enter October with a spotless record, the magic doesn’t last. Sure, Kirk Cousins will put MSU in position to win if he doesn’t turn the ball over. Alas, that’s probably not likely to happen. Cousins will crack at some point, enabling Wisconsin to keep the ball for extended stretches of time and wear down Michigan State on the ground. The Badgers will establish control of the line of scrimmage and bulldoze the Spartans in the second half.
Wisconsin Michigan State Betting Pick: Wisconsin
