The Western Michigan Broncos and Wisconsin Badgers will each be playing their first game of the season on Friday, August 30th. This game will be played at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison and televised on FS1.

At 9:00 ET, Wisconsin will be hosting Western Michigan at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison to kick off their seasons. This week one non-conference matchup is being televised by FS1, with Wisconsin coming in as the heavy favorite at -23 points. The over/under line is currently 56.5 points for this matchup. The money line odds are -3511 for Wisconsin and +1294 for Western Michigan.

Western Michigan Broncos vs Wisconsin Badgers

Western Michigan Records And Recent Play

Wisconsin Records And Recent Play

Western Michigan Offense Breakdown

Hayden Wolff, who threw for 1,505 yards and eight touchdowns last season, is Western Michigan’s top returning quarterback. The Broncos also added Broc Lowry from Indiana, who threw for 8 yards last season. Western Michigan’s offense averaged 23.7 points per game, ranking 77th in the country. Jalen Buckley, who rushed for 1,003 yards and 10 touchdowns, returns as the team’s top rusher. The Broncos also added Jaden Nixon from Oklahoma State to their backfield.

Last season, Western Michigan ranked 75th in rushing yards per game and 88th in passing yards per game. The Broncos also struggled on third down, converting just 35.8% of their third down chances (95th in the country).

Wisconsin Offense Breakdown

Wisconsin’s offense last season was led by quarterback Braedyn Locke, who threw for 778 yards and five touchdowns. The Badgers also brought in transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke from Miami, who threw for 2703 yards and 19 touchdowns last season. Wisconsin ranked 68th in scoring, averaging 23.5 points per game, and their passing game averaged 220.2 yards per game, placing them 67th in the country.

On the ground, the Badgers finished 60th in rushing yards per game, averaging 161.3 yards. Jackson Acker returns as the top rusher from last season, with 322 yards on the ground. They also added Tawee Walker, who rushed for 513 yards last season at Oklahoma. Wisconsin was 26th in third-down conversion percentage, moving the chains on 44.2% of their third down chances.

Western Michigan Team Defense

Western Michigan’s defense allowed 31.8 points per game last season, ranking 74th in the nation. They struggled against the pass, giving up 234.6 passing yards per game (113th), and were also weak against the run, allowing 159.8 rushing yards per game (105th). Opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of 93.7, and the Broncos finished 73rd in completion percentage allowed (60.2%).

Western Michigan Team Defense

Wisconsin’s defense was effective at limiting big plays last season, allowing just 6.4 yards per pass attempt, which ranked 22nd nationally. Overall, they gave up 20.2 points per game, placing them 17th in the country. However, the Badgers finished 63rd in rushing yards allowed and 61st in passing yards allowed. Their pass defense was better than their overall ranking, but they will look to improve their run defense this season.

Western Michigan vs Wisconsin Trends

• Across their last five road contests, Western Michigan has a 4-1 record vs the spread. Their overall mark in these games was 1-4, while averaging 24 points per game.
• Across their ten previous home games, Wisconsin has an ATS mark of 5-5. Their straight up record in these matchups was 5-5 while averaging 23 points per game.
• Spanning across their last five games as the betting underdog, the Western Michigan Broncos have gone 2-3 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 0-5.
• Wisconsin has done well both straight up and vs the spread when favored to win the game, going 2-1 SU and 2-1 ATS in their last three games.

Broncos vs Badgers Prediction

Wisconsin is favored by -23 points in their week one matchup against Western Michigan, and we expect them to win by a score of 43-19. Given the point spread, we like Wisconsin to cover as the heavy favorite at home.

The over/under line is set at 56.5 points, and with our projected score of 62 points, we recommend taking the over in this matchup.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.