Watch: Does Wisconsin football have a chance against Alabama?
Journal Sentinel reporter Mark Stewart discusses the UW football team’s chances against No. 4 Alabama on Saturday at Camp Randall.
The Wisconsin football team won its first two games of the season, but did not deliver a convincing performance in either and was unable to cover the spread as a double-digit favorite.
On Saturday, the Badgers have a new role: They are trailing by double digits at home.
This is no surprise considering the strength of the opposition Luke Fickell’s team is facing. Fourth-ranked Alabama is coming to Camp Randall Stadium.
Can the Badgers compete and maybe even pull off an upset against one of the top scoring teams in the country? The last time the Badgers played as double-digit underdogs against an SEC team in Wisconsin, they surprised a top-5 team, LSU, at Lambeau Field.
Here are the latest odds for the Wisconsin-Alabama game:
Wisconsin vs. Alabama odds: Spread, Money Line, Total Points
Spread: Wisconsin +16
Money line: Alabama -790, Wisconsin +540
Total score: 48.5
Alabama is 1-1 against the spread this season, while the Badgers are 0-2. Alabama’s Week 1 game against Western Kentucky exceeded the 59.5-point total before last week’s Crimson Tide-South Florida game was under the 63.5-point total. Both of the Badgers’ games were under the total.
ESPN Predictor Model
You won’t find many people or models predicting Wisconsin to beat Alabama.
ESPN’s prediction model gives Alabama a 92.2% chance of winning.
Are the Badgers ready for a big surprise?
Wisconsin vs. Alabama stats
Here you can see where each team stands offensively and defensively after two games.
Led by Heisman Trophy candidate Jalen Milroe, Alabama can score points in spades. The Crimson Tide have the seventh-highest scoring offense in the country at 52.5 points per game. They scored 63 points in their season-opening clean sheet win over Western Kentucky and 42 last week against South Florida, although they needed a 28-point fourth quarter to reach that total.
The Crimson Tide allowed just eight points per game, ranking 17th in defense. They didn’t allow a point to Western Kentucky in Week 1 before allowing 16 points against South Florida last week.
Wisconsin’s 27.5 points per game ranks 87th among the Football Bowl Subdivision’s 133 teams. In Week 1 against Western Michigan, the team needed two fourth-quarter touchdowns to get to 28 points, then got off to a fast start against Football Championship Subdivision South Dakota with two first-quarter touchdowns before cooling off and scoring 27 points in a 14-point win.
Wisconsin’s defense ranks 40th. The Badgers allow 13.5 points per game.
Predictions for Wisconsin vs. Alabama
According to Journal Sentinel reporters, the Badgers suffered their first loss of the season against the national title contender.
Mark Stewart: Alabama 27, Wisconsin 17
JR Radcliffe: Alabama 35, Wisconsin 10
Read more about their predictions here.
Readers’ predictions for Wisconsin-Alabama: Fans are not very optimistic about the Badgers’ game on Saturday
