Wisconsin vs. BYU NCAA Football Preview
Where: LaVell Edwards Stadium – Provo, UT
When: Saturday, September 16, 2017, 3:30 PM ET
Line: Wisconsin Badgers (-17) vs. BYU Cougars (+17); total 41.0 – view all 2017 NCAA Football lines
TV Broadcast: ABC
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Betting on the Wisconsin Badgers (2-0)
Wisconsin’s first two games of the season have gone pretty much according to script. The Badgers absolutely bludgeoned Utah State 59-10 in their opener and handled Lane Kiffin’s Florida Atlantic fairly easily last week, 31-14. However, they fell some way short of covering the 32-point spread.
On the bright side, freshman tailback Jonathan Taylor absolutely tore the Owls front to shreds as he rushed for 223 yards on 26 carries and three touchdowns. Taylor has emerged as the standout back in what looks like another terrific Badgers running game.
Wisconsin’s ground game will face its stiffest challenge yet with BYU’s stout defense, but the Badgers have the talent to come away from that battle on top. At the very least, they can milk the clock to limit BYU’s chances of scoring while wearing out the Cougars defense.
On the other side of the ball, the matchup between Wisconsin’s defense and BYU’s offense figures to be a mismatch based on how the Cougars have started the season. The Badgers front could very easily silence a BYU running game which could only muster 59 total rushing yards against their two Power 5 opponents, LSU and Utah.
Without a running game, BYU QB Tanner Mangum has not shown the ability to carry the offense. He has thrown four interceptions in his last two games, while completing just a shade over 50 percent of his passes.
Betting on the BYU Cougars (1-2)
BYU has not had a good start to the season. The Cougars were woefully short of covering in their opener against Portland State. They won 20-6 despite being 37-point favorites. They were then shut out at LSU in a 27-0 defeat and lost the Holy War with Utah, 19-13.
The BYU defense has done its part. They’ve been especially effective against the run considering the quality of their opponents. However, they’ve just been left on the field for way too long by an offense that can’t put sustained drives together.
There has to be a growing sense of desperation in the BYU camp that if they don’t get their act together soon, their season will basically be over. That’s why it shouldn’t be ruled out that they put together an inspired performance against a top-10 ranked opponent in front of their home fans.
The defense is certainly capable of at least slowing down the Badgers’ run-heavy attack. And if the offense can just return to being average and put some points on the board, it’s possible the Cougars could be within striking distance of Wisconsin deep into the game.
Writer’s Prediction
Wisconsin maintains their perfect record as they get the road win, but BYU (+17) battle hard and find a way to cover.
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