Wisconsin Badgers College Football Betting
In this strange season, Wisconsin is going bowling with a record of 3-3. The Badgers will take on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, and they are almost a touchdown favorite. Wisconsin lost by one point to Oregon in last year’s Rose Bowl, but the Badgers had won five straight bowl games before that loss. Since the Badgers are currently .500, they don’t want to lose this game or else it would lead to Wisconsin’s first losing season in almost two decades.
The 2020 Duke's Mayo Bowl will be held at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. This game will take place on Wednesday, December 30, at 12 p.m. ET with ESPN broadcasting.
Wisconsin Badgers Weekly Odds
Wisconsin Badgers -6.5
Wake Forest Demon Deacons +6.5
Total 53
Wisconsin Badgers Weekly Matchup
Wake Forest went 4-4 in the ACC, as Dave Clawson made the Demon Deacons competitive once more. Clawson has done an incredible job with this program. Wake Forest has less resources than any other team in the ACC (and possibly any more Power Five program), but he has now taken the school to five straight bowl games.
Sam Hartman has had a very nice season in this offense. Hartman is completing 58.9 percent of his passes for 8.1 YPA with 10 touchdowns against just one interception. He has been sacked a whopping 24 times largely due to the mesh that this team runs, but the benefits far outweigh those negative yardage plays.
The Demon Deacons won’t have their best short yardage back for this game. Kenneth Walker III ran for 13 touchdowns this year, but he has decided to opt out of the bowl game for personal reasons. Wake Forest will rely on Christian Beal-Smith in his place. Beal-Smith has 650 yards (5.4 YPC) and four touchdowns as the other top running back.
Jaquarii Roberson is the top receiver with 54 receptions for 795 yards and five touchdowns, while Donavon Greene (20.0 YPR) is the deep threat. Greene is listed as questionable for this game though due to an undisclosed injury.
It will be interesting to see Wisconsin face this offense. The mesh is something unique that throws defenses for a loop, but it is typically easier to figure out with more time to prepare. The Badgers do have one of the best defenses in the country, surrendering just 15.7 PPG and 263.5 YPG, and they can stop the run and make things difficult for Hartman.
Wisconsin has become one-dimensional on offense. Graham Mertz has been mediocre since an unreal first game against Illinois. He has not thrown for more than 230 yards since that point, and he is averaging just 6.3 YPA on the season. Over Wisconsin’s last four games, Mertz has one touchdown and five interceptions.
The Badgers are hoping that Jalen Berger can return to action for the bowl game. Berger has been Wisconsin’s best running back this season, averaging 5.9 YPC. Garrett Groshek had success against Minnesota’s porous defense, but he is averaging 4.8 YPC and isn’t as explosive as Berger.
Wake Forest does not have a good defense. The Demon Deacons are surrendering 34.1 PPG and 470.4 YPG. They have struggled in pass defense and run defense, allowing 5.0 YPC and 201.1 YPG on the ground. Although Wisconsin has underwhelmed as a favorite recently, this might be a good spot for the Badgers.
Wisconsin Badgers Weekly Recap
The Badgers failed to cover for the fourth straight game last week against Minnesota. However, Wisconsin finally broke its three-game losing streak and retained Paul Bunyan’s Axe against the Golden Gophers.
Neither team had much success throwing the ball in this game. Tanner Morgan went 13 of 25 for 160 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, while Graham Mertz was 12 of 20 for 132 yards.
Minnesota and Wisconsin both leaned on the run game. The Golden Gophers’ Mo Ibrahim carried the ball 26 times for 151 yards, while Garrett Groshek ran the ball 24 times for 154 yards and a touchdown.
These teams posted almost identical team stats the whole way down the board, so it makes sense the game went to overtime. The difference proved to be in the kickers as Minnesota missed its field goal opportunity, while Wisconsin’s Collin Larsh nailed his second field goal of the game for a 20-17 win.
2020 Wisconsin Badgers Schedule
| Date |
Opponent |
Score |
| Oct 23 |
vs. Illinois |
W 45-7 |
| Nov 14 |
@ Michigan |
W 49-11 |
| Nov 21 |
@ Northwestern |
L 7-17 |
| Dec 5 |
vs. Indiana |
L 6-14 |
| Dec 12 |
@ Iowa |
L 7-28 |
| Dec 19 |
vs. Minnesota |
W 20-17 (OT) |
NCAA Football Teams
Log into BookMaker Sportsbook and get the best NCAA Football Betting Odds, NCAA Football Betting Articles and information about this and all other sports betting events!
