The Wisconsin Badgers will look for a comfortable win to open the season when they face the Western Michigan Broncos on Friday night. Wisconsin is playing in its second season under head coach Luke Fickell, who led the Badgers to a 7-6 record last year. Western Michigan also has a second-year coach in Lance Taylor, who guided the Broncos to a 4-8 mark last season. This is the first meeting between these teams since 2017, when Wisconsin picked up a 24-16 win.
Kickoff is scheduled at 9 p.m. ET at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. After opening at -24, the Badgers are favored by 23.5 points in the latest Wisconsin vs. Western Michigan odds, while the over/under is 56.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin picks, you'll want to see the college football predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It is also coming off a profitable 13-9 season on top-rated spread picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen strong returns.
The model has set its sights on Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football betting lines for Wisconsin vs. WMU:
- Wisconsin vs. Western Michigan spread: Wisconsin -23.5
- Wisconsin vs. Western Michigan over/under: 56.5 points
- Wisconsin vs. Western Michigan money line: Wisconsin -2778, Western Michigan +1277
- Wisconsin vs. Western Michigan picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Wisconsin can cover
Wisconsin has something to build on heading into its second year under Fickell, as the Badgers made a bowl game in his first season. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke won the preseason battle after transferring from Miami, where he completed 65.8% of passes for 2,703 yards and 19 touchdowns. Sixth-year running back Chez Mellusi will step into the starting role after Braelon Allen left for the NFL.
Mellusi has 1,595 rushing yards during his time at Wisconsin, so he is a quality option in the backfield. Wide receiver Will Pauling is also back after hauling in a team-high 74 receptions with six touchdowns last season. Wisconsin has won nine of its last 10 games in August, while Western Michigan is winless in its last six games against Big Ten opponents. See which team to pick here.
Why Western Michigan can cover
Western Michigan is eyeing improvement in its second season under Taylor after winning four games last season. Quarterback Hayden Wolff completed 65.5% of his passes for 1,505 yards and eight touchdowns across eight games (four starts) in 2023. Sophomore running back Jalen Buckley is coming off an excellent season, earning MAC Freshman of the Year honors with 1,003 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.
He averaged 5.3 yards per carry, so he is someone that Western Michigan can rely on to control the clock on Friday. The Broncos return key wide receivers Kenneth Womack and Anthony Sambucci as well, giving Wolff reliable targets in the passing game. They covered the spread in six of their final nine games last season, and their returning experience makes them a dangerous road underdog in Week 1. See which team to pick here.
How to make Wisconsin vs. Western Michigan picks
The model has simulated Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is going Under on the total, projecting 50 combined points. It also says one side of the spread is the better value. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Wisconsin vs. Western Michigan, and which side of the spread is the better value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin spread to jump on, all from the advanced computer model that's up well over $2,000 on its top-rated college football spread picks since its inception, and find out.
