Wisconsin gets its second Big Ten test of the season on Saturday, and this one comes early. The Badgers and Michigan State are set for an 11:30 a.m. CT kickoff at Camp Randall on the Big Ten Network, with Homecoming and a Red Out adding to the scene.
Wisconsin already cleared one key checkpoint by beating Penn State, but now the Badgers face another team trying to claw out of the bottom of the Big Ten. Michigan State is in that same fight, which makes this one feel like a real sorting-out game for both sides. Who takes the next step first?
The broadcast setup is a familiar Big Ten package. Jake Butt is on the call, which makes for an interesting wrinkle considering he’ll be working a Michigan State game as a former Michigan Wolverine.
The betting line has held steady at Wisconsin -10.5, while the total has moved down. The spread opened at 10.5 and hasn’t budged, but the over/under has dropped from 44.5 earlier in the week to 43.5. On the moneyline, Michigan State is +315 and Wisconsin is -410, with FanDuel Sportsbook providing the numbers.
That total shift is the one thing worth watching as the week rolls on. The first availability report won’t come until Wednesday, September 30, and those injury updates could still shape how the odds look by the time kickoff arrives.
As for the weather, Madison should deliver a classic fall afternoon. The forecast calls for a high of 68 degrees and sunny skies. It’ll feel a little crisp early, so layers make sense for that 11:30 start, but it should warm up quickly without ever getting hot.
These teams know each other well. Wisconsin and Michigan State have played 55 times, with the Spartans holding a 31-24 edge in the series. Over the last 10 years, though, the matchup has been much tighter, with the series sitting at 5-5 and neither team stringing together much of a run.
One note on the record: Michigan State’s 2022 win was vacated because of recruiting violations. If you’re going strictly by non-vacated results, the last meeting that counts came in Camp Randall on October 12, 2019, when Wisconsin rolled 38-0.
In Other News...
Johnny Davis Is Giving Wisconsin Fans Reason To Believe Again
Johnny Davis is back in the kind of form that once made Wisconsin fans believe he could be a future pro star. The former top-10 NBA draft pick has opened his run with Korfez Basket in the Turkish Basketball Super League by turning in strong performances, including a 31-point, 12-rebound game, and the early numbers point to a player looking much more comfortable on the floor.
Over a three-game sample, his shooting efficiency has improved, his assist-to-turnover ratio looks better and his defensive activity has picked up as well. It is a promising stretch for a player whose path to this point has been bumpy, and it gives Badgers fans a reason to keep an eye on what comes next, even if the bigger question of whether this becomes an NBA return is still unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Earned A Huge Road Win And Got No Respect After
Wisconsin left Beaver Stadium with a road win that should have carried real weight, especially against a Penn State team playing in front of its home crowd. The Badgers did enough to leave with the result, and in a game like that, the opponent usually has no choice but to acknowledge what happened on the other sideline.
Instead, Penn State head coach Matt Campbell spent his postgame news conference dwelling almost entirely on his own teams mistakes. He pointed to missed chances, a touchdown given up after a player slipped, and a long list of opportunities Penn State failed to convert, while Wisconsins performance barely got a mention. For the Badgers, it was a reminder that a hard-earned win does not always come with the respect it deserves. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin May Already Have Its Most Reliable Weapon Off The Bench
Through four games, Darrion Dupree has gone from a depth option to one of Wisconsin footballs most dependable answers on offense. He has already led the team in rushing yards in a recent game and has chipped in as a receiver, showing the kind of versatility that can change how the Badgers structure their snaps. Even with a dropped pass in one outing, he kept producing, and his ability to force missed tackles has made him look like more than just a change-of-pace runner.
That matters for a Wisconsin offense still sorting through other moving parts, with Abu Sama dealing with injuries and Malachi Coleman searching for steadier production. In that kind of mix, Duprees emergence gives the Badgers a back who can stay on the field and handle different jobs without much drop-off. For a team looking for reliable offense, the bench may already be hiding one of its most useful weapons. [Read more 🡒]