Wisconsin’s rough night at Iowa didn’t shake the betting market nearly as much as you might expect.
Even after getting blanked 30-0 by the Hawkeyes, the Badgers opened as a 17.5-point home favorite over Rutgers in Week 10 on FanDuel Sportsbook. That number stands out, especially with Wisconsin coming off such an ugly performance and Rutgers fresh off a respectable showing against Michigan, where the Scarlet Knights covered in a 28-21 loss.
The Badgers are 5-3 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten play after working through the tougher stretch of their schedule. Their wins have come against Western Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State and USC, while their losses have been to Notre Dame, UCLA and Iowa.
For a brief stretch, Wisconsin had momentum that felt new under Luke Fickell. After knocking off then-No.
16 USC at home for its second top-20 upset of the season, the Badgers climbed into the AP Top 25 and had people around the program thinking big. A week later, that optimism took a hard hit, and the conversation around the team has turned sharply after the Iowa loss.
Rutgers enters at 2-6, with wins over FCS Howard and Maryland. The Scarlet Knights made an early-season mess of things when they were blown out by UMass, a team that didn’t win a game last season, in Week 1.
Defensively, Rutgers has struggled badly, ranking No. 123 nationally in total defense. Offensively, the Scarlet Knights have some real weapons.
Tailback Antwan Raymond has 893 total yards and seven touchdowns, while receiver KJ Duff has 45 catches for 774 yards and nine scores. Still, the unit has remained middle of the pack, and the biggest reason is shaky quarterback play.
Starter Dylan Lonergan is questionable moving forward because of a head injury. He has completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes and has been inconsistent. Backup AJ Surace struggled against Michigan, going 3-of-12 for 123 yards and a touchdown.
So while Rutgers can score some points, it hasn’t shown much ability to get stops. Wisconsin, meanwhile, has to put the Iowa loss behind it quickly and handle an offense that includes multiple NFL players.
In Other News...
Wisconsin Just Reached A Quarterback Decision Point Fans Saw Coming
After a lopsided loss to Iowa, Wisconsin reached the kind of quarterback crossroads fans had been bracing for. Colton Joseph was benched after a rough outing, and true freshman Ryan Hopkins took over, finishing 8 of 13 for 93 yards with an interception as the Badgers tried to steady things in the second half.
Hopkins now looms as the most likely answer for the next stretch, which gives Wisconsin a different kind of conversation than it was having a week ago. The question is no longer whether the Badgers need a change under center, but how quickly they want to lean into it and what that means for the rest of the season and beyond. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Has An Early Problem To Clean Up Before Delaware
Wisconsin got the win in its season opener against Denver, but the performance came with enough rough edges to keep Greg Gard and his staff busy before the next tip. The second half was the issue, and Gard was blunt afterward in saying the game fell below the programs standard while the coaches continue sorting through the rotation and trying to find the right mix early in the year.
Delaware now arrives as the next test, and it will be the first-ever meeting between the programs. Wisconsins projected starting group is expected to look much like it did in the opener, even as a few players are still working their way back from injury, which leaves the Badgers with an early chance to clean up the details before the schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
Barry Alvarez Just Turned Up Pressure On Wisconsin's Quarterback Debate
Luke Fickells quarterback decision at Wisconsin already had enough weight on it, and Barry Alvarez just added another layer to the conversation. With veteran Colton Joseph and true freshman Ryan Hopkins both in the mix, Alvarez floated a middle-ground approach that would let Hopkins get early-game snaps without fully taking the job away from Joseph, giving the staff a cleaner look at what the freshman can do while keeping the veteran engaged.
It is the kind of idea that can sound simple in theory and complicated in practice, especially with Rutgers, Maryland and Purdue coming up. Those games could become the backdrop for a live evaluation, one that tests not only Hopkins readiness but also how long Wisconsin can keep the competition balanced before the quarterback question demands a more permanent answer. [Read more 🡒]