Wisconsin heads into Big Ten play looking noticeably cleaner on the availability report than Penn State, and that gap only widened on the latest update.
The first conference report had both teams dealing with a fairly long list of names, but the balance already tilted toward Wisconsin. The Badgers had 13 players on the report, with four listed as out and five as questionable. Penn State had 16 total, including nine out and six questionable.
By the second submission, the contrast got even sharper. Wisconsin is down to four out and three questionable, while six players are now listed as probable. Penn State, meanwhile, has climbed to 11 out and four questionable, with just one player remaining probable: Omarion Davis.
That swing matters because some of the names involved are real difference-makers.
On Wisconsin’s side, the biggest development is Malachi Coleman moving from questionable to probable. Coleman flashed as a breakout player in Week 1 against Notre Dame before being pulled early in the Western Illinois game with a head injury. His probable designation is a major boost for Colton Joseph and the Badgers.
Abu Sama III also moved from questionable to probable, though the uncertainty around him sounds more like a reps issue than anything else. He told reporters earlier in the week that he was 100% going to play.
Wisconsin’s other encouraging signs are having Sama, Coleman, Mandell, and Hilton back, even while missing Bates remains a setback.
Penn State’s report tells the opposite story. The biggest loss is star sophomore wide receiver Koby Howard, who is now on the mend for a few weeks. He’s one of the most explosive wideouts in the Big Ten, and the Nittany Lions will have to lean deeper into their depth chart without him.
Max Granville is another important absence. He was never expected to play in this one, so it’s not new information, but it still matters because he’s an impact defensive lineman capable of causing problems.
Brock Riker is the starting center for Penn State and is listed as questionable, though he appears most likely to play. That status is still worth watching right up to kickoff.
Beyond those names, most of Penn State’s remaining injuries are to depth players or others who would not have had a major impact. But the overall picture is hard to miss: Wisconsin’s report is trending in the right direction, while Penn State’s is stacking up with more and more unavailable bodies.
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