Wisconsin vs Illinois State Betting Preview
In the first game of our Countdown to Kickoff series, Sportsmemo handicapper JM Sports takes a look at Wisconsin’s Week 1 clash against FCS-level Illinois State. The RedBirds went 4-7 last year, but two of those four wins came against top-15 FCS opponents. Will they be a thorn in the side of the Badgers on September 3?
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Saturday, September 3 | College Football Betting Notes |
---|---|
Point Spread: | Wisconsin Badgers vs Illinois State RedBirds (No Line Yet) |
Total: | n/a |
Kickoff: | 7pm ET / 4pm PT |
Venue: | Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisc. |
TV: | FS1 |
Wisconsin vs Illinois State Analysis
Wisconsin will enter the season at No. 20 in the Coaches’ Poll, which was released on Monday. According to those rankings, the Badgers will enter the season as the fourth-best team in the Big Ten behind Ohio State (No. 2), Michigan (6) and Michigan State (14), but they are the highest-ranked team on their side of the conference.
Wisconsin will start the season off with a “warm-up” game against FCS opponent, Illinois State, with multiple fresh new faces. The Badgers are returning five offensive starters, including QB Graham Mertz, but just three defensive starters.
Stability on Offense
Mertz was a turnover machine early in the season last year, and while his 10:11 ratio may not have outweighed his impressive performance early in his career, there is enormous potential for this offensive unit to shine early in the season.
They return a dynamic RB duo, and have a solid offensive line with three of the five players on the line racking up at least an honorable mention in the Big Ten last season. While they lost some weapons at wide receiver, they did add Keontez Lewis, a highly recruited receiver that transferred from UCLA, which could propel Mertz to have their best season from the QB position Wisconsin has had in multiple years.
Replacing Defensive Pieces
When you look at this Wisconsin defense, losing starters is something they are accustomed to, and they have proven that they can put the next man up. They lost eight of their top ten tacklers this offseason, but in 2018, this Badgers team allowed just 22.6 PPG to the opposition with just four returning starters.
Wisconsin vs Illinois State Prediction
Wisconsin comes into Week 1 with high hopes, looking to recreate their streak of home opener wins after a 25-game streak was snapped last year against Penn State. This is the perfect opportunity as they are 6-0 straight-up vs. FCS opponents and 4-2 against the spread since 2009.
Illinois State ended last season with a record of just 4-7, including a 28-0 blowout loss against Western Michigan as an 11-point road ‘dog.
Because this game features an FCS opponent, the point spread and total are not widely available at the time of posting. Nonetheless, this one shouldn’t be anything short of a blowout for Wisconsin, starting the year off on a big win.
Interested in placing a bet on this Wisconsin vs Illinois State Week 1 showdown? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 match bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.
Sportsmemo Today | NFL Season Preview
JM Sports joins Dan Neubert and Dr Chuck on Sportsmemo Today to discuss the NFL futures market, and the Week 1 betting lines.
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Meet the Author
Jeff’s hunger for handicapping began at a young age being surrounded by parents that made sports betting a daily routine. Hoping to follow in the footsteps of other Cleveland handicappers like Marc Lawrence, Phil Steele, Ralph Michaels, Ed Meyer and Bryan Leonard, Jeff started his sports betting career working for both Northcoast Sports and Phil Steele Publications learning the intricacies of sports betting and becoming a profitable handicapper. Through out his college years, Jeff’s mathematical and analytical prowess helped him develop a betting strategy that turned sports betting into a profitable venture, where he focuses on the NFL, college football, NBA, college basketball and MLB while showing strong results in the WNBA.
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