Indiana Hoosiers at Wisconsin Badgers Betting Preview

Saturday afternoon features a matchup of top-25 Big Ten teams as the No. 12 Indiana Hoosiers (5-1) will be taking on the No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers (2-1). The Badgers will be hosting this game at Camp Randall Stadium, and kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 pm ET.
For the Hoosiers, they come into this one after winning last week 27-11. While the Hoosiers were able to add one to the win column, the game probably feels like a loss. Starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had to leave the game after tearing his ACL and will be out for the rest of the season.
The Badgers suffered their first loss of the season two weeks ago at the hands of Northwestern, 17-7. As indicated by their records, Wisconsin has been hampered by cancellations due to COVID-19 and will be playing for the first time in two weeks. They will shoot to bounce back from their loss against the Hoosiers at home, where they are 2-0.
Especially with the news of the injury to Penix, the Badgers are the overwhelming favorites. They are -800 to win versus the Hoosiers’ +520. The spread features Indiana +14.5 and the over/under for total points is 44.5.
Indiana Looking To Move On Without Penix
There is just no denying it, the injury to Michael Penix Jr. is crushing for Indiana. On the season, he had thrown for 1,645 yards, 14 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. He had also rushed for another couple of touchdowns.
In his place, it will be Jack Tuttle taking over under center. After coming in against Maryland, he went 5 for 5 for 31 yards, but it will be a whole new ballgame having to not only start a game but to do so against one of the top teams in the nation.
Unfortunately, Penix wasn’t the only injury Indiana suffered last weekend. Running back, Stevie Scott III was also injured and is questionable for this game. This season, Scott has rushed for 405 yards and eight scores.
Through the air, Ty Fryfogle (33 receptions, 652 yards, seven touchdowns) and Whop Philyor (32 receptions, 367 yards, two touchdowns) lead the way for the Hoosiers.
Wisconsin Hoping To Bounce Back After Loss
All the way around, it was just a bad game for the Wisconsin offense in their loss against Northwestern. They had five turnovers, and the team could not get anything going consistently.
Hoping to get the team back in the win column will be quarterback Graham Mertz. On the season, Mertz has thrown for 605 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Mertz’s leading go-to receiver this season has been tight end Jake Ferguson. He has 18 receptions for 181 yards and four scores. No other receiver has more than 81 yards.
On the ground, Wisconsin is led by the two-headed monster of Jalen Berger and Nakia Watson. Berger has rushed 30 times for 180 yards and one score, while Nakia Watson has rushed 38 times for 153 yards and two scores.
If all the stats seem a little low, it is because Wisconsin has only played three games thus far. They have had multiple cancellations this season, including last week’s game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Taking Wisconsin To Win And Cover
Despite winning, it was just a disastrous week last week for the Hoosiers, who lost their quarterback for the season, and their running back also suffered an injury. For a team that was truly riding high, this probably ends what has otherwise been a fairytale type season.
When you throw in the combination of Indiana’s bad luck and the fact that Wisconsin will be looking for some redemption after losing their last game, I think it could be bad news for the Hoosiers. I see Wisconsin winning this one in a bit of a blowout and covering the 14.5 points.