The Badgers are ranked as one of the lower teams in the Big Ten entering the season.
Week 1 of the college football season is upon us, as the Wisconsin Badgers are taking on the Miami (OH) Redhawks on Thursday, with kickoff slated for Camp Randall Stadium at 8:00 p.m.
It’s setting up to be quite an intriguing season for the Badgers, who have six top-20 teams on their schedule and are looking to bounce back after a disappointing 5-7 campaign.
While they were busy in the transfer portal, they still face an uphill climb back to the top half of the Big Ten. In fact, FanDuel Sportsbook has Wisconsin with the fourth-worst odds to make the College Football Playoff in the conference.
Looking at the Big Ten, Penn State leads the way with -325 odds, as they’re considered to be the No. 1 team in the country heading into the season. Ohio State isn’t far behind, coming off a championship, at -310 odds, while Oregon is also favored to make the playoff at -160 odds.
Here are the entire Big Ten odds to make the College Football Playoff this season (Rutgers is not listed):
1. Penn State: -325
2. Ohio State: -310
3. Oregon: -160
4. Michigan: +210
5. USC: +410
6. Indiana: +570
7. Nebraska: +710
8. Illinois: +760
9. Iowa: +790
10. Washington: +1040
11. Minnesota: +1800
12. Michigan State: +2200
13. UCLA: +3500
13. Wisconsin: +3500
15. Maryland: +5000
16. Northwestern: +5000
17. Purdue: +5000
The Big Ten could have four teams in the playoff this season, but it should be another competitive year for the conference nonetheless. Unfortunately for Wisconsin, they’re tied for 13th with UCLA at +3500 odds to make the playoffs, which makes sense, given their current win total of 5.5 wins.
FanDuel has the Badgers as a heavy underdog to hit that line, with the under listed at -178 odds, while the over is at +144 odds.
Wisconsin will play Maryland this season, but every other team on its schedule is inside the top 11, including three of the top four projected teams in the Big Ten.
Will the Badgers exceed expectations this season? Or will they ultimately end up as a bottom team in the conference?
Category: General Sports
