Badgers wagerers have numbers on their side
There are two factors potentially preventing bettors from backing unbeaten Wisconsin today.
First, the Badgers’ trip to Michigan State is their first true road game — hat tip to athletic director Barry Alvarez — and secondly, they have not faced the best competition so far.
But with Wisconsin beating every opponent by at least 31 points, we dismiss the latter notion And with a veteran quarterback in Russell Wilson, who has 90 career touchdown passes against only 27 interceptions, in addition to more than 10,000 career passing yards and 19 rushing scores, we can discount the former concern, too.
I thought I was being respectful to the Spartans when I made the Badgers 11-point favorites. And that was before the suspension of Spartans defensive end William Gholston.
Michigan State will hang around for the first 35 to 40 minutes, but Wisconsin’s massive offensive line should take control in the third quarter.
Look for the Badgers, 7½-point favorites, to win by double digits in this Big Ten battle in East Lansing, Mich.
Four more plays for today (home team in CAPS):
■ CLEMSON (-10½) over North Carolina — In a letdown situation last week at Maryland, the Tigers rallied from an 18-point third-quarter deficit and covered the 8½-point line in a 56-45 victory.
Tajh Boyd has 19 touchdown passes and four interceptions — and has one of the nation’s premier weapons in freshman receiver Sammy Watkins. And Andre Ellington topped 200 yards rushing against the Terrapins. Don’t be fooled by the Tar Heels’ 30-24 home loss to Miami last week. That was a misleading final, as the Hurricanes led 27-3 with more than five minutes left in the first half. I made this number 16 and expect the Tigers to cruise to a cover.
■ Wake Forest (-3½) over DUKE — The Demon Deacons are getting outstanding quarterback play from Tanner Price, who has 12 touchdown passes and only three interceptions. Jim Grobe is quietly doing another terrific coaching job at Wake Forest. I made this line 7 and see line value with the road favorite.
■ MISSOURI (+7) over Oklahoma State — The Tigers have an excellent chance at winning outright. All three of Missouri’s losses were on the road against teams with two combined losses. The Tigers have won 10 consecutive home games, and quarterback James Franklin can make plays running and throwing. This is a second straight road game for the Cowboys, who could be flat with the early kickoff. I still have questions about an Oklahoma State defense that might get exposed.
■ Tennessee-ALABAMA (Over 46½) — I made this total 51, and Alabama might score that many on its own. Running back Trent Richardson enjoyed a monster game last week in a 52-7 win at Mississippi and appears poised for another stellar performance. With quarterback A.J. McCarron improving on a weekly basis, the Crimson Tide are scoring in bunches.
Last week: 2-1-1 against the spread
Season: 19-8-2
Brian Edwards of VegasInsider.com and BrianEdwardsSports.com is providing college football analysis for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
