The Alabama Crimson Tide are traveling north to Big Ten country as they take on the Wisconsin Badgers this Saturday in Madison. After a couple of dominating wins, both teams are 2-0 on the season, but one team seems to be much more talented than the other. While the Badgers of Wisconsin are sort of in the middle of a transition period, they start Tyler Van Dyke who is looking for a big finale in his last college season. He spent 3 seasons in Miami and had a bit of a lackluster career that he is looking to revamp here in Madison. Van Dyke has led the Badgers to two wins, although they were against Western Michigan and South Dakota, putting up 27.5 points per contest.
Van Dyke has thrown for 400 yards this season but just 1 TD, which shows that Wisconsin loves to pound the ground. Chez Mellusi is stepping up as he has 60+ yards in both games and 3 total TDs. The rushing attack will certainly be Wisconsin’s strength, as the Crimson Tide allowed South Florida to run for over 200 yards on nearly 4.5 yards per attempt. While it will be difficult for Wisconsin to keep up by running the ball, their offensive line should be able to create some room for Mellusi to go to work. But the real question will be how the Badger’s defense stops Milroe.
Milroe for Heisman?
Jalen Milroe is a Heisman candidate, and he has looked ready to roll so far this season. Despite a slight hiccup early against the South Florida Bulls, the Crimson Tide’s offense is firing on all cylinders. Alabama was only up 14-13 as USF had the ball to end the 3rd quarter, but then Milroe came alive. He threw for two 4th quarter TD passes as the entire offense put up 28 points to win, 42-16. Things got ugly very quickly, and the same could happen if the Badgers don’t contain him.
Will Wisconsin figure out a way to stay in this game? Or will Alabama and the Tide roll over the Badgers?
Alabama vs Wisconsin: SEC Takes on the Big Ten
Tyler Van Dyke starts for the Badgers against the Crimson Tide
Matchup Information – Alabama vs Wisconsin
- Venue & Location: Camp Randall Stadium (Madison, WI)
- Date: Saturday, September 14th, 2024
- Kick Off: 12:00pm Eastern
- Broadcast: FOX
Betting Odds
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Spread
- Alabama -16.5 (-107)
- Wisconsin +16.5 (-113)
Money Line
- Alabama -705
- Wisconsin +525
Total
- Over 49.5 (-105)
- Under 49.5 (-115)
Milroe Leads the Tide Against Wisconsin
Jalen Milroe looks to lead the Tide into Big Ten territory this weekend
So far this season, Jalen Milroe has thrown for 394 yards and 5 TDs without an interception. He’s also added 81 total rushing yards and another 4 TDs on the ground as well. The man is a scoring machine. He faces a Badger’s defense that has held their two mediocre opponents to 13.5 points per game, but Alabama will be a true test. New HC Kalen DeBoer has no problem running up the score and putting the ball in the end zone repeatedly, so the Badgers defense will have to buckle down and get some stops.
If Wisconsin has a chance at winning this game, it stays under. I don’t think the Badgers have enough fire power to keep up with a shootout against Alabama, plus I don’t trust Van Dyke’s arm. In his last 2 years in Miami, Van Dyke threw 29 TDs but also 17 interceptions. I think this Crimson Tide secondary could be able to pick off Van Dyke, as they already have 2 on the season.
As for betting this game, 16.5 points still feels like a lot for Alabama to cover, especially if the Wisconsin defense comes to play. While I don’t think they will contain Milroe for the entire game, I think they could find some success early by getting him out of his comfort zone. Like I said, I see Wisconsin covering if they can keep this game low scoring, but as for my coins, I’ll be putting them on the Wisconsin RB to have himself a game.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs Wisconsin Badgers Best Bets
Chez Mellusi has scored in both games this season
Alabama vs Wisconsin Prediction: Alabama Wins, Wisconsin Covers, Under 49.5
Best Bets: Chez Mellusi Over 42.5 Rushing Yards (-114) BetOnline
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This line is too low. I understand he is playing Alabama and that Wisconsin will likely be throwing the ball a majority of the game. But if the run it, it’s going to this guy, and he has the ability to breakout for a big run. Mellusi saw exactly 50% of the team’s carries in Week 1 against Western Michigan, but he underperformed slightly. He only ran for 3.9 yards per carry, but still totaled 74 yards and a TD.
Mellusi saw 16 of the teams’ 35 carries last weekend, running for 60 yards and 2 TDs. He’s gotten 15+ carries in both games so far this season, and against a Crimson Tide team that allows 3.4 yards per rush, I think Mellusi will be fine. In this matchup, I’m looking for Mellusi to just get double digits carries. If he does this, I’m confident he will be able to make some guys miss and break some tackle in order to stretch the ball for more yards. Despite the rest of the offense being a heaping pile of you know what, Mellusi is a diamond shimmering amongst the garbage. They should certainly utilize their #1 playmaker in order to give themselves a shot at winning this game.
By establishing the run game, Wisconsin will be able to keep Milroe off the field, chew that clock, and keep the game low scoring which will play in their favor. The Badger’s best shot is wearing down this Crimson Tide defense by making them stop the run in the trenches. This will also set up some nice play action for Van Dyke to air it out over the top.
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