Year 2 for Luke Fickell in Madison officially begins Friday at Camp Randall Stadium as the Badgers host the Broncos of Western Michigan. The Badgers finished 2023 with a record of 7-6. They enter 2024 with a team motto of “hunt or be hunted” with a handful of new faces led by Miami-transfer QB Tyler Van Dyke. The new signal-caller for the Badgers is one of 16 new faces to join Wisconsin via the transfer portal as Coach Fickell looks to add size and experience on both sides of the ball.
Western Michigan lost all 3 games it played against Power 4 schools and finished the season with a record of 4-8.
Wisconsin leads the all-time series against Western Michigan 4-1 with the lone loss occurring back in 1988.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first-pitch, projected pitching matchup, lineup cards, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Broncos vs. Badgers live Friday
● Date: Friday, August 30, 2024
● Time: 9PM EST
● Site: Camp Randall Stadium
● City: Madison, WI
● TV/Streaming: BTN
Game odds for Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin
● Moneyline: Western Michigan (+1200), Wisconsin (-2500)
● Spread: Badgers -23.5
● Total: 56.5
*odds courtesy of BetMGM
NBC Sports Betting Analyst Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas) is leaning towards believing an experienced Broncos team can at least hang with the Badgers
“Wisconsin’s defense had a down year last season and should improve. However, with Western Michigan entering this game with nothing to lose, it feels right to take the points here. Besides, Wisconsin didn’t cover either of the games they played as massive favorites last year.”
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From the Trading Desk at BetMGM: Week 1 of College Football
“North Carolina has been a sharp play all the way from underdogs to 1.5-point favorites. Minnesota covering would be great for the sportsbook. The handle on Colorado will be huge and BetMGM is pulling for North Dakota State to cover. Wins by the Gophers and Bison would be Christmas in September.”
– Seamus Magee, Trader Manager, BetMGM
Names to Know for Western Michigan and Wisconsin
○ Broncos: RB Jalen Buckley – a Top 5 running back in the MAC who rushed for 1003 yards and 10 TDs in 2023.
○ Badgers: QB Tyler Van Dyke – 3-year starter at Miami who threw for over 2700 yards in 2023. Tossed 19 TDs but also threw 12 INTs. His inconsistency landed him in the portal. Fickell hopes he can be his Desmond Ridder in 2024. RB Tawee Walker – transfer from Oklahoma who rushed for 513 yards and 7 TDs for the Sooners in 2023.
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest player news from the NFL and MLB. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Broncos vs. Badgers on August 30, 2024
● Wisconsin’s defense tallied a middling 29 sacks in 2023 (T8 in the Big Ten).
● The Badgers’ Freshman class ranks #23 in the nation. It follows Fickell’s 1st full year of recruiting for Wisconsin
● Western Michigan returns 10 of 11 starters on offense and nine of their top 12 tacklers on defense from last season
● Broncos did lose their top defender, LB Marshawn Kneeland who was drafted in the 2nd round by the Dallas Cowboys
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our College Football Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for Friday’s Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin game
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday’s Broncos vs. Badgers game:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports is recommending a play on the Broncos getting 13.5 points in the 1st Half.
- Total runs: NBC Sports is staying away from a play on the Total of 56.5 points
Want even more college football best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert College Football Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and total picks for each of the games on today’s calendar!
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
