The BadgerNotes staff stayed perfect through Week 2, going 8-0 with our picks (not that it was that hard). Now we’re moving on to Week 3 of the Wisconsin football season, with the Badgers hosting Eastern Michigan (1-2) at Camp Randall on Saturday.
This is the Badgers’ final non-conference game before they travel to Penn State in Week 4, and the rest of the regular season consists of Big Ten opponents. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s focus on the game at hand.
Here are the BadgerNotes staff predictions for Week 3.
Staff predictions
• Dillon Graff
Season record: 2-0
I still don’t think we learned much about Wisconsin in a positive way from beating Western Illinois, but there were a few encouraging signs.
Abu Sama III gave the offense the explosiveness it badly needs, and Wisconsin looked physically superior in stretches. The problem is there were still far too many times when the Badgers offense bogged down, and giving up more than 300 yards to an FCS team, including 150-plus on the ground, isn’t something I’m brushing aside.
Eastern Michigan should be another game where Wisconsin has a pretty significant advantage schematically and in the trenches. The Eagles were just handled 35-7 by Michigan State, and if the Badgers are going to be the team they believe they are, this shouldn’t require much drama.
That said, this is a Luke Fickell-led team. And if I were a betting man, I’d expect Wisconsin to spend an extended stretch playing down to its opponent, failing to execute or letting whatever momentum it builds disappear completely until fans get angry. We’ve seen that movie too many times for me to expect otherwise.
I’m still watching Colton Joseph and the passing game closely, and I’d like to see the defense clean up some of what we saw last week and stop the run. But Wisconsin should be able to lean on its backs, control the line of scrimmage, and gradually put this one away, even if it’s uninspiring.
Prediction: Wisconsin 31, Eastern Michigan 10
• Christian Borman
Season record: 2-0
I know this is a popular take, but I still don’t know what to think of this team.
The Badgers played two teams at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of opponent quality. Notre Dame is a national championship contender, while Western Illinois is an FCS school that got pounded 41-10 the week before they played Wisconsin.
Are the real Wisconsin Badgers closer to the team we saw in the first half of the Notre Dame game and the first quarter of the Western Illinois game, where they can hang with the top teams in the country and blow out lesser opponents? Or are they closer to the team we saw in the second half of the Notre Dame game and the team that struggled to stop the Leathernecks’ offense in their tracks in the middle part of Week 2?
All of that to say, the Badgers still have a lot to prove heading into Week 3. Last week, I wanted to see Wisconsin overpower Western Illinois and be ‘all gas and no brakes’ against a lesser opponent.
I’m here to say the same thing. They showed flashes again, but struggled to play a complete game.
I need to see Wisconsin dominate from start to finish. We have a measuring stick for this game to compare to programs in a similar position. Michigan State beat Eastern Michigan 35-7 last week. If the Badgers think they are a class ahead of the Spartans or even a little ahead of them, they need to beat the Eagles by more than four touchdowns.
Right now, that’s a hard sell for me. I’ve given this team the benefit of the doubt too many times, and I now need to see it to believe it. I think the Badgers win and, like last week, stay in the lead throughout, but I think there are some bumps in the road and don’t cover the 24.5-point spread.
Prediction: Wisconsin 28, Eastern Michigan 10
• Seamus Rohrer
Season record: 2-0
Luke Fickell just doesn’t blow out bad teams as Wisconsin’s head coach. That speaks volumes about his teams as well, of course, but at this point it’d be shocking to see the Badgers cover the spread as a heavy favorite.
I don’t think the Eagles are much of a threat to win this game, but they could certainly make things interesting. They played Michigan State within two scores until late in the third quarter last week. If Eastern Michigan can possess the ball and limit some of the big plays that helped Wisconsin jump out to an early lead last week, it can easily keep this thing close.
As much as it clearly enrages Badgers fans, Wisconsin isn’t quite equipped to blow inferior teams out of the water. The Badgers win, fail to cover, and the fanbase collectively loses its mind once again with what will be a top-15 Penn State team on tap next.
Prediction: Wisconsin 31, Eastern Michigan 13
• Charlie Pietz
Season record: 2-0
Wisconsin has struggled mightily against MAC opponents under Luke Fickell, beating Miami (OH) 17-0 and Western Michigan 28-14. Both games were competitive well into the third quarter, with WMU even holding a fourth-quarter lead.
Eastern Michigan has already faced several formidable opponents, including San Jose State and Michigan State, and I think the Eagles catch this Badgers defense by surprise a couple of times. Led by former Michigan State starting quarterback Noah Kim, EMU finds the end zone twice and keeps this game competitive into the third quarter.
On the other side of the ball, I expect Colten Joseph to have his best game of the season as he responds to some of the recent doubts surrounding him. He helps Wisconsin pull away late.
The Badgers get the win, but it isn’t exactly the statement performance fans are hoping for heading into Penn State.
Want to talk through the game with other Badgers fans? Join Bucky’s Burrow for our free game-day chat and be part of the conversation.
Wisconsin 34, Eastern Michigan 14
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