After their bye week, the Wisconsin football team will be back in action tomorrow night to take on the undefeated, 12th-ranked UCLA.
The Bruins (5-0, 3-0 Big Ten) are coming off a 17-15 win over Oregon last weekend, but that victory came at a significant cost. They will be without starting quarterback Nico Imaleava, who suffered a knee injury against the Ducks and will miss the remainder of the season.
Can Luke Fickell and the Badgers use the bye week to their advantage and get another road upset against a Big Ten opponent?
Here are the BadgerNotes staff predictions for Week 7.
Staff predictions
• Dillon Graff
Season record: 4-1
Wisconsin has given us legitimate reasons to reconsider what this team can do after consecutive Big Ten wins over Penn State and Michigan State. The defense has been better than expected, and Colton Joseph has provided an element of explosiveness that was largely missing from this offense a year ago. But I’m still not entirely sold on how consistently the Badgers can move the football against quality competition.
UCLA presents a different challenge. The Bruins are 5-0, coming off a road win at Oregon, and have one of the most productive rushing attacks in the country. That’s a difficult matchup for any defense, even one that’s playing as well as Wisconsin has lately. The absence of starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava certainly changes the equation, though.
Without him, I think Wisconsin has a much better opportunity to make UCLA one-dimensional and force its offense to sustain drives rather than generate explosive plays. That said, the Bruins rank 4th nationally in EPA per rush, making this a significant test of the Badgers’ front seven.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Badgers kept this close throughout, and I think they’re capable of winning. But UCLA has been the more efficient offensive team, and I’m not quite ready to trust Wisconsin’s offense to consistently finish drives against a quality opponent on the road.
The Badgers have done what they’ve needed to do to this point and given us reasons to believe they’re improving. I just need to see a little more from this team before I’m ready to pick them in a game like this.
Prediction: UCLA 27, Wisconsin 20
• Christian Borman
Season record: 4-1
The Badgers have gotten a week off to rest and prepare for UCLA.
The problem is, they still have to travel to the West Coast, which always makes things more difficult, and they spent a week preparing for Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who went down with a season-ending injury against Oregon last week.
Now the Badgers will need to shift gears and prepare for his backup, Ty Dieffenbach, who stepped in for Iamaleava in the second half.
Luckily, I think Wisconsin’s defensive strengths fit well against what the Bruins will need to do now with Iamaleava out: run the ball. The Badgers’ run defense ranks 35th in the country, allowing just 114 yards on the ground per game.
It won’t be an easy task to stop UCLA’s running attack, but I feel better about the matchup knowing how solid Wisconsin’s front seven is.
Right now, I’m feeling better about Wisconsin’s offense, assuming they limit the turnovers, which killed Oregon last week.
The travel could make things harder, but I think Wisconsin will prove they’re the team they’ve been the past few weeks and steal a win in Pasadena.
Prediction: Wisconsin 20, UCLA 17
• Seamus Rohrer
Season record: 4-1
I’m not entirely sold that the Badgers are all the way “back.” They’ve had a very nice start to the season, which has certainly been cathartic for what’s been a tortured fanbase the past three years and change. But the biggest tests, and the defining stretch of the season, lie ahead. It starts on the road in Pasadena.
What I am sold on, however? That this is an excellent matchup for Wisconsin.
UCLA, already a run-heavy offense, must now rely on its rugged ground game even more without its starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Meanwhile, the Badgers’ defense has stymied every rushing attack it’s faced; even mighty Notre Dame only ran for 111 yards on 3.0 yards per carry in the opener.
The battle in the trenches will be the key. If Wisconsin wins that — and it certainly has a fighting chance at the very least — it’s hard to see the Badgers losing this game.
I’m not quite ready to put blind faith in this team. But in this particular game, the Badgers shouldn’t need it to emerge victorious.
Prediction: Wisconsin 23, UCLA 20
• Charlie Pietz
Season record: 4-1
Coming off a bye, Wisconsin faces a UCLA team led by first-year head coach Bob Chesney, who has done an excellent job so far.
The Bruins will be without starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a massive loss that limits their ability to stretch the field and makes their offense more predictable. I expect the Badgers to stack the box and force backup Ty Dieffenbach to beat them through the air.
UCLA’s defense is impressive, but needing seven Oregon turnovers to squeak out a win is far from sustainable. With Wisconsin’s defense playing well and the offense creating explosive plays, I believe the Badgers have a significant edge that many around the country are overlooking.
Wisconsin bottles up UCLA’s rushing attack and improves to 5-1 in what continues to be a remarkable turnaround season.
Prediction: Wisconsin 24, UCLA 16
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