Wisconsin may be ranked 11th in the country and 2-0 straight up but they have pissed off bettors the last two weeks as they have failed to cover the spread.
Wisconsin won by 20 points in Week 1 against UNLV and just missed covering the spread and then last week they never had a chance to cover the big college football lines in a win over San Jose State. They host Arizona State on Saturday and are laying two touchdowns at SBG.
This is one of the ABC regionally televised games so it will get a little more action than normal. Bettors might be a little more cautious about taking Wisconsin after the last two weeks. It was really annoying last week as Wisconsin led 20-0 and then screwed around to win by just 13 points. The Badgers were supposed to win by 40 but they fumbled away chances and simply did not play well. They may not have the luxury of playing poorly again this week if they expect to cover the college football lines.
Wisconsin Will Run – One thing that is not a problem for Wisconsin is the running game. John Clay is averaging 6.5 yards per carry. He has 260 rushing yards and four touchdowns. The passing game has not been that good for the Badgers but they are hoping to get wide receiver Nick Toon back this week.
Arizona State Will Throw – The Sun Devils come into the game at 2-0 and they are throwing the ball all over the field. Quarterback Steven Threet has thrown for 630 yards and five touchdowns in wins over Portland State and Northern Arizona. It will be a step up in competition this week for the Sun Devils. ASU is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. the Big Ten so there is hope. They are also 17-7 ATS in their last 24 games in September. The problem is that they are 0-4 against the college football betting line in their last 4 road games.
Wisconsin is 37-4 at Home since 2004 – The Badgers don’t lose at Camp Randall Stadium very often. They have won 25 straight against unranked teams at home and they have won 26 straight games against non-conference teams. That doesn’t mean they always cover the spread though as was proven last week against San Jose State.