Wisconsin Badgers Football 2020 Betting Preview

The Badgers have been a top tier Big Ten powerhouse, battling with Ohio State for supremacy. SI Gambling analyst Frankie Taddeo goes through Wisconsin’s betting options for 2020, including his best bet.

Wisconsin will have their work cut out in 2020 as they look to improve upon their Big Ten Championship game and Rose Bowl appearance last season.

The Badgers came up on the losing end: 34-21 against Ohio State in the conference title game, followed by a heartbreaking 28-27 loss to Pac-12 Champion Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

As AllBadgers Jake Kocorowski noted the program has been trending in the right direction in recent years:

“Since Paul Chryst has taken over the Wisconsin football program beginning with the 2015 season, the Badgers have gone 52-16 in five years. UW has captured three Big Ten West division titles, played in three New Year's Six bowls, and are currently recruiting at a high level.”

⚪ QB Spotlight 🔴

Jack Coan - Wisconsin

• Coan had a good Junior season completing 69.6% of his passes. He threw for 2,727 yards and 18 TDs while only throwing 5 INTs. With Jonathan Taylor now gone, more will be put on the shoulders of Coan to lead this offense. pic.twitter.com/9RTGIvPIL4

— NCAAF Nation (@NCAAFNation247) June 10, 2020

The offense will find it tough to replace star running back Jonathan Taylor, now taking the field on Sundays with the Indianapolis Colts. The success of the offense will fall on the right arm of experienced quarterback Jack Coan in 2020. Sophomore Nakia Watson will be taking over starting backfield duties after Taylor’s brilliant career.

Wisconsin’s biggest strength for this season can be found on the defensive side of the ball as the Badgers return nearly every starter up front. That’s great news for a unit that finished with the second-most sacks in the Big Ten in 2019.

2020 Wisconsin Badgers Regular Season Win Total Odds

According to PointsBet Sportsbook, Wisconsin’s season win total projection stands at 9.5 wins heavily juiced to the under at odds of -175. 

Odds courtesy of PointsBet

2020 Wisconsin Badgers Schedule

Week 1 - Sept. 4 vs Indiana

Week 2 - Sept. 12 vs Southern Illinois

Week 3 - Sept. 19 vs Appalachian State

Week 4 - Sept. 26 at Michigan

Week 5 - Oct. 3 vs Notre Dame (Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI)

Week 6 - Oct. 10 vs Minnesota

Week 7 - BYE

Week 8 - Oct. 24 at Maryland

Week 9 - Oct. 31 vs Illinois

Week 10 - Nov. 7 at Northwestern (Wrigley Field, Chicago)

Week 11 - Nov. 14 at Purdue

Week 12 - Nov. 21 vs Nebraska

Week 13 - Nov. 28 at Iowa

The Badgers open the season against Indiana who currently own a 10-game losing streak against Wisconsin. Consequently, Sconnie is listed as 13-point favorites.

A 2-0 start is anticipated with an inferior Southern Illinois opponent on deck. However, the Badgers need to be on alert in Week 3 to not overlook an Appalachian State team that defeated both North Carolina and South Carolina last season. 

Best Universities 🤝 Best Football Programs#OnWisconsin » #Badgers pic.twitter.com/qNO29TwGfS

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) May 20, 2020

The first real test of the 2020 campaign takes place in Week 4 when traveling to Ann Arbor to face Big Ten foe Michigan. The oddsmakers envision the Badgers coming up short listing them as 3-point underdogs against the Wolverines. It should be noted that the Badgers held serve last season in Madison, defeating Michigan 35-14 at home.

Perhaps the hardest non conference game on the schedule is sandwiched between Michigan and Minnesota with a trip to Lambeau Field against Notre Dame. The oddsmakers currently have the Badgers listed as a 1-point favorite in their neutral site clash with the Fighting Irish.

According to the sportsbooks, the Badgers will remain the betting favorite in their final seven games post-Lambeau. The matchups are highlighted as 7.5-point favorites at home versus Minnesota, 13.5-point favorites over Nebraska, and finally closing the season as 4-point road favorites on the road at Iowa.

Wisconsin’s Odds to Win Big Ten West

Odds courtesy of PointsBet

PointsBet Sportsbook is offering Wisconsin as the favorite to win the Big Ten West at odds of +150. All bettors who believe the Badgers will win the Big Ten West will get back $150 for every $100 wagered.

Wisconsin Badgers Odds to Win Big Ten Conference

Odds courtesy of PointsBet

With projections that envision a potential three-loss regular season, PointsBet Sportsbook is offering Wisconsin at +650 to emerge as Big Ten Champions for the first time since 2012. All bettors who believe the Badgers will win the Big Ten Championship for a possible 15th time in school history will get back $650 for every $100 wagered.

Odds for Wisconsin Players to Win 2020 Heisman Trophy

Wisconsin currently has one player listed in the Heisman Trophy Odds at Fan Duel Sportsbook: Quarterback Jack Coan (150/1).

Two Wisconsin Badgers have claimed the Heisman Trophy in school history: RB Alan Ameche (1954) and RB Ron Dayne (1999).

Wisconsin’s Odds to Win the 2020-21 College Football Playoff

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

I don’t envision any way for Wisconsin to overtake Ohio State for the Big Ten Championship. However, the word here in Vegas is the sharps see extreme value in the Badgers to emerge as the champions of the Big Ten West. November sets up as a difficult stretch with three of their last four games on the road. When you add in Michigan and Notre Dame earlier in the year, it becomes easier to see why the under 9.5 overall season wins (-175) is being steamed in that direction.

The Big Ten West will likely come down to the final regular season game when the Badgers head to Kinnick Stadium to take on Iowa. Upon a deeper dive, the oddsmakers have come up with the early line of 4-points in favor of Wisconsin in part due to historical dominance. The Badgers have owned the Hawkeyes winning each of the last five matchups in Iowa City. With the experienced Jack Coan under center, the sharps believe Wisconsin will emerge victorious once again. Grab the plus-odds.

The Play: Big Ten West Division Champions (+150)