Wisconsin Enters Top-15 in National Championship Odds After Two Straight Shutouts
- Wisconsin was picked to finish third in the Big Ten West this year
- After back-to-back shutouts, the Badgers are gaining traction as a National Title contender
- If you believe in Wisconsin, you better get your bet in before they beat Michigan in Week 4
The time is now for the Badgers.
Wisconsin is 2-0, has outscored its first two opponents 110-0, and there are murmurings about how good this team might actually be. That has led to Wisconsin’s National Championship odds improving significantly since the start of the year. Sitting at +10000 before the season, they are now +5000, on average, which is tenth-best in the country.
Odds to win the College Football Playoff National Title
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Clemson | +250 |
| Alabama | +300 |
| Georgia | +700 |
| Ohio State | +900 |
| Oklahoma | +900 |
| LSU | +1000 |
| Michigan | +2000 |
| Auburn | +2500 |
| Utah | +2500 |
| Florida | +3300 |
| Penn State | +3300 |
| Oregon | +4000 |
| Texas | +4000 |
| Wisconsin | +4000 |
*Odds taken 09/11/19.
Following two convincing wins (49-0 over South Florida, 61-0 over Central Michigan), Wisconsin has a bye in Week 3, meaning the Badgers have two weeks to prepare for a much-hyped but perhaps overrated Michigan squad that was lucky to beat Army on Saturday.
If the Badgers take care of Big Blue in Madison, the hype machine will rev up and their odds will get even shorter than they already have. If you want to bet on the Badgers, do so now. Let’s examine their chances and evaluate the odds.
What We’ve Seen Thus Far
Wisconsin opened the year with a 49-0 victory over South Florida. The Bulls were picked to finish third in the AAC East Division behind perennial power UCF and Cincinnati. After falling to Wisconsin, USF dropped a 14-10 decision to Georgia Tech in Atlanta last weekend. They are by no mean a great team, but they’re not UConn, either.
The Badgers dominated every facet of the USF game. They outrushed the Bulls 234-26, finished +2 in turnover margin, held possession for 35 minutes, and went 6/13 on third down while holding USF to 3/14. Quarterback Jack Coan went 19/26 passing while running back Jonathan Taylor (a legitimate 2019 Heisman contender) managed 140 yards on 16 carries and added 48 receiving yards.
Taylor reached the endzone on four occasions.
In Week 2, Wisconsin drubbed Central Michigan 61-0. The Chippewas were picked to finish at the bottom of the MAC’s West Division. They began their campaign with a win over outclassed FCS member Albany, but they are a bottom-15 team in the country, so take this result with a grain of salt.
It was a career day for Coan against CMU. He completed 26 of 33 throws for 363 yards and three scores. Taylor totaled 181 yards and tallied three touchdowns. Wisconsin had 37 first downs and allowed just three. The Badgers amassed 599 yards of offense and yielded only 58.
The Regular-Season Schedule
After the off week, Wisconsin hosts Michigan. They also get Michigan State in Madison. The Badgers do not face Penn State this season. Their most difficult task is at Ohio State on October 26.
The Badgers have testy back-to-back games against Iowa at home and at Nebraska in November. As Big Ten schedules go, this is not an easy one. Unless Wisconsin runs the regular-season table, they will need to win the West Division and likely beat Michigan or Ohio State in the conference title game to have a shot at reaching the playoff.
While Wisconsin has been very impressive early on, even if they beat Michigan, the road is challenging. They can only slip once and likely need to win the Big Ten title game to go to the CFP. For what it is worth, some analytics have been very impressed with the Badgers thus far.
Competition
Outside of the Big Ten, the usual suspects are dominating the early national title odds. Alabama and Clemson have met in the Championship Game in three of the last four seasons. Georgia reached the title game two years ago and had an argument they should have been in the College Football Playoff last year. All three have strong futures odds, and reasonably so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trYiChMPb6Y
While Wisconsin has a tough schedule, and Alabama plays in the mighty SEC, Clemson’s road through the ACC is considerably lighter. That said, Oklahoma may have the best setup of them all. They are the best team in a good but not great Big XII, and play each of the likely next best three teams (Texas, Iowa State, TCU) at home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjuDLVxnXI8
Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley has gone 26-4 since taking over for Bob Stoops, and he’s made the playoffs in both of his seasons at the helm. He has produced the Heisman Trophy-winner in back-to-back years and quarterback Jalen Hurts, a transfer from Alabama, is off to a great start.
I like the value on the Sooners. They have the best combination of price and path to be in the mix.
Oklahoma (+900)
Dave Friedman has covered professional and college sports for two decades. From ESPN to the Associated Press, Regional Sports Networks, Metro Networks, and many local outlets, he has written about and broadcast major and minor events throughout the country.
