Wisconsin vs Arizona State Las Vegas Bowl Odds, Picks and Prediction

• Wisconsin is a 6-point favorite over Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl on Thursday, December 30th
•  The Badgers led the nation in total defense in 2021, while the Sun Devils beat only one team (UCLA) that was bowl eligible
• See the odds, spread and pick for the Las Vegas Bowl below

The Wisconsin Badgers (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten) – who won seven in a row after starting the season 1-3 – take on the Arizona State Sun Devils (8-4, 6-3 Pac-12) on Thursday in Sin City. Kickoff is set for 10:30 pm ET at Allegiant Stadium on ESPN.

Paul Chryst’s team figures to be motivated after blowing its shot at the Big Ten championship with a puzzling 23-13 loss to Minnesota that snapped an impressive seven-game win streak featuring victories over No. 25 Purdue and No. 9 Iowa. Meanwhile, Herm Edwards will be without his top two running backs, two starting corners, starting center and his second-leading tackler Thursday night.

The Badgers are favorites against the Sun Devils who – despite the absences – still possess a stout defense.

Wisconsin vs Arizona State Odds

Odds as of  December 30th at FanDuel

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Bowl season is when the Wisconsin football program shines the brightest of late. The Badgers have won six of their last seven postseason games, including last year’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl over Wake Forest. This is the program’s inaugural appearance in the Vegas Bowl – and it figures to be low-scoring.

There are just 4 teams in the country that rank in the top 25 in pass defense, run defense, third-down defense and red-zone defense (TD%):
-Georgia
-Michigan
-Wisconsin
-Houston

The Bulldogs and Wolverines, of course, will meet in the Orange Bowl in two weeks for the #CFBPlayoff

— Zach Shaw (@_ZachShaw) December 17, 2021

Wisconsin led the nation with just under 241 yards allowed per game and was especially stingy against the run, allowing an FBS-best 2.1 yards per attempt. The Badgers allowed 30 points or more only twice this season (in losses to Notre Dame and Michigan). Linebacker Leo Chenal led the way with 106 tackles, 17 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Offensively, it’s all about Bucky’s 17-yer-old wunderkind tailback.

Braelon Allen was basically unstoppable for seven straight weeks. #Badgers pic.twitter.com/Ftc7gSplzq

— Dillon Graff (@DillonGraff) December 21, 2021

Once the freshman became the focal point of Chryst’s offense, Whiskey’s season turned around. Allen rushed for 1,060 yards and 11 touchdowns over Wisconsin’s final eight games – with the only team keeping him in check being Minnesota.

Opt-Out Sparky

It’s a different story in ASU’s backfield with running backs Rachaad White and DeaMonte Trayanum each opting out of Thursday’s tilt. The Sun Devils will especially miss White, who rushed for 1,006 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season. But he’s far from the only player Edwards will miss come kickoff.

Players Arizona State will be without in Vegas (updated):

-Two leading rushers Rachaad White (NFL Draft), DeaMonte Trayanum (transfer portal)
-Starting C Dohnovan West (injury)
-Starting CBs Chase Lucas (NFL Draft), Jack Jones (NFL Draft)
-Starting LB Darien Butler (NFL Draft)

— Ben Kenney (@benzkenney) December 25, 2021

Considering Wisconsin has one of the best pass rushes in the country, ASU quarterback Jayden Daniels could be in for a long night without White to hand off to and West snapping him the ball. Big things were expected of the junior this season – and he did have a career-high completion rate. But Daniels only tossed 10 touchdowns and had nine interceptions. That said, he’s a rare talent.

Jayden Facts:

As a rusher, Jayden Daniels has a grade of 83.2, good for second among quarterbacks in the league and 11th overall.
He is the 8th-highest graded quarterback as a rusher this season in the FBS.
Daniels has forced 36 missed tackles this season, 5th among FBS QBs.

— Sun Devil Nation (@sundevilnation) December 28, 2021

Then, there’s this: what if Arizona State tests Wisconsin’s secondary? Sparky has a solid o-line that can give Daniels time to throw deep. Penn State was able to open it up with just a few big late passes, Michigan averaged over eight yards per throw, and Minnesota’s Tanner Morgan averaged over 12 yards a pass – all three teams won. Daniels and ASU have the ability to pull out a win, despite being undermanned.

Las Vegas Bowl Best Bet

The Sun Devils bring in the nation’s 32nd ranked run defense, and 18th ranked overall defense. Are those numbers inflated due to their schedule? No doubt. But this is still a defense with NFL-quality talent on their roster. This game has the look of a slugfest and should stay under the total of 41.5.

Wisconsin wants to put the Minnesota game fully in the rear view mirror and carry momentum into the 2022 season. The Sun Devils have good players, but the Badgers live in opposing backfields and feast on quarterbacks who start to press a bit.

Let Allen shine, play ball control and grind out a win. It’s a recipe that’s worked for the Badgers this season and should again in Sin City.

• Pick: Under 41.5 (-110)