Betting the Wisconsin Badgers 2023 Win Total
Vaughn Dalzell shares why the Wisconsin Badgers O/U 8.5 Wins is his favorite College Football futures bet for the 2023 season.
Wisconsin Badgers O/U 8.5 Wins
Pending what offensive and defensive lineup the Badgers roll with, Wisconsin will have between 15 and 18 returning starters, which makes them one of the most experienced teams in the country and one of the most dangerous.
However, the real topic is the quarterback situation. Wisconsin’s expected to have its best quarterback play since Russell Wilson and receive a much-needed upgrade over Graham Mertz.
The Badgers landed Tanner Mordecai from SMU. Mordecai posted 7,152 passing yards and 76 total touchdowns over the past two seasons with 22 interceptions, 897 passing attempts, and 133 rushing attempts. Mordecai is mobile and has pocket awareness, plus accuracy, something the Badgers’ are not used to having under center.
One of the experts I use for College Football research is Phil Steele because he talks to every DI coach. He ranks each team’s units from 1-65, and Wisconsin makes that list for every unit.
The Badgers’ defensive backs (27th), special teams (25th), defensive line (31st), offensive line (18th), wide receivers (36th), and quarterbacks (25th) are all top 36. The linebackers (6th) and running backs (5th) both rank top six, which are the strengths of this team.
Wisconsin has a plethora of returners that were named to the NCFAA preseason watch list, including RB Braelon Allen (Maxwell, Doak Walker, Walter Camp awards), WR Chimere Dike (Paul Hornung Award), and nine-plus starters back on defense and special teams, including LB Maema Njongmeta (Butkus, Bednarik, Nagurski Awards) and kicker Nathanial Vakos (Lou Groza Award).
The Badgers are the favorites to win the Big Ten West for a reason and have a favorable schedule to do so.
Wisconsin hosts Buffalo, Georgia Southern, Rutgers, Northwestern, and Nebraska, plus two ranked opponents, No. 25 Iowa and No. 3 Ohio State this season.
The Badgers go on the road at Washington State, Purdue, Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota, so an ideal road schedule with their two most challenging games coming at home.
In those 12 games, Wisconsin will be favored in nine to 11 contests, which is crucial when taking an Over. I expect the Badgers to be competitive in every game this season and with Ohio State being the only expected loss, the rest of the schedule is doable.
I played the Badgers to record Over 8.5 wins at -150 odds and would go up to Over 9.5 for +110 or better.
Pick: Wisconsin Over 8.5 Wins (Risk 2u)
Bet the Edge is your source for the day in sports betting. Get all of Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick’s insight Tuesday through Saturday at 6AM ET right here or wherever you get your podcasts.
