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College Football Week 1: Utah State at Wisconsin Betting Preview & Pick
When: Thursday, August 31, 2017, 9:00 PM ET Where: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI TV:ESPN Radio: Utah State Aggie Sports Network / Badger Sports Network Live Stream: WatchESPN College Football Week 1 Odds: Wisconsin -27.5, O/U 48✈️ ➡️ Madison, Wisconsin#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/ZAuzX6mA6c
— USU Football (@USUFootball) August 31, 2017
Weather Forecast
- Clear: 14°C/57°F
- Humidity: 75%
- Precipitation: 6%
- Wind: 4 mph ESE
- Cloud Cover: 1%
- Type of Stadium: Open
Why should you bet on the Aggies?
Utah State has a lot of holes to fill in their offense — most notably at tight end, where all four of their starters last year have gone, three to graduation and one to the professional ranks. Sophomore Dax Raymond and senior Damion Hobbs look to fill that slot this year. Hobbs is sliding over from quarterback to take the tight end role, which means that the Aggie offense is looking at significant changes going into this season. His role was primarily to run the ball from the quarterback position, as he scored seven times on the ground a year ago. This line is almost four touchdowns — but if you look at the way the Aggies finished last year, this isn’t really a surprise. In games that finished within seven points or fewer, Utah State finished 0-4. They will struggle to manage a Wisconsin offense that uses raw power to bludgeon its way down the field, with a big, strong offensive line opening holes for a grinding running attack that will chew up a lot of clock, picking up first down after first down. One area of emphasis for Utah State in the off-season was to play a more physical brand of football — and they’ll certainly get an example from Wisconsin. If you like the Aggies in this game, you see Wisconsin struggling to find a rhythm early and Utah State sitting in position to take advantage of those miscues.Why should you put your money on the Badgers?
If you thought that the Wisconsin offense was strong last year, this year the plan is to make them even more explosive. A year ago, the Badgers led the Big Ten in time of possession — but no other offensive categories. The idea this year is to open things up so that there are more plays down the field without losing the strength of that monster offensive line. They only put together 65 plays last year that picked up at least 20 yards. Eight of them finished up in the end zone — and Wisconsin needs more of that this year. They did get nine plays of at least 20 yards when they faced Western Michigan in the Cotton Bowl — but they need to start this a lot earlier in the season with that newfound offense.
That physicality that Wisconsin shows on offense also is a feature on the defensive side of the ball. They have fast linebackers that can pursue sideline to sideline, and their defensive line can plug the holes in the offensive line and force teams into third-and- long situations all night long. If the Utah State offense can’t generate some first downs, this could end up being a long time for that Utah State defense.
College Football Week 1 Betting Trends
- Utah State is 0-5 ATS in the last 5 games
- Utah State is 0-5 SU in the last 5 games
- The total went OVER in 5 of Utah State’s last 7 games
- Wisconsin is 11-3-2 ATS in the last 16 games
- Wisconsin is 7-1 SU in the last 8 games
- The total went OVER in 4 of Wisconsin’s last 5 games
