The Wisconsin Badgers had one of their largest spreads in recent memory last weekend ahead of their matchup against the Western Illinois Leathernecks. After starting out as 36.5-point favorites, the line got as high as 43.5 points ahead of kickoff.
Well, after a strong 17-0 start over the first seven and a half minutes, the Badgers had their fair share of ups and downs, taking a 23-6 lead into halftime. That expanded to 36-9 by the end of the game, but Wisconsin’s 27-point win fell well short of expectations.
Heading into Week 3, the Badgers are, once again, substantial favorites. They currently are seen as 24.5-point favorites over Eastern Michigan on the spread. The Eagles played against Michigan State last week, where they were 15.5-point underdogs. That grew to 17.5 ahead of the game, and the Spartans beat Eastern Michigan 35-7 in a blowout.
The week before, Eastern Michigan was a favorite at home to San Jose State, but ended up losing 27-21. Their lone win so far has been over Sacramento State, when they were a 9.5-point favorite and won 28-17.
Eastern Michigan has given up over 450 yards in two consecutive games. Against San Jose State, a majority of that came through the air, while Michigan State ran for over 250 yards last weekend. So, their defense has been susceptible in a number of ways to start the year.
Wisconsin has yet to put together a complete performance, but has shown flashes of being a good team on both sides of the ball. They’ll get one last chance for that dominant game before conference play starts, and could be getting right guard Emerson Mandell back in Week 3.
That leads us to the question: will Wisconsin cover the spread against Eastern Michigan? Or will they disappoint relative to expectations once again?
Let us know by answering in our weekly Reacts poll below and sharing your thoughts in the comments!
