Wisconsin Football: Predicting the final three regular season games

Week 13 – Wisconsin at Minnesota

If Wisconsin does win their next two games, that will likely set up a Big Ten West championship game, winner-takes-all to go to the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis. On top of that, it’s the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe.

What more could you want?

At the beginning of the season, the Gophers were one of the teams that were thought to be a contender for the Big Ten West, and here we are. Led by everybody’s favorite cheerleading coach, P.J. Fleck, the Gophers are in a position to represent the Big Ten West in Indy. Like the Badgers, the Gophers control their own destiny, for now. They have the tiebreaker over Purdue after a 20-13 victory over the Boilermakers in West Lafayette. They play Iowa this weekend, so that’s another big game with implications on the division as well. A loss to the Hawkeyes would really hurt their chances for a division title.

But to be honest, outside of the Purdue victory, there isn’t a game they’ve played that has really been that impressive, especially their recent loss to Illinois at home. Their non-conference schedule is just as brutal. A five-point win over Miami (OH) and a loss to Bowling Green just look ugly.

The loss of Mohamed Ibrahim was a crushing blow to the Gophers. Ibrahim was one of, if not the best running back in the conference this year. But after his injury in their first game to Ohio State, the Gopher’s running attack is not nearly as potent as it was.

If you thought Wisconsin’s offense wasn’t putting up a ton of yards, Minnesota has put up less. Heading into Week 11, the Badgers are putting up about 17 more yards per game than the Gophers. It may not seem like much, but with how the Wisconsin offense struggled this year, it’s shocking to see where Minnesota is on the list, especially when you consider who they’ve played. Purdue (26th) and Ohio State (47th) are the two highest-ranked defenses the Gophers have played this season.

Wisconsin, on the other hand, has faced Michigan (6th), Iowa (10th), Purdue (27th), Army (33rd), and Penn State (35th). That’s five of the top-35 defenses in the country in nine games played. Taking that into consideration, it’s understandable why the Badgers’ offense may have struggled a bit this year.

What’s keeping Minnesota in games is their defense. Their defense is ranked 8th in total yards allowed in the FBS and 14th in the rushing defense, allowing just 108 yards on the ground per game. Wisconsin might find it a little harder to run against the Gophers than other teams they have played, but I still think the Badgers will find some success running the ball and definitely more than 108 yards.

At the end of the day, I think Wisconsin is just the better overall team and they have more momentum right now, which is important this time of year. If Illinois can go into Minnesota and come out with a win, I know the Badgers can.

Wisconsin 23 – Minnesota 10

There you have it, I think the Badgers have a favorable schedule to end the season and can absolutely run the table.

Ending the regular season with a Big Ten West title would be a huge success considering they were 1-3 at one point. Being able to rattle off eight-straight wins would be a big accomplishment. This Wisconsin football team has been through a ton this year. They have the most players transferring out this year, injuries have racked up, and an offense that couldn’t seem to do anything right at the beginning of the year.

If the Badgers pull this off, it will be one hell of an accomplishment.