The Wisconsin Badgers take on the Michigan Wolverines this Saturday in Ann Arbor, and there is not a lot of hope for Wisconsin. Among the fanbase, among the national narrative, and even with Vegas odds. The fanbase is preparing itself for a two-win season (which both have already happened). The national narrative is more about a timer on how long it takes for Wisconsin to fire Luke Fickell, and Vegas has Michigan as a 16.5 favorite.
ESPN Analytics also has a prediction model for this game, as they do for every game, and the matchup prediction tool for Wisconsin vs. Michigan is not favorable. Currently, Michigan is predicted to win the game with nearly a 90% probability.
ESPN predicts Wisconsin will lose with nearly a 90% probability score
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That's about as high as any game will be, especially within the conference. Illinois is only predicted to beat Purdue with a 74% probability. Northwestern is only predicted to beat UL-Monroe with an 82% probability. Those are just two examples that showcase how bleak the Michigan game prediction is for Wisconsin.
The only game that seems to have a bigger discrepancy is the Penn State vs. UCLA game, in which the Nittany Lions are predicted to beat the Bruins by a whopping 93% probability. The Bruins are without a head coach and have yet to secure a single win on the season, yet they don't have much worse a probability than Wisconsin.
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The game will probably get out of hand; hopefully, the Wisconsin defense can keep the game close. And maybe, just maybe, the offense can do something. However, there's not a lot of hope in this game. It's an important game for head coach Luke Fickell, too. If he can win it, the hot seat dials back, and people begin to explain away the Maryland loss. If he and Wisconsin lose the game, it becomes even more evident that this team is destined for a season of failure.