The talk all week from almost every national pundit has been about how many points Wisconsin will lose to Alabama by. There is very little discussion about an upset; if anything, there might be some that say you should take the 21.5 spread, but not many are seriously thinking Wisconsin will beat Alabama. There is even very little that says it won't be a blowout like last year. Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy is not one of them.
McElroy thinks that it's going to be a battle. He refers to the game as the potential to be a "dogfight." The big difference for McElroy compared to other national narratives is that he's clearly actually watched the new and improved Wisconsin team and is not just spouting nonsense based on last season.
Greg McElroy thinks the Alabama vs. Wisconsin game could be a close game
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McElroy noticed in his study of Wisconsin that they have gotten a ton better at run defense year over year. He states that the defense for the Badgers is impressive and will make it hard on the Crimson Tide, but that the offense is not going to get it done against Alabama's defense.
He is definitely not expecting the game to be a barnburner. It will be a defensive showcase, especially in the first half, while the teams settle into playing against each other. While he ultimately ends up going with Alabama, he gives a lot of props to Wisconsin and thinks it's a better-looking team than a year ago.
"I like Alabama, but I would not be surprised if it is a bit of a dogfight there in the first half before Alabama starts to get a little more comfortable as the game goes along. I like Wisconsin. I think they’re a proud program, I think they’ll play hard. I just think Alabama has a little too much juice and a little bit more talent at important spots in this matchup."Greg McElroy
While McElroy is one of the few predicting it to be even a close game, he still doesn't believe they can pull off the upset. The doubts are high for Wisconsin, but the pressure is not. No one is expecting them to win, so they need to play loose and fly around the field, creating chaos for the Crimson Tide.