Alabama and Wisconsin faced off at the storied Jerry World in Arlington, Texas, during their 2015 season opener. Even though the Badgers gave it their all, they were unable to overcome Derrick Henry’s skill and lost to the eventual national champions 35–17. When they faced up against one other in 1928, Wisconsin won 15-0. That was their only previous meeting.
Now, in this season, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the showdown between these two squads. The crucial question is whether Alabama will take advantage of this chance to establish itself as a legitimate national title contender or if Wisconsin, under new head coach Luke Fickell, can overcome a poor start and make a dramatic statement.
Alabama vs. Wisconsin Preview
Date: Saturday, September 14, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM ET
Venue: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI
Broadcast: FOX
Teams:
- Wisconsin (2-0)
- Alabama (2-0)
Week 3 Schedule and Predictions:
- Week 2’s Top 5 Overrated and Underrated Teams
- Top Takeaways from Week 2
- CFN Week 3 Rankings
- Bowl Projections
- Heisman Rankings
Why Alabama Might Win
This season, Wisconsin has had trouble getting out to a good start. Concerns have been raised by their close wins over South Dakota and Western Michigan, particularly in light of the team’s lackluster passing game performance. The running game hasn’t been able to make up for the passing inefficiencies, and Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke hasn’t yet made a big difference. To make matters worse, Wisconsin’s team this year lacks the physical strength of previous years and will be up against an Alabama defense that has a strong secondary.
The Reasons Wisconsin Could Win
Is Wisconsin attempting to be safe? They appear to have played conservatively in the early going, saving their best for this highly anticipated match. Even though they were powerful, Alabama struggled against USF, leading by just 14 points at one point before eventually winning 42–16. Wisconsin needs Alabama to make the same errors they did against USF, including expensive turnovers and penalties, if they are to prevail. Moreover, Alabama will be facing a strong offensive line for the first time this season.
Forecast for the Game
Jalen Milroe, the quarterback for Alabama, has performed well even though he hasn’t had a chance to show off his abilities completely yet. Assuming the Tide perform well in the early games and get out to a strong start, they should have a sizable lead before the student section really gets going. The passing game of Wisconsin might find it difficult to keep up, which would be a difficult task for the Badgers.
Alabama 34, Wisconsin 16 is the prediction.
Line: -16.5 for Alabama
Above/Below: 50.5
3 out of 5 in terms of confidence
Four out of five stars for must-see