Change remains the College Football Betting theme for the Wisconsin Badgers. In turn gamblers have doubts about its future market prospects. Madison, Wisconsin native, UW alum, and former QB Paul Chryst was once viewed as the perfect fit as head coach of the Badgers. Consider from 2015 through 2019, he posted four double-digit win seasons, three division titles, and two final rankings inside the Top 10. And when he landed the nationally coveted Graham Mertz, he was celebrated for signing the best quarterback prospect in school history. At that time, Wisconsin was viewed as all-future.
College Football Futures 2024 Wisconsin Badgers
| Wisconsin Badgers Odds to Win National Championship | +12500 |
|---|---|
| Wisconsin Badgers Odds to Win Big Ten Championship | +8000 |
| Over/Under Win Total: | 6.5 |
2024 Wisconsin Badgers Schedule
- Aug. 31 – WESTERN MICHIGAN
- Sept. 7 – SOUTH DAKOTA
- Sept. 14 – ALABAMA
- Sept. 21 – Off
- Sept. 28 – at USC
- Oct. 5 – PURDUE
- Oct. 12 – at Rutgers
- Oct. 19 – at Northwestern
- Oct. 26 – PENN STATE
- Nov. 2 – at Iowa
- Nov. 9 – Off
- Nov. 16 – OREGON
- Nov. 23 – at Nebraska
- Nov. 30 – MINNESOTA
Correlate the irony that Graham Mertz was a key component in Chryst’s downfall. Wisconsin’s old formula of game manager QBs was replaced. Instead, Chryst tried to “modernize” the offense with a more creative passing attack. The offense became dysfunctional, and Wisconsin’s record began to erode. After going 4-3 and 9-4 with Mertz as his starter, Chryst was fired after a 2-3 start in 2022.
2024 Wisconsin Badgers Preview
As a result of Chryst not getting Mertz into gear, he was fired. Yet another Badger alum and former player, athletic director Chris McIntosh, decided to go all-in on modernizing the offense. New head coach Luke Fickell arrived highly acclaimed from his work at Cincinnati. While at Cincinnati, Fickell produced a College Football Playoff bid and was known as a strong recruiter.
But 2023 was an offshore betting painful transition that included admissions of locker room strife and players not caring. Consider that was something previously unheard of in Badgerland. Fickell went 7-6 in his first season, which included a 5-5 start and embarrassing losses to Indiana and Northwestern.
Of great concern was that Wisconsin showed a loss of physicality and character in 2023. Some will write that off to the coaching transition. But Wisconsin previously had three different head coaches after Alvarez retired with no interruption in production. More likely, the College Football Betting results were caused by the Badgers forsaking their proven formula and culture.
If the Badgers struggle to score, there will be calls for coach Luke Fickell to pull the plug on the Air Raid experiment. How Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke performs at quarterback will play a huge role in determining just how effective this offense can be.
In sum, Wisconsin isn’t deep on the lines but should be able to rotate a good number of players on defense. Also, it can be impactful with coordinator Mike Tressel’s creative blitz packages. However, the schedule features Alabama and Big Ten roadblocks like Iowa, Penn State, Oregon, and USC. Thus, it isn’t easy to imagine a great season.
Previously, head coach Paul Chryst epitomized a perfect fit. Chryst grew up in Madison and was a UW quarterback. He led the Badgers to two final top ten national rankings and four in the top 25. But current athletic director Chris McIntosh, a UW alum, former player, and assistant AD, believes the Badgers are capable of more.