Wisconsin unsurprisingly enters its Week 3 contest against No. 19 Alabama as the prohibitive underdog. Not only is the team not ranked in the AP Poll, but it falls far below the Crimson Tide in every relevant rating metric, including ESPN’s Football Power Index and SP+.
Wisconsin (2-0) enters Saturday with a better record than Alabama (1-1). The Badgers’ wins, however, have come against inferior competition in the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks (No. 92 in FPI) and Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (No. 133). Diving deeper, Wisconsin’s first-half margin in those two combined games is just seven points; the team has struggled to create early separation, needing dominant second halves to register comfortable victories.
Luke Fickell’s team will need to start faster on Saturday if it has any chance at pulling an upset over Alabama. Notably, the Crimson Tide were also significant favorites entering their Week 1 contest at Florida State, then fell 31-17. Given that reality, Wisconsin’s chance at an upset should be far greater than 0%.
For a notable take on Wisconsin’s specific chances, here is FPI’s forecast of the matchup.
ESPN’s Football Power Index projects Wisconsin vs. Alabama
Forecast: Alabama 88.9% chance to win, Wisconsin 11.1%
The Badgers and Crimson Tide will kick off from Bryant-Denny Stadium at noon ET, 11 a.m. CT on Saturday afternoon. The game will be broadcast on ABC.
Watch Wisconsin vs. Alabama on ESPN+
Wisconsin football vs. Alabama betting odds, money line, over/under
Odds courtesy of FanDuel
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This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: ESPN’s Football Power Index projects Wisconsin’s upset chance vs. Alabama
Reporting by Ben Kenney, Badgers Wire / Badgers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
