Ironically, it was Bowling Green’s first loss of the season that sparked one of the first Big Ten upset alerts of 2014. The Falcons lost 59-31 to Western Kentucky, and given the Falcons’ preseason prognostications as a quality team, that led some people to believe WKU would knock off Illinois.
How to watch Bowling Green vs. Wisconsin: Game guide, TV/streaming, odds
Can Bowling Green pull off a second straight Big Ten upset?
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
The Illini ended up escaping that game with a win, but in week three, it was Bowling Green that pulled the Big Ten upset. The Falcons knocked off Indiana 45-42 with a last second field goal to improve to 2-1 on the season and show the MAC (and the rest of the country) that new coach Dino Babers is for real.
Now, Babers brings his high-flying Falcons team to Camp Randall, where they have a serious shot at another Big Ten upset. The Badgers are coming off a bye week, but have had some issues on both sides of the ball so far. Can they bring BGSU back down to Earth? This will be an interesting game to watch on Saturday.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: Noon ET
TV: ESPN2
Online streaming: WatchESPN
The numbers
Rankings and records: Wisconsin is 1-1 and ranked 19th in the AP Poll and 17th in the Coaches Poll. Bowling Green is 2-1 and unranked.
Vegas: Wisconsin opened as a 17-point favorite and is now a 23.5-point favorite.
Weather forecast: High of 73 and a low of 62 with an 80 percent chance of thunderstorms.
Two things at stake
Wisconsin needs a win to keep its place as the Big Ten West favorite, and it might need to win comfortably to do that. The Big Ten needs a Badgers win, as well.
Bowling Green needs to keep this game close to prove the Indiana game wasn’t a fluke. A win would push Babers’ stock soaring even higher.
One big matchup
Heading into the season, Wisconsin’s defense was one of the biggest question marks in the league. It has talent, but last a lot of experience on its front seven. So far, the results have been good, but Bowling Green has an explosive offense that could give the Badgers trouble.
The Falcons have one of the better offenses in the country, and they’re becoming “the Baylor of the MAC.“ If they get going, they could get Wisconsin into a shootout. That’s the last thing the Badgers want, given the shaky play of quarterback Tanner McEvoy. This game is on the Wisconsin defense. If it shows up, the Badgers should handle BGSU. If not, then this could be another upset in the making.
Further reading
For more on Wisconsin, check out Bucky’s 5th Quarter. For more on Bowling Green and the MAC, check out Hustle Belt.
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