Wisconsin Football vs. Northwestern: Key Players, Notes, & Betting Lines

Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers football team will host Davis Braun and the Northwestern Wildcats at Camp Randall on Saturday. 

Northwestern comes into this game with a record of 4-5 and are losers of two of their last three, but they have been playing competitive football all month long and shouldn’t be overlooked. 

Following a turbulent offseason, Coach Braun has the Wildcats performing far better than anyone, myself included, had expected. Northwestern lost 10-7 last weekend against Iowa and even managed to take down Maryland 33-27 at home the previous week. 

As it stands, kickoff is set for 2:30 PM central time on Saturday and will air on FS1. But before that happens, here is a look at some key players, a few matchup notes, and the opening spread for the Wisconsin Badgers matchup vs. Northwestern.

Key Players

WR Bryce Kirtz: The Northwestern Wildcats have one of the worst offenses in the Big Ten (shoutout to Iowa) and don’t have a ton of playmakers to gameplan around. 

However, senior wideout Bryce Kirtz is putting together a strong final season and is one to watch on Saturday. He’s appeared in eight games this season and caught 33 passes for a team-high 507 receiving yards (15.4 yards per catch) and hauled in four touchdowns. 

Kirtz’s receiving yardage total is currently 5th in the Big Ten — and he’s also the team’s highest-graded offensive player, according to PFF.

Northwestern will challenge the Wisconsin football secondary through the air on Saturday, which means players like Ricardo Hallman and Nyzier Fourqurean will need to bring their A game against a team with nothing to lose. 

CB Rod Heard II: Northwestern is a middle-of-the-road defensive team in the Big Ten, but their pass defense is surprisingly good this season, ranking No. 4 in the conference with just 173.6 passing yards allowed per game. 

One of the reasons they’ve been so successful is senior cornerback Rod Heard II, who has registered 44 tackles, two pass deflections, one sack, a forced fumble, and an interception in nine games. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Heard has a coverage grade of 76.9, which is considered very good — and is among the top 10 graded cornerbacks in the Big Ten. Given the Wisconsin football team’s year-long offensive struggles, particularly through the air, don’t be surprised to see the Badgers rely on quick hitters to open things up. 

Wisconsin Football Matchup Notes

• Wisconsin football is 61-38-5 against Northwestern all-time
• The Badgers are 6-4 in their last 10 meetings.
• The last meeting took place on October 8, 2022, when Wisconsin won 42-7 in Evanston. 
• Wisconsin is 30-16-2 at home vs. the Wildcats all-time. 
• UW’s largest margin of victory against Northwestern came in 1912 when the Badgers defeated the Wildcats 56-0. 

Wisconsin Football Spread & Betting Lines vs. Northwestern

When the Wisconsin football team will host Northwestern at home on Saturday, and when they do, it’ll be as double-digit betting favorites over the Wildcats, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

Thus far, the Wisconsin Badgers are currently 3-5-1 against the spread this season and 3-6 on hitting the over. 

• Moneyline (ML): Northwestern +321 OR Wisconsin -419
• Against the spread: Wisconsin -10 (-110)
• Over/Under (O/U): 44.5 (O: -110 U: -110)

Given the debacle of an outing the Badgers had last weekend against Indiana — there’s no way I’m touching the money line or the spread with a ten-foot poll. 

That said, I’ll happily indulge in the under. Wisconsin football has figured something out on defense — and shouldn’t have much trouble shutting down Northwestern’s lackluster ground game. So, I’m doubtful that the Wildcats will score a ton of points on the road. 

However, injuries have piled up in a major way for the Badgers, specifically on offense. Odds are, Braedyn Locke will once again be without running back Braelon Allen and starting wide receiver Chimere Dike — so you can expect more of what you saw last weekend. 

Unless you’ve still got some optimism for what the Wisconsin football team can do THIS season — I would largely avoid getting involved in this game from a betting standpoint. 

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