Wisconsin Football: Preview, prediction, live stream vs. Indiana in Week 10

Wisconsin football can inch one step closer to a Big Ten Championship berth against Indiana in Week 10.

The Wisconsin Badgers find themselves in a peculiar situation entering their Week 10 showdown against the Indiana Hoosiers. Sitting as one of four undefeated teams in the country, the Badgers have yet to be tested this season. On top of that, Wisconsin has failed to seem dominant at times as well, creating cause for concern as they begin the College Football Playoff (CFP) discussions.

The best thing the Badgers can do at this point is ignoring all the rankings talk and continue to win football games. Sure, there are teams out there with better resumes, but the Badgers have one thing that several teams have: no bad losses. Additionally, the streak of lesser opponents will soon come to an end as Wisconsin will face a very improved Iowa team next week before hosting the Michigan Wolverines, who is now ranked again in the Coaches Poll.

Before that, the Badgers will face a very dangerous Indiana Hoosiers team on the road on Saturday. The Hoosiers’ record is not all that threatening, but they have endured one of the tougher starts to the Big Ten schedule possible having played Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State in their first four games.

Indiana currently sits at 0-5 in conference play after their 42-39 at Maryland last week, but again, their schedule does not indicated the quality of play they have put out this season. In the season opener, the Hoosiers hung with the Buckeyes for three quarters. Indiana also has an overtime loss to Michigan and an eight point loss to Michigan State under their belt.

The Badgers have not lost to the Hoosiers since 2002 and lead an unbalanced all-time series 40 wins to Indiana’s 18. Recent games have not been close, either, with the Badgers last four wins coming by margins of 48, 48, 52 and 53.

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s game:

Date: Saturday, Nov. 4
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Bloomington, Ind.
Venue: Memorial Stadium
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

The Badgers are in desperate need of a repeat from their last four meetings against Indiana as Wisconsin has had a few lackluster performances thus far. Yes, the Badgers are currently undefeated and cannot help who lands on their schedule, but if they want to impress the CFP committee, they are going to need to win in dominant fashion.

Wisconsin could very well be without star running back Jonathan Taylor who sustained a leg injury last weekend against Illinois. The Badgers must figure it out in the passing game and limit their drive-killing turnovers they have been experiencing this year. Quarterback Alex Hornibrook has dealt with injuries in his receiving core, but it will be up to him to determine whether or not the Hoosiers will hang around.

For Indiana, their rush defense is going to have to show up, regardless of whether or not Taylor plays. Forcing the Badgers to pass and in turn forcing the field position game in their favor is a good start in the Hoosiers’ game plan if they wish to pull off the upset.

Prediction

The Badgers sit as one of the more banged up teams in the league and have many key skill players questionable for Saturday’s matchup. Recent history indicates that many of these will swing the wrong way and the Badgers will be without some big players against Indiana. Because of this, another nonchalant outing from Wisconsin will take place.

Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: First round after Week 9

Wisconsin will seemingly come out and dominate the first half with their long, methodical drives but their inability to put teams away will haunt them again and the Hoosiers will hang around. A late turnover will ultimately seal the deal and the Badgers will escape another week unharmed.

Final score: Wisconsin 28, Indiana 16