Wisconsin Football: Early 2020 game-by-game predictions, Part 1

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OXFORD, MS – SEPTEMBER 8: Head Coach Nick Hill of the Southern Illinois Salukis on the sidelines during a game against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Oxford, Mississippi. The Rebels defeated the Salukis 76-41. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

The Salukis are a FCS program that enjoyed a turnaround to a 7-5 mark in the year 2019. They only played one FBS team in 2019: a hapless UMass squad. They have some talent, like safety Jeremy Chinn.

The Wisconsin Badgers will be a formidable opponent for this club. The last thing that Paul Chryst wants to do is get shown up by an FCS squad, so count on the Badgers to bring their A-game and show up early against Southern Illinois. They will hope to use this contest to get reps for their depth.

Prediction: Wisconsin 63, Southern Illinois 7 (2-0)

Appalachian State is the perennial “little team that could” in college football. This decade has seen them emerge from the FCS as a sort of eastern version of Boise State, making a seamless transition to the FBS.

Head coach Eli Drinkwitz has gone off to try to fix a heavily damaged Missouri program. However, his successor Shawn Clark will welcome back key players like Zac Thomas and receivers Corey Sutton, Malik Williams and Thomas Hennigan return from an only once beaten 2019 squad that took down.

The defense takes a massive hit, with six starters saying goodbye to Boone. Newcomers will have to step up and get big.

Wisconsin will have to come at that defense like a Badger attacks its prey. Look for a lot of up the middle running and misdirection from the run game. App’s offense can stay in any game. If Wisconsin plays solid, they will likely have a tussle with the Mountaineers before pulling away late.

Prediction: Wisconsin 45, Appalachian State 28 (3-0)

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And so in closing…

Wisconsin’s first three sees App State as the most serious challenger. They need a solid run to set them up for their next three games, which we will take a look at next time. Paul Chryst will want a 3-0 record going into the most brutal portion of their schedule. We will take a look at Michigan, Notre Dame and Minnesota in the next part of this series. The late-September, early-October stretch will make or break the Badgers’ season.

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