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Wisconsin Football: 3 bold predictions for Badgers vs Penn State

By Danny McCormick

LINCOLN, NE - NOVEMBER 16: Safety Eric Burrell #25 of the Wisconsin Badgers leads the team on the field before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on November 16, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - NOVEMBER 16: Safety Eric Burrell #25 of the Wisconsin Badgers leads the team on the field before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on November 16, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
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Wisconsin football opens up the season at home against Penn State on Saturday and here are three predictions for the Badgers in week one.

Labor Day Weekend, Week 1 of college football, and we get a top-20 conference matchup in the Big Ten to help start off the day? You cannot ask for a better start to kick off the slate of games on Saturday.

Both teams in this matchup are looking to rebound from rather disappointing seasons overall last year. 2020 was a weird year. No crowds, conference-only games in the regular season for the Big Ten, and much more. But both teams are trying to start off the year strong with a conference win.

For Wisconsin, can Graham Mertz start off the year as hot as he did in 2020? And more importantly, can he sustain it for the whole season?

It also does not hurt on offense when you have a guy like Jalen Berger and a new weapon in transfer running back Chez Mellusi lining up in the backfield for the Badgers offense either. Wisconsin had a very strong defensive unit in 2020 and that should be the same narrative during the 2021 season under Jim Leonhard as the defensive coordinator.

On the other side of the field, Penn State comes into 2021 with a sour taste in its mouth after a 4-5 record in 2020.

If Penn State is going to compete in the Big Ten East standings then the consistency at quarterback has to be better overall compared to last season.

Sean Clifford in 2020 had nine turnovers in nine games which is not terrible, but then you look at 2019 when he only committed seven turnovers in 12 games. The good news for Clifford is that all the stats are wiped clean every year, so he gets the opportunity to start fresh with a clean slate.

Penn State comes into this contest with a four-game win streak in the series against Wisconsin, but at the same time, they are also 4-6 in Madison on the road. Here are three bold predictions for Wisconsin football in its first game of the season.

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