Schedules are not the same in college football. In a perfect world, we would have three non-conference games followed by conferences games the rest of the way. While I mean zero disrespect to Kent State, this game is pointless. Badgers are in the midst of the Big Ten season, and they’re playing a team where they’re favored by 36 points. Now, the Golden Flashes challenged Arizona State for a little while at the start of the season before getting beat 30-7. Badgers will look to keep things rolling before they head into the heart of their schedule.

Three Storylines I Care About
1. Everyone stays healthy, okay? – This is the biggest thing for me. The last thing Wisconsin wants in this game is someone getting hurt. Wisconsin should not take any risks either. If someone gets a ding in the early part of the game, they should be cautious about bringing them back out there. No reason to push things against a Kent State that Wisconsin should be able to take care of by halftime.

2. Jack Coan could use a bounceback game – People started using the ‘H’ word when it came to Coan last week. If you’re curious about what the H-word is, people thought things looked like the Alex Hornibrook era against Northwestern. Coan looked great against the cupcakes earlier this year. Let’s hope the same thing happens for him this weekend. It would be a good confidence booster for him.

3. No second-half targeting penalties – Along with injuries, the second dumbest thing that could happen in this game is someone gets called for targeting in the second half. That would be brutal with a big game against Michigan State the following week where Wisconsin will need to be at full strength. There is no reason to be a hero against the Golden Flashes.

Charlie’s Predicted Player of the Game
Garrett Groshek – I assume Wisconsin will limit Jonathan Taylor’s carries, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Badgers have multiple rushers above 100 yards. Groshek is a stud, and this is the type of game where he could have a big day.

Prediction
Wisconsin should have no issue with Kent State. If Auburn beat them by nearly 40 points, Wisconsin should not have a problem with them if they plan on playing with the big boys. Come out early, punch them in the mouth and let the reserves get some meaningful minutes in the second half. Wisconsin 48 Kent State 3

Charlie.