Opening Spread Revealed for Wisconsin's Big Ten Home Opener vs. Michigan State

Wisconsin is favored as it looks to move to 2-0 in conference play.

Wisconsin Badgers players celebrate with the fans following the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wisconsin football is riding high after it just orchestrated the biggest win in the Luke Fickell era.

The Badgers, who were 10-point underdogs on the road in Happy Valley, rallied to score twice in the game's final four minutes after initially going down 17-0, throwing three interceptions — each one uglier than the last — and trailing for 58 minutes and 47 seconds of game-time.

Despite the huge win on the road against the No. 13 team in the country, Wisconsin remains outside the AP Top 25. The Badgers are the unofficial No. 26 team in the nation as the un-ranked team receiving the most votes, but Wisconsin will go another week at least without a number next to its name.

Sitting at 1-0 in Big Ten play and 3-1 overall, Wisconsin now gets ready for its conference home opener against Michigan State. The Spartans' program has new life under new head coach Pat Fitzgerald, but the team itself remains ill-equipped to compete at the top, or even middle, of the Big Ten. Michigan State is coming off a pretty thorough defeat at the hands of Nebraska, 31-13, at home in East Lansing.

The Badgers open as a 10.5-point favorite on FanDuel Sportsbook. The total is set for 43.5.

Last week, Wisconsin was a 10-point underdog at Penn State. Now, the Badgers get a taste of being the home team favored by multiple scores.

Is the spread too generous, or just right?

Michigan State’s Cam Edwards. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Again, Michigan State doesn't look like a particularly good football team. It beat Toledo by 10 points, put away Eastern Michigan 35-7 and then dropped its next two games to Notre Dame and Nebraska. The Spartans did manage to keep it close with the Fighting Irish, trailing by just seven points at halftime on the road. But a lopsided defeat to Nebraska in Week 4 illustrated how the close first half against Notre Dame could've been fools' gold.

It'll be interesting to see how the injury to Michigan State star halfback Cam Edwards impacts the spread. The UConn transfer is easily the Spartans' best player on offense. He had the vast majority of their rushing yards, and it was already going to be challenge to run on this stout Badgers' defensive front on the road even with Edwards in the fold.

After a night of pure joy in Happy Valley for the Badgers, taking down a top-15 team on the road, the 10-point spread against a middling-at-best Michigan State team may seem a little narrow to some. But as Wisconsin proved itself last week, these Big Ten games are often gritty, evenly-matched affairs. The Badgers can't expect to just walk all over the Spartans in Week 5.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.