Bill Connelly’s SP+ gives Wisconsin the slight edge in their matchup with Washington State in Pullman this weekend, projecting the Badgers to win 28-23 with a 61% chance of victory.

This Big Ten vs. Pac-12 matchup is the second stanza of a home-and-home between the Cougars and Badgers. Washington State stunned Wisconsin in Madison last season, winning a 17-14 slugfest that saw no points scored in the fourth quarter.

Both of these teams began the season 1-0 with victories during Week 1. Wazzu hung 50 points on Colorado State thanks to 491 total yards and 4 touchdowns from quarterback Cameron Ward. The former Incarnate Word player showed flashes of his potential in 2022 but was streaky overall.

The Cougars expect him to take a major step forward in 2023, and his performance against the Rams may be a sign of things to come.

Wisconsin managed to pull away from Buffalo in Luke Fickell’s debut thanks to a strong second-half showing from the rushing attack.

Despite overhauling the offensive staff and personnel this offseason in an attempt to modernize the Badgers’ offensive attack, SMU transfer quarterback Tanner Mordecai threw for only 189 yards and tossed 2 interceptions.

The Air Raid that Fickell and Co. wanted to bring to Wisconsin may still take a backseat to the dynamic running back duo of Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi, who combined for 298 yards on the ground last week.

Kickoff between the Cougs and Badgers is set for 4:30 p.m. PT on ABC.