Wisconsin (-2) at Fresno St. (10:30 pm ET, ESPN2)
Fresno State coach Pat Hill has held to the motto “Any Team, Any Time, Any Where” as he has scheduled non-conference opponents throughout the years.
On Saturday, his team will get a shot at a Top 10 BCS school when they host Wisconsin. The Badgers are a small two-point favorite but this could possibly be their toughest date of any on the 2008 schedule.
Fresno State made the cross-country sojourn to New Jersey and outplayed Rutgers, in winning 24-7 as 3.5-point road underdogs. The Bulldogs dodged several bullets in the first half as their defense firmed up when needed.
The offense came around in the second half, as the more physical Fresno State gained 206 yards rushing and out-gained the Scarlet Knights 422 to 369 in total yards. Coach Pat Hill loves physical football and will take on Big Ten’s Wisconsin, in what will be a smash mouth conflict.
The Bulldogs are 8-4 ATS as home underdogs under Hill. During his tenure, Fresno State has faced 18 ranked opponents (at the time of game) outside whatever conference they played in. This year’s club is fearless, being the most talented since the 2004 squad.
Wisconsin will test the Bulldogs physicality, with plenty of their own. Four massive starters are back on the offensive line, providing the kind of brutish play that is synonymous with Badgers football.
Runaway train P.J. Hill has dropped a few pounds to add quickness; however he has huge legs to bust thru arm tackles. Travis Beckum is a talented tight end, as good as any in the country.
Wisconsin’s defensive front seven appears to be up to usual standards, but the secondary is still learning to play together and could be vulnerable to Fresno State’s above average wideouts. Wisconsin is 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 contests on the September slate.
These teams have met twice before in Madison, with the Bulldogs winning 32-20 in 2001 and losing 23-21 the following year, covering both spreads. Wisconsin moneymaking 30-15 ATS mark in non conference game, but they are just 3-7 ATS facing a team with a winning record.
