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Wisconsin (1-1) is supposed to be different this season.
Luke Fickell is still around, the transfer portal was kind, and the hope was that the defense would be as good as in 2025. If the offense could start to produce anything, then the program would turn around. But the 41-13 loss to Notre Dame got out of hand, and the win over Western Illinois was less than amazing.
Now the Badgers have to show what they might be this season against an Eastern Michigan (1-2) team that got run over by Michigan State and couldn’t hold up against San Jose State.
Wisconsin vs Eastern Michigan: Quick Hits
- Wisconsin starts the Big Ten season at Penn State next week.
- Eastern Michigan gets a layup against Lindenwood next before diving back into the MAC season at UMass.
- Wisconsin is 4-0 all-time in the series, with the last win in 2021. Eastern Michigan didn’t score more than seven points in any of the four.
How To Watch Wisconsin vs Eastern Michigan
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026
Game Time: 12:30 PM ET
TV: Peacock
Location: Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI
– Week 3 Schedule, Picks
– CFN Expert Picks: Week 3
Why Eastern Michigan Will Win
Wisconsin is still having problems scoring.
The offense came up with a touchdown early against Notre Dame, and then got shut down cold. Last week, the passing game wasn’t great against Western Illinois, and 72 of the 233 rushing yards came on the first play from scrimmage.
Basically, the Badger offense is better than it was last year, but it’s still not anything special. Quarterback Noah Kim and the Eastern Michigan passing game are just accurate enough to keep things moving against a Wisconsin secondary that can be dinked and dunked on.
Why Wisconsin Will Win
Iowa State transfer Abu Sama III has been the leader of the Badger ground game, but is this the game that Colton Joseph finally looks like the quarterback Wisconsin got from Old Dominion?
He ran for over 1,000 yards last year – most famously, he took off for two long touchdown runs in the opener against Indiana – but he was held to three yards against Notre Dame and only ran four times for 33 yards last week. This is the game to get the quarterback going because …
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Wisconsin vs Eastern Michigan Prediction, Betting Lines
Eastern Michigan is having a hard time in all ways defensively, and last week, Michigan State ran 45 times and controlled the game by grinding away. That’s what Wisconsin will do, and Joseph will play a big role early on. He’ll give Badger fans a glimpse of his running explosion.
But after the first few drives, Joseph will be saved for the upcoming Big Ten season. All the parts will combine for close to 300 yards on the ground.
Wisconsin 37, Eastern Michigan 10
Latest Consensus Line: Wisconsin -23.5, o/u: 45.5
ATS Confidence (out of 5): 2.5
Must See Rating (out of 5): 2
Consensus line based on BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. 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.
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This story was originally published September 17, 2026 at 1:47 AM.