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Michigan State Football: Is Wisconsin a must-win matchup in Week 7?

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - SEPTEMBER 28: Matt Seybert #80 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after a 10-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers at Spartan Stadium on September 28, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State defeated Indiana 40-31. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - SEPTEMBER 28: Matt Seybert #80 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after a 10-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers at Spartan Stadium on September 28, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State defeated Indiana 40-31. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State football is 4-2 on the year and 2-1 in Big Ten play, but is a road game against No. 8 Wisconsin considered a must-win?

For the first time this season, it feels as if Michigan State is facing a must-win scenario. The Spartans are coming off a 34-10 loss at Ohio State and in desperate need for a road win over a ranked opponent to gain some momentum back.

Wisconsin, on the other hand, is fresh off a bye week. OK, so maybe the Badgers did play in Week 6, but it was basically a bye as Kent State came to town and barely put up a fight. The Badgers shut out yet another opponent on their way to a perfect 5-0 record. Jonathan Taylor might be the Big Ten’s favorite to win the Heisman, but the Badgers can be too one-dimensional at times.

Michigan State leads the all-time series with the Badgers 30-23 and is looking for its first win in Madison since the last time it traveled there in 2012 when Andrew Maxwell shocked Wisconsin with an overtime touchdown pass. Will the Spartans have similar luck on Saturday?

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s Michigan State vs. Wisconsin game:

Date: Saturday, Oct. 12
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Madison, Wisc.
Venue: Camp Randall Stadium
TV: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go

Keys to Victory

It might sound silly, but scoring early will go a long way. Sure, scoring early is always a key to victory, but more so against Wisconsin which boasts the No. 1 scoring defense in America. Getting confidence by putting up early points will be key. On top of that, establishing the run game will also be imperative. The Spartans must feed Elijah Collins early and often and let him do his thing.

Taking Taylor out of the game and forcing Jack Coan to beat the Spartans with his arm will be crucial. He’s no Justin Fields, so the Spartans should be able to focus more on stopping the All-American running back. If they can limit Taylor and make Coan sling the ball more than he wants to, the Spartans should be in good shape.

Betting Odds

Courtesy of Bovada

Line: Wisconsin -11
Over/Under: 40.5

Next. MSU Football: 5 bold predictions for October. dark

Prediction

I think this game is much closer than the experts think. With the line at -11 in favor of Wisconsin, the Spartans will come out swinging, showing that they gained some confidence against Ohio State, at least offensively. On top of that, the defense will bounce back and limit Taylor in the first half before letting him get a couple of big gains in the final 30 minutes. This one comes down to the wire, but Taylor ultimately scores the game-winning touchdown with three minutes left.

Final Score: Michigan State 20, Wisconsin 24

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