TheHoosier.com's staff provides their final input, in roundtable format, and their predictions ahead of Indiana's week 10 matchups vs. Wisconsin.
Jim Coyle
Indiana did something we (I) did not think was possible last week at Penn State, gave fans hope. Now the Hoosiers are still 4 wins from bowl eligibility, they still have four games remaining and all of them are "winnable." The toughest of those games, at least on paper, is Saturday against Luke Fickell's first Badger team who has been forced to go to their back-up QB after their starter was lost for the season. Indiana's offense shocked a lot of people inside and out of Happy Valley last week with a pair of big play scores through the air, including the 3rd longest pass play in IU history when Brendan Sorsby connected with DeQuece Carter for 90 yards, then found Donnovan McCulley for a 69 yard TD. The possibilities and abilities are definitely there. The decision making on the sideline is still a concern for me. This should be a close and entertaining game. I think Indiana has the talent to beat Wisconsin, but I am not ready to pick them to win.
Prediction: Indiana 34, Wisconsin 36
Mason Williams
While cautioning that Indiana's performance last week had it's fair share of flaws, the Hoosiers had played well enough to be in a position to capitalize off of Penn State's mistakes should the Hoosiers have been afforded one. Yet, when they were given the chance, Indiana wasn't able to close out their chance at an upset.
The Hoosiers have positives to build off of going into the week, but time will tell if Indiana's performance last week is a sign of things to come or if it was an outlier that, in truth, told us more about Penn State than it did Indiana.
Wisconsin isn't to the level of the Nittany Lions, and if the Hoosiers can find a way to put it together with some consistency, there could be another scare here. I'm not as pessimistic, but I still need to see it happen before it ends up in a prediction this week.
Prediction: Indiana 16, Wisconsin 27
Kevin Vera
Indiana is back home this week and looks to take on the Wisconsin Badgers.
Wisconsin’s defense has been able to keep them afloat throughout parts of the season. The defensive unit has played well enough to give Wisconsin chances and even produced multiple takeaways in previous games. It's been hit or miss but Wisconsin's defense has been the more impactful unit.
The Badgers are also coming into Memorial Stadium with several injuries. Multiple big-time players are out for Wisconsin including starting quarterback, Tanner Mordecai. This is a banged up Wisconsin team that's looking to pull it out to close out the season.
Indiana is coming off what some might say is their best overall performance of the season. The team played relatively well against Penn State but a pile of little mistakes cost them the game. Indiana has to be consistent when it matters most because the time to make some sort of positive impact is quickly fading away.
It’s an odd upcoming week for both these teams with both squads hoping to get a confidence-boosting win. This one is hard to predict considering all the moving factors but the winner of this game is going to have to stick it out on defense. Indiana hasn’t been consistent and it's hard to feel any sort of way about them when the offense continues to struggle. Indiana’s offense has to turn a switch if they want to get some wins to end the year. Right now, Wisconsin has the slight upper hand and will earn a much-needed win.
Prediction: Indiana 17, Wisconsin 27
Zach Browning
Let’s not deny the fact the Indiana played well last week. On the road against then No. 10 Penn State and Indiana was in that game until the very end. Ultimately, the better team made the necessary plays late, but there were a lot of positives to take away from that game for the Hoosiers.
On the offensive side, Indiana got the passing game going with a couple of big plays. The Hoosiers are going to need to keep that going and find a way to get Jaylin Lucas the ball if they want continued offensive success. Wisconsin’s defense is good, but Indiana may not need to score 30 points to beat them.
That’s because of all the injuries the Badgers are facing on offense. Wisconsin will be without it’s starting quarterback for the fourth straight game, and likely will be without it’s top two running back including the Big Ten’s leading rusher in Braelon Allen. The Hoosiers’ defense will need to force a couple of turnovers against a weakened, but still dangerous Badgers offense.
Prediction: Indiana 17, Wisconsin 24
Elias Khoury
It gets harder and harder every week to analyze Indiana football. Week after week, they find new and creative ways to lose football games. Sometimes they elect to trail the entire game, while keeping it close. Other times they prefer to let it out of hand early, as was the case against Michigan. Finally, and perhaps the most rare occurrence, Indiana stays within striking range and even leads, but gives it away at the end.
It is hard to discern which of these Indiana teams will show up this weekend, but it is not hard to predict that they will lose this one. However, there might just be a chance for them to notch their first conference win of the year.
Wisconsin has looked very good this season. Braelon Allen has cemented himself as one of the best backs in the nation, and Indiana has not been good at stopping the run this year. This does not bode well for the Hoosiers.
That being said, nobody expected the game against Penn State to be close, and it was. People will count Indiana out of this game before kickoff, and they may end up being right, but you play the game for a reason. Though I do expect Wisconsin to leave Bloomington with the win, nothing is guaranteed come Saturday.
Prediction: Indiana 17, Wisconsin 38
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