Michigan Football: 5 things to know about Wisconsin

Breaking down the next opponent for Michigan football: The Wisconsin Badgers. 

Michigan football handled its business in September and finished the month 4-0 with relative ease.

Now, the schedule gets a lot tougher with three of the next four games on the road. The first of which is a trip to Madison to battle the Wisconsin Badgers.

Here is what you need to know about the Badgers.

Don’t be fooled by Wisconsin’s record

Wisconsin entered 2021 ranked No. 12 in the preseason AP top 25. The Badgers were thought to be favorites in the Big Ten West once again. The Badgers have gotten off to a 1-2 start to begin the year. However, do not fall into the trap of thinking this is going to be an easy win for Michigan.

Wisconsin’s losses have come against Penn State and Notre Dame, who sit No. 4 and No. 9, respectively, in the AP Top 25. However, Wisconsin outgained Penn State 365-297 and dominated the time of possession. The Badgers controlled the ball for nearly 43 minutes. Wisconsin also outgained Notre Dame 318-248. Overall, Wisconsin ranks 10th in SP+ (Michigan is 6th) despite its 1-2 record.

A couple of things have done the Badgers in the two losses thus far. The first is turnovers. The Badgers committed three turnovers against Penn State and five against Notre Dame.

As I wrote last week, Michigan football needs to force more turnovers but it is still tied for 20th in the country in turnover differential at +4. Wisconsin, on the other hand, is 129th in turnover differential at -7.

The thing that doomed Wisconsin was its inability to convert its scoring opportunities, which leads me to my next point.