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But will they? Will they?
Bovada has come out with early over/under win totals for the 2015 college football season and they expect the Wisconsin Badgers to win 10 regular-season games on the season.
On the surface, that seems like a real good line if you're one of those who is so inclined to engage in entertainment purposes. But let's break it down game by game. See if there's entertainment to be made here.
Sept. 5: Wisconsin vs. Alabama
The Badgers are double-digit underdogs going into this game, and let's be honest: the Badgers are probably going to lose this one.
I hope you sat down for that. I don't want the probability that the Badgers lose to have hurt you, but they are likely going to lose.
Sept. 12: Miami (Ohio) vs. Wisconsin
If you've come through the fainting of Wisconsin probably losing to Alabama, stay on the ground. The Badgers are going to win this game. It may seem shocking, but they will.
Sept. 19: Troy vs. Wisconsin
Please. The Badgers are going to beat one guy or a Sun Belt team on the rebuild. I'm bad at research.
Sept. 26: Hawaii vs. Wisconsin
The Badgers will win three games in September, even if they don't win four.
Oct. 3: Iowa vs. Wisconsin
Iowa does tend to play Wisconsin with its best effort, but the Badgers have won the last three against the Hawkeyes -- all in Iowa city.
Oct. 10: Wisconsin vs. Nebraska
Now even when the Badgers have had to travel to Lincoln, they have played well. I don't see there being any sort of hashtagging, record-breaking onslaught; heck, the Badgers might not even win. This is a definite sort of toss-up. Winnable, but not beyond any sort of margin of error.
Oct. 17: Purdue vs. Wisconsin
The Boilermakers are not nearly far enough away from Purdon't to win at Camp Randall yet.
Oct. 24: Wisconsin vs. Illinois
In a heart-stopping upset, the Badgers don't have a weird quarter that makes the game closer than what it really was. Badgers win, because Tim Beckman's still coaching Illinois.
Oct. 31: Rutgers vs. Wisconsin
This isn't basketball. The Badgers will have a raucous victory and the students will celebrate Halloween the only way they know how: going door to door and taking donations for UNICEF.
Nov. 7: Wisconsin at Maryland
This isn't basketball. Randy Edsall is 4-12 in November as Maryland's coach. Point of face: a more interesting over/under is probably going to be how many Maryland commenters are going to get banned in the run up to the college basketball game this year vs. how many wins Randy Edsall will have in November because this one is a Badgers "W."
Nov. 21: Northwestern vs. Wisconsin
Northwestern has been pretty trappy when Wisconsin has had to travel to Evanston. At Camp Randall, the Badgers have tended to punch Northwestern in the mouth with football excellence. This game is in Camp Randall. The Badgers are likely to win.
Nov. 28: Wisconsin vs. Minnesota
As it stands, this is likely Minnesota's best chance to take Wisconsin down for a while. That said, the Gophers have a few big questions that make this a game that the Badgers can win. They still struggle passing and their top threat, tight end Maxx Williams, has gone to the pros. They'll play it tough, but this is definitely winnable.
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So, where does that leave you? A likely loss at Alabama, a toss-up road game with Nebraska and two tough games against Iowa and at Minnesota. If everything breaks well, and the Badgers do what's expected on paper, Bovada set the line perfectly as this would be a 10-2 team.
But the money line on this preseason win total does favor the under. I do tend to agree that if we're betting now, being conservative is the fair way to go. Upsets happen, injuries happen and the Badgers have had a tendency to have a tendency to leave a game a loss that easily should have been a win.
So, long story short: the house does always win, but if you dare to have entertainment purposes, I'd slightly lean under.
Also, for information's sake, here are Bovada's over/unders for the rest of college football.
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