This should provide the first test for the Badgers as they move through the pre-season games. The Cougars have looked a whole lot better than they did last year, which is good from a SOS standpoint. They came out of Tucson with a win against Arizona (the fighting Sumlins) and endured a narrow defeat to an improved Northern Cal team in Provo.
What can they bring to Madison to mount a serious challenge? One thing would be patience, because the Badgers like to grind teams to a pulp. If they can withstand the grind and come up with some good, long drives of their own, they should have a chance.
UW is a 21 point favorite according to the Wise Guys, and it should be noted that UW has yet to cover this year against some silly-high spread numbers. They've been close - 3 points for each game, not that it really matters to anyone except the AP, which has dropped the Badgers 1 spot in each of the first 2 weeks...
I'll try to dig a little more into this, but if anyone has watched any of BYU and/or UW this year, please weigh in.