Quarter 2: Predicting the schedule

The BadgerBlitz.com staff - Jon McNamara, John Veldhuis and Jessi Schoville - will break down Wisconsin's 2016 schedule into four quarters and make predictions for each game. Quarter 2 features Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State.

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McNamara: Wisconsin 17, Michigan State 13

Wisconsin used a late fourth quarter drive orchestrated by Bart Houston to hand Michigan State its second consecutive loss after falling to Notre Dame the previous week. Houston, Wisconsin's fifth-year quarterback, found tight end Kyle Penniston in the back of the end zone with under two minutes left to play to put the Badgers up for good. Former in-state standout R.J. Shelton got the Spartans on the board early, but UW responded with a touchdown run by tailback Corey Clement, followed by a field goal by Rafael Gaglianone before the half. Wisconsin is now 3-2 heading into its road contest at Michigan.

Veldhuis: Wisconsin 24, Michigan State 17

The Spartans were still shaking off some rust after only playing two games before the start of Big Ten play, and Wisconsin took advantage by scoring 21 points in the first half. Paul Chryst used UW's balanced offense to keep the Spartans guessing: Corey Clement found the endzone after a 12-play drive to get the Badgers on the board, and UW quarterback Bart Houston found George Rushing down the field on a deep play action pass after the Spartans bit on the fake. Michigan State got on the board before the halftime with a touchdown pass from new quarterback Tyler O'Connor to R.J. Shelton, and the Spartans rallied in the third quarter with 10 unanswered points to cut in to UW's lead, but Rafael Gaglianone hit a field goal late in the fourth quarter to give the Badgers some breathing room and Derrick Tindal picked off a pass from O'Connor on MSU's ensuing drive to seal up the win.

Schoville: Wisconsin 24, Michigan State 21

In another nail-biter with the Spartans, the Badgers squeak away late with a win. The two exchange blows early in the game; Wisconsin via a deep ball from quarterback Bart Houston to wide receiver Jazz Peavy, and the Spartans via a red zone scamper by Wisconsin native R.J. Shelton. Each team manages only one more score in the first half making the score 14-14 at the midpoint. Following a scoreless 3rd quarter, Michigan State’s wideout, fifth-year senior Monty Madaris, finds pay dirt giving MSU its first lead of the day. Houston responds for the Badgers by finding wide receiver Rob Wheelwright open up the seam for a big play touchdown, knotting it back up. It seems overtime is inevitable until Wisconsin kicker Rafael Gaglianone nails a 48-yarder as time expires to give UW the upset win it needed heading into two of their toughest match-ups this season.

McNamara: Michigan 24, Wisconsin 13

Wisconsin's momentum after a big road win against Michigan State wasn't enough to get past Michigan, which improved to 5-0 on the year. Wolverines' standout Jabrill Peppers hurt the Badgers in all three facets of the game by returning a punt for a score, catching a touchdown through the air and recording with eight tackles and one sack defensively. The Badgers had trouble moving the football all afternoon as senior quarterback Bart Houston completed just 9 of 20 passes through the air. Sophomore running back Taiwan Deal recorded UW's lone touchdown with a score in the third quarter.

Veldhuis: Michigan 28, Wisconsin 10

The Badgers came in to the Big House full of confidence after their upset win over Michigan State, but their second trip to the state in as many weeks didn't go nearly as well. The two teams traded scores to start the game, with Michigan scoring first on a pass to three-way player Jabrill Peppers, and Wisconsin responding with a touchdown run by Taiwan Deal. But it was all Michigan after that point, as the Wolverines' defense shut the Badgers out the rest of the half and limited them to just one field goal in the second half. Jabrill Peppers picked off UW quarterback Bart Houston twice in the second half as the Badgers tried to mount a comeback, but they didn't have the horses to keep up with the Big Ten favorite. Wisconsin is now 3-2 heading in to their bye week, with a night game against Ohio State waiting after the break.

Schoville: Michigan 27, Wisconsin 13

Coming off an emotional win versus Michigan State, the Badgers fly back across Lake Michigan for the second time in two weeks to take on the Michigan Wolverines and Jim Harbaugh. Michigan goes up quick and puts Wisconsin on its heels from the very start of this game. Houston transfer quarterback Wilton Speight connects with tight end Jake Butt to light up the scoreboard on Michigan’s first drive. Wisconsin finally gets points on the board via a 42-yard field goal by Rafael Gaglianone in the beginning of the second quarter, but Michigan answers with their own three points, keeping the Badgers at a comfortable two-score distance. Wisconsin does manage a touchdown halfway through the third thanks to a nifty run by Corey Clement, but ultimately will only score three more points while Michigan keeps on marching. The Badgers fall in unquestionable fashion, 27-13.

McNamara: Ohio State 38, Wisconsin 17

Wisconsin had two weeks to prepare for Ohio State after its bye but the Buckeyes were simply too much for the Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Heisman Trophy candidate J.T. Barrett threw for over 300 yards and three scores and added one more with his feet. UW scored on its opening drive - a four-year run by tailback running Corey Clement - but offensive productivity was tough to come by the rest of the way. Wisconsin is now 2-3 as it prepares to go on the road against Iowa.

Veldhuis: Ohio State 31, Wisconsin 24

The Badgers kept pace with the Buckeyes for most of the game, but their defense wore down in the second half as the Buckeyes outscored UW 14-7 after halftime. The Badgers had more success on the ground against the Buckeyes than they did against Michigan two weeks earlier, as Corey Clement scored two touchdowns running behind an offensive line that looked better in this game than they did against LSU in the season opener. But there's grumbling from the fanbase about Wisconsin's quarterback situation, as Bart Houston threw another two picks in the second half that put an already tired Wisconsin defense back out on the field. Wisconsin is 3-3 midway through the season, with another tough road trip to Iowa City coming up the following week.

Schoville: Ohio State 35, Wisconsin 21

Ohio State will probably be the most potent offense the Badger defense sees all season, and they live up to that hype in this game. Quarterback J.T. Barrett spreads the ball out for the entirety of the game and when he’s not throwing over Wisconsin, he’s beating the defense with his legs by extending plays and scrambling for first downs. Bart Houston does his best to keep pace but the arms race is too much for the fifth-year senior to match. Corey Clement finds some success but ultimately the Buckeye defense won’t give when the Badgers approached scoring territory. UW gets a big play on special teams thanks to Jazz Peavy but it still isn’t enough of an uplift as Barrett’s five-touchdown performance (four passing and one rushing) shows why he is on national watch lists and why his team could very well be in the College Football Playoff come the end of the season.