Wisconsin hosts Michigan State Oct. 3 on Big Ten Network after Penn State upset

Fresh off a 24-20 comeback win at Penn State, Wisconsin opens as a 10½-point favorite for its Big Ten home opener against Michigan State on Homecoming weekend.

One week after leaving Penn State with an upset, Wisconsin enters its next game in a different role: favorite. The Badgers are 10½-point choices against Michigan State for the Oct. 3 matchup at Camp Randall Stadium, which kicks off at 11:30 a.m. and airs on Big Ten Network. The contest serves as Wisconsin's Big Ten home opener and lands on Homecoming weekend.

The line shows how much changed in seven days. Wisconsin went to Penn State as a 10-point underdog and came away with a 24-20 comeback victory, its first at Penn State since 2003. The result snapped a six-game losing streak to the Nittany Lions that dated to 2012 and stood as the program's highest-ranked road win since a 38-17 decision at No. 9 Minnesota on Nov. 30, 2019.

Addressing reporters Sept. 28 at Camp Randall Stadium, coach Luke Fickell described a roster that now must manage prosperity. "We're a team that has still continued to climb," he said. "Nothing has changed in the way we go about our business and so that's where for the first time, we've got to be able to handle some success and some positives and keep us going in the right direction."

The win also came with flaws that the film session exposed. Quarterback Colton Joseph threw three interceptions, the offense drew five false starts within a season-high nine penalties overall, and Wisconsin converted 4 of 15 third downs, a season-low rate of 26.7%. "We know we've got to be able to play better," Fickell said, acknowledging the quarterback has "got to make better decisions at the quarterback position" while insisting the fix is collective: "We've got to do a better job as a whole on helping our quarterback out."

Michigan State arrives with concerns of its own. The Spartans lost 31-13 to Nebraska on Sept. 26, a defeat that also cost them top running back Cam Edwards. First-year coach Pat Fitzgerald announced Sept. 28 that Edwards will miss the remainder of the season with what appeared to be a knee injury. Edwards was one of 62 newcomers Fitzgerald brought into the program after his December hiring.

The sideline matchup carries shared history. Fitzgerald and Fickell played college football at roughly the same time and have spent years in the Big Ten as head coaches or assistants. Fickell said his admiration for Fitzgerald was built from afar, through the coach's Northwestern tenure and his time as president of the American Football Coaches Association. "It's unique to see him not in the colors that he had worn for so many years," Fickell said. "But I know that he's building something, and I have the utmost respect for him."

Attendance is another storyline to track. The announced crowd of 65,274 for the season opener was Wisconsin's smallest since 1992, and the following week's game against Eastern Illinois drew only slightly more at 66,545. Homecoming, expected good weather and momentum from the Penn State win could reverse the trend, and Fickell cited last season's home victories over Washington and Illinois as proof of what a loud Camp Randall can provide. A raucous crowd "makes it really difficult on the opposing team," he said, but people overlook "how much energy it gives to your team as well," adding the Badgers must keep "putting the product out there that makes everybody excited."