College Football Game of the Week: No. 4 Alabama vs. Wisconsin

It’s been an offseason of change for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Legendary head coach Nick Saban retired after 17 seasons and six national championships in Tuscaloosa.

Now former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer, who took the Huskies to the national title game last season, is at the helm of the program and there has been much to cheer about for the Crimson Tide faithful.

Alabama steamrolled past Western Kentucky by a 63-0 final score with exactly 600 yards of total offense in week one. Last week, the Crimson Tide beat South Florida 42-16 after putting up 28 points in the fourth quarter. In Week 3, the Crimson Tide will face their first test of the season in a road matchup with Wisconsin.

Starting their second full season under head coach Luke Fickell, the Badgers have also picked up non-conference wins in their first two games of the season. The team beat Western Michigan and FCS-member South Dakota, both in two-score games.

Alabama clearly displayed a high-flying offense through their first two games. At quarterback, Heisman hopeful Jalen Milroe has thrown for 394 yards and five touchdown passes, completing 23 of 35 passing attempts for a 65.7 completion percentage.

On the ground, Milroe has proven to be a dual-threat quarterback as he has rushed for four touchdowns thus far.

Conversely, Wisconsin quarterback and Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke is not one to run the football but he has thrown for 406 yards and a touchdown on the young season. The Badgers are known for consistently having a strong running game and this season seems to be no different.

Thus far, the run game has been diversified between three backs, Chez Mellusi, Cade Yacamelli and Tawee Walker with Mellusi getting the bulk of the carries.

Defensively, it is clear that Wisconsin must contain Milroe and Alabama's key skill players. Alongside the star signal-caller is freshman standout Ryan Williams, who has hauled in six catches for 207 yards and three touchdowns so far. The Badgers will need an all-around defensive effort to find stops at the line of scrimmage and make plays in the secondary.

Granted, the true power of the Alabama offense is still a question mark as the team has only faced the aforementioned Group of Five opponents. If this Alabama team is anything like those of championship years prior, they will continue to cause trouble.

Overall, this game could mark a turning point for Wisconsin in the Luke Fickell era after a 7-6 mark on last year’s season. In fact, the team is only five seasons removed from a trip to the Big Ten title game.

You better believe “Jump Around” will be blasting a few notches higher at Camp Randall as the Badgers look to pull off a top-five upset.

Isaac Hallock is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email idh5055@psu.edu.