CFB bad line of the week: Wisconsin will steamroll Nebraska

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We didn't even need the points in last week's bad line of the week - Rutgers won outright over Michigan State as near-two-touchdown underdogs, giving us six wins in seven tries this season.

Can we make it seven of eight? Here's this week's fishy spread.

Bad line of the week: Wisconsin -3.5 (@ Nebraska)

Rarely would I recommend laying 3.5 points on a fourth-string quarterback, but here we are. Wisconsin's Danny Vanden Boom is in line to take snaps under center in Week 9, as Jack Coan (injury), Graham Mertz (COVID-19), and Chase Wolf (COVID-19) could all be out against Nebraska. But here's why I don't think it matters.

Nebraska's offense was severely underwhelming in the opener against Ohio State, and it's a theme that will continue. Head coach Scott Frost doesn't have the personnel to trade punches with the top-tier Big Ten teams. Quarterback Adrian Martinez's primary running back is second-string signal-caller Luke McCaffrey, and the Cornhuskers don't have any other dangerous skill players outside of Wan'Dale Robinson, who caught one pass beyond the sticks in Week 1.

Wisconsin's defense will have a field day against this type of mash unit. The Badgers allowed just 4.4 yards per play and forced a pair of turnovers in a dominant 45-7 win over Illinois last Friday.

Vanden Boom's a little bit of a wild card, but a monstrous offensive line with the same skill corps as last season will help tremendously. Plus, he'll face a Nebraska secondary that'll be shorthanded following a couple of second-half targeting calls last Saturday.

This is a real nice spot to back Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst, who's 4-1 against the spread in the last five conference games and 13-4 ATS the last as a road favorite. The Badgers are also 5-2 ATS the last seven following a win and 16-7 ATS the last 23 away from home.

Meanwhile, Nebraska has struggled in the underdog role. Frost is just 1-5 ATS the last six when catching points and 1-7 ATS the last eight as a home 'dog. The Cornhuskers have also struggled in conference play lately, covering just two of the last 10.

The road team has covered each of the last four in this series, and I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if Wisconsin rolls to make it five in a row.

(Odds source: theScore Bet)

Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.