Alabama vs Wisconsin Game Preview | College Football Game Predictions

to another episode of rock boys football deal Kayla abore Alabama heading up to Camp Randall to play the Wisconsin Badgers and you know as just a pure college football fan I don't know if this is the best college football game we're going to see on Saturday although I think it's certainly up there I think more importantly this is a unique matchup that is certainly going to have my attention at noon on Saturday want to get into I think a few key matchups and a a few key players to look for in this football game obviously give our picks and predictions I look at this Alabama team and say yeah it was sloppy Saturday night right 13 penalties for 120 yards three turnovers you still won 42 to 16 and I still think you saw some positive things from that Alabama team now we're going to get to what needs to be cleaned up and then you look at Wisconsin they haven't played great football the first two weeks I think a lot of Wisconsin fans would certainly say that as well but you got the job done I think both of these teams want to play better football going into this week three matchup excited to get into it now before we do and as always most importantly let it fly in the comment section Little Big 10 SEC rivalry I know a lot of fans are going to look at this game a lot of different ways that's the beauty of doing these game picks and predictions so let it fly in the comment section whether you agree with the boys whether you disagree D we're putting our big 10 bias aside right here taking a look at this game and without further Ado let's get into this one and let's start with this Alabama offense where let's get into what needs to clean up but need needs to be cleaned up excuse me but before I do want to shout out something that that stood out to me and that is it seemed like jayen milro was a little bit more comfortable attacking that short intermediate part of the football field one of my big knocks on jayen milro is yeah he throws a beautiful deep ball he's one of the best in the country at throwing the Deep Ball but at times was a little over reliant on throwing the Deep ball and if it wasn't there normally this Alabama offense would struggle it wasn't necessarily there on Saturday night I thought he worked the short intermediate portions of the football field you know quite well and I think for Alabama fans yeah there's a lot of things that need to be fixed coming out a Saturday night that's probably one of the positive takeaways you're coming away from that football game and and when he got the chance is kind of what I would make as the like focal point is when he got the chance to just run that offense smoothly I thought they were moving the ball the way you wanted to see it the obvious issue is is they were constantly in second and 20 third and 26 like just ridiculous down in distances obviously caused by far too many Holdings from that offensive line and that'll be kind of what looking for against this Wisconsin team is can they get that unit jelling a little bit more and you saw that by the end of the game I mean that's that's Al that's vintage Alabama that's running the ball physically that's opening up big holes hitting big plays off the run and you if they give those running backs space I mean Haynes and jam Miller are so good I thought they ran the ball incredibly well again it's just to me it's gonna be about that offensive line jelling and especially just kind of getting that right Tackle Spot figured out in a sense like when Elijah pritch came in I thought he did look like he was playing better football football obviously I know he's working through some injuries but once they get that that starting tackle kind of rotation and back I think this Alabama yeah because we know the inside of the offensive Line's freaking freaking awesome uh I'm kind of with you and we've seen this happened a few other times with some other teams I think Oregon's another really good example where you have an injury go down on the offensive line you're kind of shuffling shuffling the deck a little early in the season and then it's kind of throwing off the whole offensive line as a whole think you're seeing that a little bit with Alabama as Kaden Proctor gets back Healthy pritet Look forb obviously struggled I'm not out on the kid but it certainly wasn't good enough against the USF on Saturday night if they can fix the offensive line that's a massive story and one of the things that I'm thinking about is you know kayin dbor there was going to be some growing pains with him and Nick sherid and how they want this offense to look because I don't think he's used to having an offensive line that can move bodies off the line of scrimmage and I think at a certain point yesterday in that football game he kind of realize yeah I got an offensive line that can move bodies I got two really good running backs in the back field why don't we lean on that and quite frankly you look at Wisconsin they haven't played great competition in western Michigan and South Dakota but you dive into the film it's not like they are dominating along the lines of scrimmage specifically on the defensive side of the football I'm looking for Alabama to go on the road which the best way to deal with the hostile environment that you're going into you know quiet The Crowd by establishing a run game which I think Alabama has a good shot at doing I think you're right I think that's where Alabama I think wants to commit to being really physical I think they have a really good chance to kind of get rolling on this wiscons you kind of said I mean with James Thompson getting injured earlier in the season that's a huge loss for an already kind of thin defensive tackle position I'd say so I think again you kind of said it you look at Western Michigan they were kind of pounding the ball a little bit like obviously Wisconsin would be able to get their negative plays and kind of put a stop to those driv but at the end of the day like down in down out they just weren't playing good enough they're not playing physical enough and they're not a huge off or defensive line I should say for this Alabama offensive line I would really be surprised if they don't commit to this run being really really physical and trying to figure out if Wisconsin can deal with that and get their linebackers rolling and get some other group that can make some things happen because I just don't see any way that this Wisconsin defensive line with and I look at that and say if you do get the Run game going and Wisconsin starts putting some safeties into the box then you can unlock jayen milro working vertically down the field to guys like Ryan Williams now on the flip side here what does Wisconsin need to do stop Alabama one it's obviously keep Jaylen milro in the pocket we all know when when Jaylen milro doesn't necess when he's kind of forced to process from the pocket that is sometimes where he can struggle and I think secondly I wouldn't say it's an overreliance on Ryan Williams because the kids a freak but Ryan Williams has accounted for over half of the total passing yards that jayen thrown for you got a really good quarterback at Wisconsin Ricardo Holman who maybe can kind of take Ryan Williams out of the game or at least try neutralize Ryan Williams to some sort of extent if I'm Wisconsin I'm trying to put hands on Ryan Williams this kid is freaky like I mean you look at the first two games this kid should be a senior in high school and he's dominating for Alabama as a true freshman one of the big questions we have is all right how is he gonna deal with hands on him you a little phys a little physicality that's kind of what I'm looking at for Wisconsin keep jayen mil in the pocket and seeing if you could take away Ryan Williams both of those much easier said than done but if you're Wisconsin trying to stop this Alabama offense those are probably the two keys to this football game and one big thing I think you're looking for if you can kind of deal let your cornerbacks kind of operate a little bit on Islands if you will I think that allows you to get Hunter Waller their star safety playing a little bit more in the Box playing around the line of scage and also playing the middle of the field because I think that's another spot I look at if Wisconsin's going to pull this upet off they probably need him to make a play they need prman to make a play those safeties are really instinctual I think that's an underrated part of this Wisconsin defense I think they have to turn the ball over probably at least twice if they're going to beat this Alabama team so they can't have those guys being forced to just kind of sit back and just work over the top on those freaky wide receivers you kind of mentioned I think they need to be able to play around the line of scrimmage need to be able to be involved and make some some high impact plays because I just again looking at what this Wisconsin defense is up front especially in that interior defensive line they'll have their work cut out for them just stopping this Alabama team consistently I think they need to turn it over Jaylen milrose made some turnover the not so much this year last he was doing it so again can they can they tap into that and try to make something happen because I don't see them consistently stopping this Sal yeah I think I think you're probably right just a little bit out manned in terms of the trenches uh let's flip over to this Wisconsin offense where D a key for this Wisconsin offense and it's really going to be a key for this Wisconsin offense pretty much throughout 2024 can Phil Longo scheme it up for Tyler van djk like we all know Tyler van djk has a hose on him one of the more talented arms really in the country what Tyler van djk really struggles with is processing and kind of going through re so if you're Phil Longo you need to simplify the football game for Tyler van djk and I think secondly move will Pauling around and really give this Alabama secondary a lot of different looks because it's a new secondary whether it's transfers whether a true freshman and zaven Brown these guys haven't played a ton of football together can Phil Longo give some different route Concepts give some different looks to Wisconsin try to get some bust and coverages and kind of hit some explosive plays to that deeper third because like you said on the defensive side of the football I think it's the same thing for the offense I don't see Wisconsin driving the football 15 plays 80 yards and scoring on Alabama very consistently but what I can see Wisconsin doing is maybe trying to hit some explosive plays against a secondary that hasn't played much football together because you got a quarterback that can make those kind of throws and you saw Bama give a little bit of that up I mean there were some USF had to hit some big time explosive pass plays and they obviously missed them but again if if Wisconsin can capitalize on a couple of those and get a good match up with Will Pauling or even look for a guy like TR kekahuna I mean that was another thing you saw a little bit of issues with isav and brown gave up a couple of plays deep I think there were again some plays that USF had can they go put a really fast track hakon a guy who Wisconsin hasn't necessarily used a ton of yet but we know has some real talent and ability to work vertically so I'm kind of with you at the end of the day they can't have the ball sitting in Tyler van dijk's hands too long that's gonna be a huge problem he's already shown some signs of making some of those plays at Miami that really I agree and if you're Alabama like one of the big question marks we had about Alabama is all right you lose I mean obviously Will Anderson two years ago Dallas Turner can you have the dogs up front I think iar Robinson is a problem I've really like the way he's played these couple games I I sorry who do you got I mean that's I was gonna throw on my guys Tim Keenan Tim Smith and Overton like I I mean good it's it's not necessarily like there's that Dallas Turner that guy who's gonna be uh or will Anderson you know top 10 anfl draft pick it's a lot of different guys that can really get after the passer where Alabama got burned against USF is not keeping Byron Brown in the pocket and Byron Brown's a really good athlete and he did a phenomenal job extending plays and using his legs Tyler Van Dyk can't do that and and so if you're Alabama you are pinning your ears back you're not really giving a darn about Tyler vany getting outside the pocket because he hasn't really shown you that he can do all that much outside the pocket this is probably the biggest Advantage Alabama has getting after the passer against a quarterback that one has struggled Under Pressure during his career in terms of making the right decisions but more importantly hasn't really shown the ability to extend plays outside of the pocket yeah and then I think the last thing you're looking for is can Wisconsin kind of get back to being a little bit more physical I think last year it felt like a big problem their offense like great I frankly I've kind of lik the way they've played these past couple games I thought especially against Western Michigan you saw some of the signs I like the tackles I love them all and I think Jack Nelson can be a really good player I think the that'll be something I'm looking at because obviously Western Alabama aren't in the same world and it wasn't something I thought Wisconsin did a great job of last year but Again Luke fickle a guy who has kind of prided himself on being able to develop guys in the trenches and and have really physical tough teams that'll be something frankly if Wisconsin can't get that going and they're like if they run the ball it's a negative player it's a stuff that'll pretty much I think end this game so I think at least bare a minimum they need to be to run the ball a little bit because if they just if it's dropping back every every play with Ty Tyler yeah it's gonna it's going to be a long I I would probably agree with that all right let's get to the pick Big 10 boys picking an SEC Big 10 game d I'll go first I'll put myself on the spot I'm gonna take Alabama and the points uh I don't love it you know I like going on the road to cam brandle it's a very hard place to play but I think the way Alabama and I feel like been taking a lot a lot of favorites lately but I'm gon keep doing it I'm gonna take Alabama and the points I just don't know like you kind of mentioned it can Wisconsin out physical Alabama I don't think so and so I think they can get after Tyler vendik I think there are things that they can do to move the football like really Alabama's been moving the football if we're in fur the penalties in the turnovers like Alabama has a lot more than 42 points on the on the on the scoreboard and so I'm gonna go Alabama here with the points I know it's over two touchdowns but give me Alabama what is it what can I get 15 points I'mma take it actually kind of like Wisconsin two two touchdown spread just because I and a lot of it frankly has to do with if Kaden Proctor's playing because if Kaden Proctor's playing and they like very true offensive line out there I don't really see much of a world that Alabama stopped much by Wisconsin but I think Wisconsin does have good enough addressers I think Daryl Peterson John P have shown some good things I think they can create some problems for these again if if they have to kind of roll these tackles and have Tyler book out there have prit in forby alone I I think Wisconsin can do enough I think they can hit explosive plays I think Alabama frankly again there have been some vulnerabilities in that secondary I like the weapons that Wisconsin has more than I think a lot of people would think for a Wisconsin team will pauling's a dude I don't know if we said his name enough but like he can really play so I I think there's enough Weaponry in this Wisconsin I think if they can just hit a couple of big plays this game probably doesn't blow out in the way I think people think and also I think you gota Alabama's got to prove to me that against good or solid football teams that they can consistently March up and down the field and I think again with the penalties you saw against USF that question kind of remains Big Time Homer Dale taking Wisconsin with the points all right we'll see how it plays out we're going to break this one down Saturday afternoon appreciate you guys rocking with it again let it fly in the comment section the boys are disagreement I'm sure there's going to be some disagreements in the comment section we'll talk to yall later