FOX’s Joel Klatt Puts Unbeaten Big Ten Program on Upset Alert Against Unranked Conference Rival

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No. 12 UCLA is unbeaten, fresh off taking down Oregon, and apparently, that’s supposed to make the Bruins untouchable. Bob Chesney’s team is 5-0, Wisconsin is unranked at 4-1, and UCLA gets to play at home. Sounds like another win waiting to happen, right? Well, Joel Klatt isn’t buying the hype. While everyone is busy celebrating UCLA’s perfect start, the FOX analyst sees a team walking straight into an upset.

On The Joel Klatt Show, Joel Klatt picked Wisconsin to win 20-17, pointing to a matchup that could expose UCLA’s biggest vulnerability at the wrong time.

“I don’t love this matchup for UCLA because of this Wisconsin defense,” he said.

That is quite a change of tune from someone who has been publicly backing the Bruins. The betting line caught Joel Klatt’s attention first. UCLA was favored by just 2.5 points despite its perfect record and home-field advantage. He also noted that UCLA had the third-best odds to win the Big Ten, behind only Indiana and Ohio State, while Wisconsin had climbed to fifth in the conference championship race.

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Wisconsin has already beaten then-No. 13 Penn State on the road and followed that performance with a 31-3 demolition of Michigan State. Against the Spartans, QB Colton Joseph threw three touchdown passes and added 141 rushing yards. Meanwhile, the defense continued impressing.

Joel Klatt highlighted Wisconsin’s defense, which he said ranked fifth nationally in yards allowed per play. That statistic matters against a UCLA team that would rather control a game on the ground than ask its QB to carry the offense.

The Badgers have also shown signs of progress under Luke Fickell after a difficult stretch last season. Joel Klatt argued that Wisconsin is vastly improved compared to the team seen late in the previous campaign, particularly on defense.

“Sometimes you got to lose big before you lose small,” he said, describing the gradual process of building a winning team.

For Wisconsin, the challenge now is turning that progress into another significant road victory. The opportunity is sitting right in front of it.

Nico Iamaleava is expected to miss the remainder of the season after suffering a knee injury against Oregon, leaving Ty Dieffenbach as UCLA’s new starting quarterback. Dieffenbach helped UCLA finish off the Ducks. He attempted just six passes, and his limited passing workload in that game offers little evidence of what he can handle as UCLA’s full-time starter. However, he has previous starting experience at Cal Poly, where he threw for 1,305 yards.

Still, the Bruins have a powerful counterpunch. RB Wayne Knight has been central to their unbeaten start. He entered the matchup with 548 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, giving Bob Chesney a dependable option even with the QB situation unsettled. UCLA ranks among the nation’s leading rushing offenses, averaging 253.2 yards per game.

But Joel Klatt is not convinced those strengths outweigh the matchup concerns. He pointed out that Wisconsin now has the opportunity to prepare specifically for Dieffenbach, unlike Oregon, which faced him after Iamaleava went down.

Klatt also questioned how much UCLA could rely on its quarterback, noting that the Bruins’ offense has largely been built around Wayne Knight and the running game.

It is a blunt challenge for a quarterback making his first start for UCLA. It also gives Wisconsin a clear route to an upset. Contain Knight, pressure Dieffenbach, and force UCLA to win through the air.

The Bruins have earned their ranking, and one injury does not erase what they have accomplished. Yet an unbeaten record can make a team look more comfortable than it really is, especially when the next opponent has the defensive personnel to attack its weak spot.

If the Badgers pull off the upset, their season will look considerably different by Sunday morning. And if UCLA survives, the Bruins will have answered the question of whether this team can win when its running game is challenged and its backup QB has to take over.

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