ESPN College GameDay 2018: TV Schedule, Predictions and Location for Week 7

The ESPN College GameDay crew returns to a Michigan home game for the 13th time Saturday ahead of a Big Ten stare down between the No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers and No. 12 Michigan Wolverines. 

A week ago, Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and Co. went to the neutral Cotton Bowl for the Red River Rivalry, where Texas escaped with a 48-45 victory over Oklahoma in what will go down as one of the best games of the year. 

Wisconsin-Michigan has the potential to do the same and features just as much at stake when it comes to season-long implications.

Here is everything to know about the pre-day broadcast and the game itself, which takes place underneath the bright lights of prime time. 

College GameDay Week 7 Info

Date: Saturday, October 13

Time (ET): 9 a.m. to noon; game is at 7:30 p.m.

Location: Michigan Stadium

Watch: ABC

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Preview

Both Wisconsin and Michigan enter Saturday looking to avoid a season-crippling second loss. 

The deja vu for the Wolverines has to be painful. Jim Harbaugh's team lost to these Badgers a year ago, and then watched as things spiraled out of control with a defeat to Ohio State and then a loss to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl. 

So, yes, the Wolverines have had Saturday circled on the calendar in red ink.

Here's what linebacker Devin Bush Jr. had to say, according to the Associated Press' Matt Schoch:

"You got to get those first six games out of the way, but you know this game is coming. Now that it's here, this is all you've been waiting for. This is the part of the season where it defines your whole season and what your team wants to do."

The Wolverines don't look like they have been suffering while looking ahead to Saturday. They started the season with a loss in a tough matchup against then-No. 12 Notre Dame but have since rattled off gigantic win margins in four of their five games. 

To date, transfer quarterback Shea Patterson has completed a smooth 68.8 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns against three interceptions and watched as his ground game piled on 13 touchdowns on a 5.1 per-carry average. 

Patterson's entire unit has benefited from an elite Bush-led defense, which has allowed more than 20 points in a game twice and no more than 24 while allowing an average of 230.5 yards per game.

The same can't be said for Wisconsin's defense, which ranks 100th at 6.01 yards allowed per play despite a softer schedule. The Badgers dropped their third game of the season despite being huge favorites over the currently 3-3 BYU Cougars, 24-21. 

Offense, at least, hasn't been a problem for the Badgers. Alex Hornibrook has been an afterthought under center as expected, with potential Heisman Trophy contender Jonathan Taylor once again bullying defenses out of the backfield to the tune of 849 yards and eight touchdowns on a 6.7 per-carry average. 

Not only is Taylor tops in the nation at 25.2 carries per game, but he's also outpacing entire teams: 

This creates a war of wills between strengths, where Taylor will look to overcome an elite defense because his own defense is returning few players and battling injuries. 

Whichever side emerges ahead in that key matchup will outright decide how the Big Ten and perhaps the College Football Playoff itself shapes up later this year. 

Prediction

Tony Ding/Associated Press

It isn't hard to read between the lines above—the Wolverines are winning this one at home. 

Oddsmakers agree, with the Wolverines opening as 6.5-point favorites and the line grew to nine points as of this writing, according to OddsShark. 

It's not hard to see why. Patterson is a dynamic player slowly gaining national attention and the defense doesn't (and won't) skip a beat, especially in the face of a one-dimensional Wisconsin attack. 

Granted, Wisconsin is one of those rare teams that likely doesn't have to abandon the run simply because it falls behind. But the Wolverines at home will have too much stopping power on defense to be denied here. 

Wolverines 28, Badgers 20