AT&T Stadium - Arlington, TX
Kickoff: Saturday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: Alabama -10, Total: 53.5

A pair of top-20 programs open their 2015 season on Saturday night when No. 20 Wisconsin and No. 3 Alabama collide in Arlington, TX.

The Badgers are coming off their third 11-win season in the past five years, going 11-3 SU, but only 6-8 ATS. While they return 13 starters for new head coach Paul Chryst, only five are on an offense that no longer has RB Melvin Gordon. He was a big reason why the team ran for 320 yards per game (3rd in nation), but backup RB Corey Clement was just 51 yards shy of the century mark last year. Wisconsin was a respectable 4-3 SU (3-4 ATS) in road/neutral games last year, but averaged only 24.1 PPG away from Camp Randall. The Crimson Tide were 12-2 SU last year, but fell short of their national championship quest and posted a weak 5-8-1 ATS mark, including 2-5 ATS in non-home games. Seven offensive starters from last year are gone, including the top three players in WR Amari Cooper, RB T.J. Yeldon and QB Blake Sims. New QB Jacob Coker, a Florida State transfer, still has plenty of depth to work with though. He'll also be helped out by Alabama's elite defense (18.4 PPG, 6th in nation) providing great field position for this offense. There are no recent meetings between these schools and no significant injuries for either program as well. Although the Tide are a dismal 4-10 ATS in non-conference games in the past three seasons, their head coach Nick Saban is 113-83 ATS when playing on a Saturday as a college head coach.

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New head coach Paul Chryst is not expected to hand the ball off 647 times like the Badgers did last year (13th-most in FBS), but he inherits a team that led the nation with 6.9 yards per carry. Junior RB Corey Clement (949 rush yds, 9 TD) rumbled for 6.5 YPC and ran for at least 100 yards in four of seven games in which he had 10+ carries. Chryst wants more balance this year, and new offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph -- formerly the Pittsburgh OC -- will implore senior QB Joel Stave (1,350 pass yds, 6.6 YPA, 9 TD, 10 INT) to not force the issue. The 6-foot-5 Stave tossed six interceptions in his final two games, the first of which was a 59-0 humiliating loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game. WR Alex Erickson (772 rec yds, 3 TD) is the clear No. 1 receiver, but will need help from another wideout or two to keep the double teams away. The Wisconsin defense was outstanding last year in allowing just 294 total YPG (4th in FBS) and 20.8 PPG (17th in nation). The unit should remain top-notch with eight returning starters that include LB Vince Biegel (7.5 sacks, 16.5 TFL, 56 tackles, 2 FF), LB Joe Schobert (3 sacks, 13.5 TFL, 69 tackles) and S Michael Caputo (106 tackles, 6 PBU). The defensive line is the weak spot of the team, but big things are expected out of DE Chikwe Obasih (1.5 sacks) in his sophomore season.

Even without superstar WR Amari Cooper, senior QB Jake Coker (403 pass yds, 6.8 YPA, 4 TD, 0 INT) should be able to keep the Alabama passing offense just as potent as it was last year (278 YPG, 28th in FBS). Coker will get plenty of protection from an elite offensive line to throw to green-but-talented sophomore WRs ArDarius Stewart (149 rec yds) and Robert Foster (44 rec yds), as well as five-star freshman recruit Calvin Ridley. The Crimson Tide didn't run the ball as well as they would have liked last year (207 YPG, 35th in FBS), but RB Derrick Henry (990 rush yds, 5.8 YPC, 11 TD) is a 6-foot-3, 240-pound mountain of a man that will make this offense thrive as the lead back. The nation's 12th-ranked defense returns seven starters, including superstars NT A’Shawn Robinson (49 tackles, 11 TFL) and ILB Reggie Ragland (95 tackles, 10.5 TFL) up front. The secondary underachieved last year in allowing 226 passing YPG (58th in FBS), but the unit has great depth at the cornerback position, including playmaking CB Eddie Jackson (6 PBU, 2 FF), who can also play safety.