Camp Randall Stadium – Madison, WI
Kickoff: Saturday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Line: Wisconsin -9.5, Total: 43.0

#11 Wisconsin will be looking to hand #7 Nebraska its first loss of the season on Saturday.

The Cornhuskers have not lost a game this season, but they also have had an incredibly easy schedule. Their biggest win of the year was seemingly a 35-32 home victory over Oregon on Sep. 17, but the Ducks have turned out to be quite horrendous this season. Oregon is just 2-5 and has allowed 50 or more points in each of its past three games. Still, Nebraska can make a statement by defeating the Badgers on Saturday. Wisconsin has wins over LSU and Iowa this season and the team also came as close as could be to defeating both Michigan and Ohio State. That shows that the Badgers are legit and a win over them would mean a lot to the Cornhuskers. Doing so will not be easy for Nebraska, though. The Badgers have dominated this head-to-head series recently, going 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS versus the Cornhuskers over the past three games. Another thing working in Wisconsin’s favor is the fact that the team is 6-0 ATS when the total is between 42.5 and 49 this season. The Badgers are also 27-10 ATS in homes games after having won four or five out of their past six games since 1992. There is, however, a big injury working against Wisconsin, as the team’s leading tackler ILB Jack Cichy (Pectoral) is out for the season.

The Cornhuskers have impressed this season and they have mostly done it on the defensive side of the ball. Nebraska has allowed 17 or fewer points in five of its seven games this season. The team should have no trouble containing the Badgers on Saturday, as Wisconsin is not necessarily explosive offensively. Offensively, QB Tommy Armstrong Jr. (1,611 yards, 11 TD, 5 INT) is responsible for most of what Nebraska does. Armstrong is solid with his arm, but he is also very good when plays break down. He runs as well as any quarterback in the Big 10, rushing for 380 yards with six touchdowns on the season already. Armstrong Jr. will need to run a lot in this one, as the Badgers have a very good pass rush and will be chasing him out of the pocket often on Saturday. When he’s not running, his favorite target in the passing game is WR Jordan Westerkamp (13 rec, 228 yards, 4 TD). Westerkamp is questionable for this one, and his presence would be greatly missed if he ends up sitting.

Wisconsin is set to use a two-quarterback system moving forward, as head coach Paul Chryst feels that both QBs Alex Hornibrook (877 yards, 5 TD, 6 INT) and Bart Houston (586 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT) deserve to see the field. Whether it’s Hornibrook or Houston under center, the guy throwing the ball has to make sure he’s passing to somebody in a Wisconsin uniform. The Badgers cannot afford to turn the ball over in this one, as this is a tough opponent that is hungry for a statement victory. The best chance Wisconsin will have to score points is if RB Corey Clement (617 yards, 6 TD) is running the ball well. He certainly has over the past two weeks, as Clement rushed for 164 yards against Ohio State and followed it up with 134 yards and a touchdown in the win over Iowa. If he can find some holes in this one then it’d be big for the Badgers. Defensively, despite a couple of big injuries, Wisconsin is as good of a team as there is in the nation. The Badgers are going to find a way to contain Armstrong Jr., but it’s just a matter of whether or not their offense helps them out.