[7:00 PM] #7 Nebraska @ #11 Wisconsin

Who will WIN this matchup?

#7 Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-0)

@ #11 Wisconsin Badgers (5-2)

 

Current odds:

Nebraska Cornhuskers: (+298)

Wisconsin Badgers: (-350)

 

ESPN simulations have Wisconsin as 78.1% favorites to win the game.

68% of sports bets are currently on Nebraska to win as (+298) underdogs.

Nebraska has spent weeks defending its status as a team worthy of a top-10 ranking despite its penchant for winning close games against marginal opponents. After taking advantage of a mostly uninspiring early schedule to coast to their best start in 15 years, the seventh-ranked Cornhuskers will get their chance to prove they are for real Saturday when they travel to No. 11 Wisconsin for a Big Ten West division showdown.

Nebraska can go a long way to establishing itself as a contender for the College Football Playoff over the next two weeks, however, with road wins over the Badgers and No. 8 Ohio State in two of the toughest venues in college football. Wisconsin buckled down for a hard-fought 17-9 win in Iowa last weekend after falling seven points short in each of its previous two contests (14-7 at No. 2 Michigan and 30-23 in overtime at home against the Buckeyes).

Armstrong, who can move into sole possession of third place in school history for career wins by a quarterback this weekend (tied with three others at 29), needs 11 yards to become the 11th player in conference history to reach 10,000 yards of total offense, and he’s also 245 yards away from breaking the school’s career total offense record.

The Badgers will be without linebacker Jack Cichy (team-high 60 tackles) after he suffered a torn pectoral muscle against Iowa, making him the latest injury casualty to a unit that already lost inside linebacker Chris Orr for the season. They will also be without nose tackle Olive Sagapolu and possibly even cornerbacks Derrick Tindal and Natrell Jamerson.

The Cornhuskers have rallied from three halftime deficits and outscored opponents 98-13 in the fourth quarter this season. The resulting plus-85 point differential is 20 more than any other team in FBS.

 

StreakSmarts Pick: #7 Nebraska Cornhuskers

Confidence: 4/10

Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick