No. 1 Oregon (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) at Wisconsin (5-4, 3-3), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. EST (NBC)
BETMGM College Football Odds: Oregon by 14
Series record: Tied 3-3
What’s at stake?
Oregon attempts to maintain its No. 1 ranking and seeks its first 11-0 start since 2010, the year it lost to Cam Newton and Auburn in the BCS championship game. Wisconsin needs one more win to become bowl eligible and two more wins to clinch a 23rd straight winning season, the longest such active streak among Power Four teams. Wisconsin is attempting to beat a top-ranked team for the first time since its 31-18 victory over Ohio State in 2010.
Key matchup
Wisconsin running game vs. Oregon run defense: Wisconsin’s best chance at pulling the upset is to shorten the game and keep Oregon’s offense on the sidelines as much as possible. Wisconsin’s success recently has depended on Tawee Walker’s production. Walker rushed for 418 yards and six touchdowns during a three-game winning streak that included routs of Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern. But he’s been limited to a combined 111 yards and one touchdown on 38 carries his last two games as Wisconsin fell to No. 4 Penn State (No. 4 CFP) and Iowa. Oregon ranks just 10th out of 18 Big Ten teams in run defense.
Players to watch
Oregon: QB Dillon Gabriel has completed a Football Bowl Subdivision-leading 74.1% of his passes for 2,848 yards with 22 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He has been responsible for 180 career touchdowns (147 passing, 32 rushing, one receiving) and last week became the NCAA’s all-time leader in that category.
Wisconsin: LB Christian Alliegro is coming off a 16-tackle performance in Wisconsin’s 42-10 loss at Iowa. That represented the highest single-game tackle total for any Badger since Leo Chenal had 17 against Army in 2021.
Facts & figures
This marks the first matchup between these two teams since Oregon edged Wisconsin 28-27 in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2020. Oregon has won its last three meetings with Wisconsin. … Wisconsin is 2-14 in its last 16 games against Top 25 teams. That includes an 0-5 mark during Luke Fickell’s two seasons as head coach. … Wisconsin has allowed only two plays of 40-plus yards this season to match Ohio State for the fewest by any FBS defense. … Oregon is the third top-five team to visit Camp Randall Stadium this season. Wisconsin lost 42-10 to then-No. 4 Alabama on Sept. 14 and fell 28-13 to then-No. 3 Penn State on Oct. 26.
___
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
