Wisconsin vs Nebraska Prediction, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds & Picks
Badgers Aim to Become Bowl-Eligible
Skidding Cornhuskers Await Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Badgers try to bounce back from a loss when they visit the Nebraska Cornhuskers for a Big Ten matchup on Saturday. Wisconsin fell to Iowa last Saturday, snapping a two-game winning streak, and sits in fifth place in the Big Ten West. The Badgers are just a game behind the four teams tied for first place in the division.
Nebraska has lost four in a row and is sixth in the Big Ten West standings. Both teams want to finish the season strong, so to help you with your bet online on this game, read our in-depth preview.
Let’s check the latest college football odds, stats, injury reports and college football lines for Wisconsin vs Nebraska. We’ve plenty of NCAA football odds for you to consider.
Wisconsin Needs Help in Title Bid
The Wisconsin Badgers are still in the mix for the Big Ten West title, but they’ll need to win out and hope for some help since four teams are sitting in front of them. The first task is getting past the Nebraska Cornhuskers this week, which will also help interim coach Jim Leonhard’s case for the permanent job after this season.
Wisconsin struggled offensively in last Saturday’s loss to Iowa, managing just 10 points, including none after halftime. The Badgers managed a total of 227 yards in the contest, which wasn’t enough even as the Hawkeyes gained just 146 yards from scrimmage.
“Things get close when we play great teams, and special teams need to be a factor in the game,” Leonhard said after the loss to Iowa. “Unfortunately, today it was a factor in the wrong direction for us.”
Junior quarterback Graham Mertz threw for 176 yards and a touchdown but also had two interceptions in the contest. Mertz has thrown for 1,883 yards and 18 touchdowns, though he’s completing a career-low 58.1% of his attempts.
Sophomore running back Braelon Allen had just 40 yards against Iowa, snapping his four-game streak of 100-yard rushing games. He did go over the 1,000-yard plateau and enters Saturday with 1,029 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022.
Nebraska Struggling to Score
The Nebraska Cornhuskers’ offense has gone quiet over the last three games, with the team scoring a total of 25 points in that span after putting up 37 in a loss to Purdue on Oct. 15. It didn’t help that the Cornhuskers faced two of the top defenses in the country in Illinois and Michigan, but they also managed just 13 points against Minnesota.
Part of the problem has been the absence of junior quarterback Casey Thompson, who hasn’t played since the Oct. 29 loss to Illinois due to an elbow injury. Thompson, who has thrown for 2,023 yards and 12 touchdowns, is considered day-to-day at this point.
If Thompson can’t go, the Cornhuskers will likely turn to sophomore Logan Smothers, who had to come into last week’s game against Michigan when backup Chubba Purdy suffered a season-ending high ankle sprain. Smothers has passed for just 96 yards, completing 10 of 19 passes.
Nebraska will try to get the running game going behind junior Anthony Grant, who has rushed for 880 yards and six touchdowns. Grant struggled against Michigan with just 22 yards but had 115 yards in the Nov. 5 loss to Minnesota.
Wisconsin vs Nebraska Game Injuries
Wisconsin vs Nebraska Head-To-Head
The Wisconsin Badgers come into Saturday on an eight-game winning streak against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, including last season’s 35-28 victory in Madison, Wis. The Badgers have an overall series lead of 11-4, with their last loss to Nebraska coming in 2012.
The Cornhuskers are 3-3 against Wisconsin at home, with all three losses coming in the current losing streak. A glance at the college football lines for Saturday’s game shows the Badgers as heavy favorites to keep their streak alive with an easy win.
Wisconsin vs Nebraska Game Information
- Game: Wisconsin (5-5, 3-4 Big Ten) vs Nebraska (3-7, 2-5)
- Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE
- Day/Time: Saturday, Nov. 19th, Noon ET
- Wisconsin vs Nebraska Live Stream: ESPN
Wisconsin vs Nebraska Betting Lines
Wisconsin vs Nebraska Picks & Prediction
The Nebraska Cornhuskers could get a boost with the return of Thompson to the lineup, but even that likely won’t be enough against the Wisconsin Badgers. The line is a little high, though, so we are taking the home team to at least keep this one closer than the point spread.
When doing your college football betting, take Wisconsin to win but Nebraska cover at home.
The Wisconsin Badgers are listed at -450 in our Vegas NCAAF lines. This means that if you wager $100 on Wisconsin, you have a chance to win $22. The Nebraska Cornhuskers are +340, offering a chance to win $340 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Wisconsin Badgers an 81.82% chance to win, with Cornhuskers at 22.73%.
