The No.12 ranked Wisconsin Badgers will start the 2010 season on the road against the UNLV Rebels. The game is set for Saturday morning, and it should be a nice test for the Badgers, who look to make some serious noise in the Big Ten this season.

Wisconsin finished up the 2009 season at 10-3 overall and tied for fourth in the Big Ten at 5-3. This year they have 16 starters back for head coach Bret Bielema, including 10 of 11 starters back on the offensive side of the ball. UNLV ended their 2009 season at 5-7, but did show some life late in the year, as they won three of their final five games.

The Rebels have 15 starters back for the 2010 season, and figure to build off that momentum they grabbed at the end of the year. If you are interested in doing some college football betting on the game this weekend, the Badgers are 20.5 point favorites over the Rebels with the over/under currently sitting at 57.5 points.

Look out for Wisconsin running back John Clay when the Badgers have the ball this weekend, as Clay is coming off a monster 1,500 yard season with 18 touchdowns. Clay figures to be even better in 2010, as the Badgers return all five starters on the offensive line that figures to be one of the best in the country this season. The Badgers should be pretty strong on the defensive side of the ball as well, as they have two very talented players in junior defensive end JJ Watt and sophomore outside linebacker Chris Borland.

While the Rebels should be more competitive than they were in 2009, they still don’t have anywhere near the talent on their roster that the Badgers have. UNLV will need a big game out of senior quarterback Omar Clayton, as the Rebels don’t figure to be able to do much of anything on the ground against Wisconsin’s defense.

The Rebels defense is also a big concern going into this game, as they gave up 221 yards a game on the ground this season, and figure to have one heck of a time stopping Clay and the Badgers rushing attack.

Looking at the Odds: While it’s pretty clear that Wisconsin is the better team and should win this game, covering a 20.5 point spread on the road in a season opener is a different story. I actually like the Rebels to cover the spread in this one, as the Badgers rushing attack should eat up a lot of the clock, which should limit the amount of points they put on the board. I am also leaning towards the under in this one, as I believe the final score is going to be Wisconsin 34 – UNLV 16. 

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