Nebraska vs. Wisconsin: Why Cornhuskers Will Have No Trouble Beating Badgers

The Nebraska Cornhuskers and Wisconsin Badgers will square off on Saturday in the Big Ten title game at 8:17 p.m. ET on Fox. The game will be a repeat of the game at the end of September that saw the Cornhuskers win 30-27. 

As the season has progressed, the Cornhuskers have continued to improve while the Badgers have faltered down the line giving Nebraska an obvious advantage in the game. The Cornhuskers are on their way to the BCS and the Badgers won’t have enough left in the tank to stop them.

Looking ahead to the Big Ten title game, here are five ways that the Cornhuskers will breeze past the Badgers. 

Explosive Ground Game Controls Clock

The Cornhuskers have put together a strong offensive attack this year based around quarterback Taylor Martinez and Ameer Abdullah. The two players have combined for 1,904 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. 

Nebraska has the No. 8 rushing offense in the country, averaging 252.17 yards a game on the ground. 

Wisconsin has the No. 12 rushing defense in the country, holding opponents to only 111 yards per game. While that is an impressive season total, the Badgers gave up 259 rushing yards to the Cornhuskers when they faced Nebraska earlier this season. 

This game will see another major surge from the Cornhuskers' ground game, providing them with a Big Ten title by the end of Saturday night. 

Rex Burkhead Makes Memorable Comeback

Rex Burkhead was expected to be a force for the Nebraska offense this season, but injuries have hampered his productivity. He has only played in six games this fall, but each time he has been able to play he has made a significant impact for the Nebraska offense. 

He was able to play against Wisconsin earlier this year, averaging 4.8 yards per carry and gaining 86 yards on the ground. 

Burkhead earned 16 carries in the season finale against Iowa, helping Nebraska seal a title game berth. He'll hope to continue with at least 15 touches in the Big Ten title game. 

Add Burkhead into the mix with Martinez and Abdullah and this Cornhuskers offense will be nearly impossible for Wisconsin to stop. 

Wisconsin Is Struggling to Find Offensive Consistency

The Badgers will enter the Big Ten title game hoping to find consistency on offense. Montee Ball has been a big contributor for the Badgers, but he won’t be able to win this game alone. 

Wisconsin has the No. 72 scoring, No. 84 total and No. 108 passing offense in the country. Those numbers won’t hand the Badgers a lot of points in this game. 

If there isn’t an amazing offensive resurgence that occurs in this game for the Badgers it will be a long evening in Indianapolis for Wisconsin. 

Badgers Won’t Win Without Air Attack

Wisconsin has had issues all season finding a playmaker at quarterback. Joel Stave showed a lot promise for the Badgers early, but a season-ending collar bone injury ended his run before November. 

Now the Badgers have turned to the inefficient combined play of Danny O’Brien and Curt Phillips to try to find a spark. 

Things have not turned out so well for the Wisconsin air attack, but the Badgers will have to find some productivity against Nebraska to have a chance of winning. It won’t be easy as the Cornhuskers are fielding the No. 1 passing defense in the country.

With an imbalanced offense and mediocre passing attack, Wisconsin will take a big loss in its second consecutive appearance in the Big Ten title game. 

The Cornhuskers Will Bring Constant Pressure

To make matters worse for Wisconsin, the Cornhuskers have been very efficient with their pass rush this fall. 

Nebraska is averaging over two sacks and nearly six tackles for loss a game. Against Wisconsin things could get much worse than that if the Badgers can’t find consistency in the ground game. 

This will be a big game for both teams as a BCS bowl berth is on the line. The Cornhuskers are in position to walk away with a big win in this game with a strong performance by the defensive front seven. 

Wisconsin can’t afford to have its quarterbacks lose confidence early. If they do then the contest could turn into a rout. 

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