Wisconsin vs. Alabama: Ticket Info, Date, TV Schedule and Live Stream

Respected juggernauts collide Saturday at 8 p.m. ET in AT&T Stadium when the No. 20 Wisconsin Badgers out of the Big Ten meet the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide of the SEC.

Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst and his program find itself in transition mode, both along the coaching staff and in the offensive trenches. Nick Saban's Crimson Tide return with another top-tier recruiting class and a bit of transition of their own with quarterback Blake Sims gone.

Prestigious programs or not, these heavyweights play strong defense and smashmouth offense, a volatile combination even  Jerry World might be unable to contain.

With conference titles and College Football Playoff aspirations in mind, this isn't a season-opening contest to miss. Here's a look at the pertinent info.

Perception-Changing Opportunity

A win in the Outback Bowl against Auburn was a nice feather in the cap for Wisconsin to end last year, but the program still lost coach Gary Andersen, and it's not so easy to forget about a 59-0 drubbing at the hands of Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game.

The Badgers haven't been shy about the retribution angle, either.

"If we win this first game, if you look at the rest of the schedule, it's pretty much set up to hopefully go undefeated this season," running back Corey Clement said, per ESPN.com's Jesse Temple.

Clement later brought up Ohio State, too: "Hopefully this game is going to bring out our best. We just don't want to put on the same show we did against Ohio State."

Speaking of Clement, he's the key behind a line that returns just two players who have started a game. He's free of Melvin Gordon, but will have to shoulder the majority of the load behind unproven starters. Last year he averaged 6.5 yards per carry with 949 yards and nine scores, but Alabama might be the ultimate test for his new role.

Still, the opportunity is there and Clement might not be far off about the undefeated comment. Other than trips to Nebraska, Maryland and Minnesota, the schedule doesn't look too intimidating sans encounters with Ohio State and Michigan State.

Keeping the Tide Rolling

Alabama took care of business last year until it too ran into Ohio State.

Now it stares down another Big Ten team, albeit with a 3-4 defense featuring five seniors and an offense led by a monster of a back named Derrick Henry. He too moves into a workhorse role a year removed from grabbing 990 yards and 11 scores on just 172 totes.

There is concern for the offense considering Amari Cooper won't be around to bail out a new starter under center, but on paper, it doesn't look like it will matter much thanks to the defense. 

If there's a team able to counteract Wisconsin's massive offensive trenches, it's Alabama. ESPN.com's Alex Scarborough detailed some of the changes made to keep things clicking:

"

Monster defensive tackles such as the immovable Terrence Cody are now obsolete, replaced by slightly smaller but significantly more nimble linemen such as Jarran Reed and A'Shawn Robinson. The days of big, run-stuffing defensive ends are almost over, too. They've been replaced by hybrid linebackers such as Da'Shawn Hand and Rashaan Evans, who sacrifice size for athleticism so they can better play in space.

"

There might be nothing scarier than an Alabama defense that held Texas A&M to no points, Mississippi State to 20 and Ohio State to 42 (albeit in a loss) last year getting more athletic and experienced.

For Saban and Co., it's a must with lingering questions on offense through the air.

Viewing Info

When: Saturday, September 5, 8 p.m. ET

Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Television: ABC

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):

• Over/Under: 55.5

• Spread: Alabama (-11)

Team Injury Reports

NAME	POS	STATUS
Hayden Biegel	OL	Out indefinitely

NAME	POS	STATUS
Korren Kirven	OL	Ques Sat
Parker Barrineau	WR	Ques Sat

Injury reports via USA Today.

Prediction

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Las Vegas doesn't expect Wisconsin to keep this one close, and it's not hard to see why.

The Badgers' inexperienced line will run into some issues creating room for Clement and won't do any favors for quarterback Joel Stave, either, who managed just a 53.4 completion percentage last year with nine touchdowns and 10 picks.

Alabama's game happens to be Wisconsin's game, but it doesn't shine a favorable light on the Badgers. The Crimson Tide are more experienced in the right places and will control the tempo of this one.

Sometimes the lines from out West aren't arguable. Henry and a deep defense will provide proof.

Prediction: Alabama 27, Wisconsin 17

Statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.