The Badgers travel to Los Angeles to take on Lincoln Riley's No. 13-ranked Trojans in Wisconsin's Big Ten opener.

BadgerBlitz.com breaks down its three keys to the when game the Badgers take the field against USC.

When: Saturday, Sep. 28 (2:30 P.M. CT)

Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (capacity 77,500)

All-Time Series: USC leads 6-1 (USC leads 2-0 in Los Angeles)

TV: CBS (Brad Nessler on play-by-play, Gary Danielson as the analyst and Jenny Dell as the sideline reporter)

Local Radio: Badger Sports Network (Matt Lepay on play-by-play, Mark Tauscher as the analyst, Patrick Herb as the sideline reporter)

Betting line: USC -15.5

Projected game-time weather: 70 degrees and partly cloudy

In the Badgers’ first two games, they hosted lesser opponents who tried — and nearly succeeded — to shorten the game, remain in striking distance and have a shot to win in the fourth quarter. The Broncos and Coyotes accomplished that with long, sustained drives, a serviceable run game and an ability to protect the football.

How the tables have turned. Wisconsin now finds itself in the same position as its early-season buy game opponents. The Badgers are two touchdown underdogs on the road in a game no one expects them to win. Like Western Michigan and South Dakota, they’re playing with house money. And like those two schools, Wisconsin will need to shorten the game if it wants to beat USC.

The Badgers can’t match the Trojans’ firepower — that much is certain. This offense won’t be trading blows with a Lincoln Riley-coached team anytime soon. Wisconsin will need to wear USC down with long drives that keep the ball out of Trojan quarterback Miller Moss’ hands. It’ll need to eat clock whenever possible and bend but not break defensively. The Badgers didn’t look good as favorites; can they look better as underdogs?

Braedyn Locke’s performances as a quarterback for the Badgers have fluctuated significantly. He’s led wild comebacks on the road and looked abysmal several weeks later against the hapless Hoosiers. Wisconsin fans are no stranger to his inconsistency. On a big stage out west, it’ll be imperative to call plays that are conducive to allowing the gunslinger to settle in and gain confidence in the first quarter.

Locke’s bread and butter is timing passes and rhythmic throws. Thus, it’s reasonable expect a heavy dose of RPOs and screens early on. It’s also reasonable to expect play-caller Phil Longo to try to scheme up some plays for slot receiver Will Pauling in the early goings, as he has proven chemistry with Locke dating back to last season. Even some gadget plays early on wouldn’t be surprising. If Wisconsin can pick up some cheap yards and help take some of the pressure off Locke’s shoulders, that could go a long way in helping the quarterback settle in.

Moss has only thrown one interception this season, but it was a backbreaking pick-six against Michigan. He was baited by superstar cornerback Will Johnson into a gift of a house call, a throw there’s no chance Moss makes if the Wolverines’ pressure hadn’t sped up his internal clock.

Moss plays quarterback like he takes pride in making the right decision and taking care of the football. It’s part of the reason he’s been as good as he has been for the Trojans. If Wisconsin gives Moss time, he will carve this secondary up. He’s simply too good of a quarterback in too good of a scheme. The Badgers can’t just matchup with USC and call it a day. They’ll need to find ways to make Moss uncomfortable.

There’s a few ways to do that, not all of which involve generating pressure. A nice five-sack performance would certainly do the trick, but that hasn’t exactly been Wisconsin’s specialty. The Badgers could try to disguise coverages, especially in their sub packages, to confuse Moss post-snap. It would also help to have success on early downs defensively. The higher percentage of Moss’ throws that are high pressure, longer down-and-distance situations will bode well for Wisconsin.

Wisconsin makes it prettier than two weeks ago against the Crimson Tide, but it still doesn’t have the moxie on defense or the personality on offense to keep this from ballooning to a two-score loss.

USC 31, Wisconsin 17

Despite the extra week of preparation, there's simply too much mystery with the Badgers to feel comfortable picking them over a true playoff contender like USC. We don't know how the offense will look behind Locke, or if the defense can stop a high-powered offense. We'll know after Saturday.

USC 35, Wisconsin 13

Wisconsin had two weeks to prepare for Saturday's showdown, but that was not enough time to fix the problems on each side of the ball. If the Badgers can run the ball, this could be a four-quarter game, but I expect the Trojans to be comfortably ahead in the fourth quarter.

USC 38, Wisconsin 17

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