MADISON - Wisconsin will look to become bowl eligible with a much-needed win over Nebraska on Saturday night.

BadgerBlitz.com breaks down its three keys to the game for Wisconsin.

When: Saturday, Nov. 18 @ 6:30 p.m.

Where: Camp Randall Stadium (capacity 76,118)

All-Time Series: Wisconsin leads 12-4 (Wisconsin leads 6-1 in Madison)

TV: NBC (Noah Eagle on play-by-play, Todd Blackledge as the analyst and Kathryn Tappen 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: Wisconsin -6

Nebraska has one of the most convoluted quarterback situations in the country. There's a legitimate chance that three Cornhusker signal-callers could see the field Saturday night in Madison. Wisconsin needs to capitalize on what's been a headache of a position group for Nebraska.

The skinny is that Heinrich Haarberg, who's accounted for all five Nebraska wins this season, is a medical question mark. He will reportedly be "available in come capacity," but that doesn't mean he'll see the field. It might be a similar situation to Tanner Mordecai being listed as questionable ahead of the Indiana game.

The other two quarterbacks each have their concerns. Georgia Tech transfer Jeff Simms has been a turnover machine (10 on the season, 41 in his career) and Chubba Purdy only has two career drives to his name.

The past two weeks, the Badgers have let some poor offenses look like well-oiled machines. That can't happen again Saturday night, and with the Huskers dealing with a rough quarterback situation, there's no excuses for Mike Tressel's unit.

This is generally a key to win every game, but it's especially true against this Nebraska team. The Huskers are the worst nationally in turnovers with 27. They also have the worst turnover differential at -14. They give the ball away, and they don't necessarily take it back.

It's also critical for Wisconsin to get back into the turnover department. This season, the Badgers are 1-4 when their defense doesn't force a turnover. Especially with how lifeless this offense has been in recent weeks, this team will need to capitalize on a sudden change situation or two come Saturday.

This week, head coach Luke Fickell stressed that getting takeaways starts and ends with getting pressure on the quarterback. Wisconsin hasn't exactly been proficient in that category this year, but Nebraska presents an opportunity: the Huskers are third-worst in the Big Ten with 25 sacks allowed. With a porous offensive line and a propensity to turn the ball over, this has the potential to be a get-right game for the Badgers' defense.

The Badgers' offense is a broken one right now. It has no identity, no running game and a bevy of talented-yet-underperforming wide receivers. This unit has a myriad of issues right now, and there's no one quick fix. However, a place to start would be staying on the field and sustaining drives.

Against Northwestern, on the drives in which Wisconsin didn't score or turn it over, they averaged 4.8 plays-per-drive. That featured two three and outs and two five-play drives. This offense is out of rhythm, and it desperately needs to be able to put together longer drives as it tries to find some semblance of consistency.

On paper, this game should be a slugfest between two directionless offenses. Wisconsin has a tall task with Nebraska's stout defense, especially against the run. The Badgers don't need to explode for huge plays to unlock this offense — that's just unrealistic at this point in the season. The focus should be on long, sustainable drives that move the sticks and wear the Huskers down.

It blows my mind that Wisconsin is favored by six points in this game, let alone favored at all. Nothing went right for this Badgers team last week and there's little reason to expect improvement except for the fact that there's literally nowhere to go but up. I do think Wisconsin will be somewhat rejuvenated after such a poor showing and with the fact that it'll be senior day, but I don't know if that'll be enough to top a fiesty Huskers team with an impressive defense. The Badgers still have a chance to turn the season around and end on a high note, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Nebraska 27, Wisconsin 19

Not to be cliche, but Saturday is an absolute make-or-break game for the Badgers. They’re coming off of their two worst performances of the season, and could either continue their fall or wake up just in time to clinch a bowl appearance.

Ultimately, there’s not much to feel confident in for Wisconsin. And they happen to be going up against a team whose specialty is stopping Wisconsin’s specialty.

The only path to win for the Badgers is if Mordecai puts the offense on his back and drags them across the finish line.

Nebraska 17, Wisconsin 15

I've picked Wisconsin each of the last two weeks. It's time to draw a line in the sand - this team will not fool me for a third game in a row. The 2023 Badgers appear to be broken and I don't think they keep Nebraska from becoming bowl eligible.

Nebraska 24, Wisconsin 13

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