Quarter 3: Predicting the schedule

The BadgerBlitz.com staff - Jon McNamara, John Veldhuis and Jessi Schoville - will break down Wisconsin's 2016 schedule into four quarters and make predictions for each game. Quarter 3 features Iowa, Nebraska and Northwestern.

Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | We Meet Again: Badgers preparing for Aranda, LSU | Kapoi and Dietzen battling for starting job

McNamara: Iowa `17, Wisconsin 13

One year after suffering a painful loss against Iowa at home, Wisconsin goes down on the road against the Hawkeyes in a similar fashion. With under two minutes left to play, quarterback Bart Houston throws a costly interception in the red zone just as UW looked poised to take control of the game. Senior quarterback C.J. Bethard wasn't flashy but was solid all afternoon, passing for over 200 yards and two touchdowns. In a physical game at the line of scrimmage, Wisconsin was led by sophomore running back Taiwan Deal, who rushed for 85 yards and one touchdown.

Veldhuis: Iowa 22, Wisconsin 21

The Badgers and Hawkeyes were locked in a tight match for most of the game, with the Badgers leading, 21-14, late in the fourth quarter after Bart Houston threw two touchdown passes in the first half and Corey Clement broke a big play with a 40-yard touchdown run. But Iowa's experienced team showed their mettle and put together a 12-play drive that ate up 7 minutes of the game and gassed Wisconsin's defense. Sensing an opportunity to go for the kill, Kirk Ferentz elects to go for two instead of playing for overtime, and Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard found the end zone on a quarterback draw to put Iowa ahead and snap Wisconsin's winning streak in Iowa City.

Schoville: Iowa 21, Wisconsin 17

Wisconsin and Iowa may be the most evenly matched competition all season for either program. After each squad manages to score on their opening drive, we don't see another point go up on the board until the third quarter. The Badgers go up 14-7 thanks to a beautiful route and catch in traffic by true freshman A.J. Taylor on a 15-yard zip from Bart Houston. Undeterred, Iowa responds early in the fourth with a successful drive resulting in a goal line touchdown run by LeShun Daniels Jr. With the score knotted up 14-14 the Badgers think they have just enough time to seal the deal with a score. They manage to make it to the Iowa 35 yard line, giving Rafael Gaglianone a shot at a 52-yard field goal, the very edge of his range. He makes the kick to Wisconsin fans' delight, but then disaster strikes. After a big return gives Iowa good starting filed position, the Hawkeyes make one final push, scoring in the waning moments and leaving Wisconsin stunned.

McNamara: Wisconsin 24, Nebraska 14

With the "gauntlet" portion of the schedule now in the rearview mirror, Wisconsin gets a much-needed win against Nebraska at Camp Randall Stadium. The front seven for the Badgers was able to pressure Tommy Armstrong for much of the evening and forced the senior quarterback into two interceptions - the first to Derrick Tindal and the second to Sojourn Shelton. Offensively, quarterback Bart Houston spread the ball around nicely and completed passes to seven different receivers. Jazz Peavy led the way with six catches with 95 yards and one touchdown.

Veldhuis: Wisconsin 31, Nebraska 14

Coming off a 1-3 opening stretch of Big Ten play the Badgers knew they needed a win against Nebraska in primetime to get back on the right track, and they delivered with a dominating performance on the ground. Corey Clement and Taiwan Deal both rushed for more than 100 yards and each back scored a touchdown. Quarterback Bart Houston put together his best performance of the season thus far, and completed 66 percent of his passes with two touchdowns to Jazz Peavy and no interceptions. The win puts them at 4-4 on the season, but by now it's clear the Badgers won't roll over in the second half of their schedule.

Schoville: Wisconsin 35, Nebraska 10

After a rough week Wisconsin comes back with renewed vigor and a new sense of what it’s going to take to get some success out of this season. And what better place to turn things around than Camp Randall after dark? This week we see the Badgers of old, running over defenses with an unrelenting ground game and a stifling defense that is barely letting the opposing offense cross the 50-yard line, other than a big play they let slip by for six. Corey Clement, Taiwan Deal and Dare Ogunbowale all end up with over 100 yards all-purpose and Bart Houston is forced to do little more than watch. He does manage a score of his own, however, finding Rob Wheelwright wide open on a flag route. This game is never really close, turning the competition into more of an evening social event for many in stands.

McNamara: Wisconsin 24, Northwestern 20

This wasn't the prettiest ball game in the world, but Wisconsin is able to escape Evanston with a big road win over Northwestern, 24-20. Both teams are sloppy in the first half with two turnovers a piece, but it's the Badgers who are able to right the ship in the fourth quarter. Led by senior running back Corey Clement, UW is able to find the end zone twice in the final 15 minutes of the game to edge the Wildcats.

Veldhuis: Wisconsin 20 Northwestern 17

Ryan Field has been a house of horrors for UW over the years, but the Badgers snapped a multi-year losing streak despite a late surge from the Cats, who scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter to make things interesting. But Wisconsin's offensive line helped UW control the clock and the game overall, as Corey Clement rushed for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Schoville: Wisconsin 17, Northwestern 13

With a big win versus Nebraska now in their rearview mirror, the Badgers set their sights on Northwestern, a team that stole a win out from under Wisconsin in their home of Madison last season. With heartbreak in their memories, UW comes ready to play. Quarterback Bart Houston leads a complete drive from the Badgers' own 27 that is sealed with a 13-yard strike to freshman wide receiver A.J. Taylor in the corner of the end zone. Northwestern answers the bell and it appears we are in for another tight one. The teams trade a few field goals and entering the fourth quarter, Northwestern is up, 13-10. The Badgers, though, will not be denied this time. Storming down the field with 1:45 on the clock, Wisconsin takes the win on a goal-line run by Alec Ingold and the Badgers get away with a win, 17-13.