BadgerBlitz.com's weekly feature, "The 3 Cs," returns for the 2024 season. The staff takes a look at one thing we're curious, confident and concerned about heading into Wisconsin's Week 12 showdown with Oregon.

Staff writers Seamus Rohrer and Donnie Slusher each give their thoughts on the aforementioned topics for this week's contest.

ROHRER: I'm curious to see what personnel changes have been made coming off a bye week.

There's a few I see coming: Christian Alliegro taking starter-level snaps at inside linebacker, for instance. That's one head coach Luke Fickell all but confirmed. But what about some other young players?

Is Xavier Lucas healthy? If he is, it would be a curious call not to deploy him as the Badgers will need all hands on deck in the secondary against the Ducks' prolific passing attack. Will Darrion Dupree see more touches? The veteran Tawee Walker remains the best all-around back, but Dupree has shown some burst and wiggle, and he still feels like an underutilized part of this offense. How about Trech Kekahuna, who's been nearly silent since his 134-yard showing against Purdue six weeks ago?

Wisconsin has done a solid job attracting high-level talent under Fickell. But what good does that do if said high-level talent wastes away on the bench?

SLUSHER: I’m curious to see if the Badgers will take more chances and actually play like they have nothing to lose.

This is a David vs. Goliath game; even more-so than their previous matchups against top-three opponents (Alabama and Penn State).

In those games, Wisconsin seemed to play as if they were trying not to lose. Ahead of another big game, the Badgers must ask themselves, what do they have to lose?

The only real thing they still have to gain this season is a bowl berth, and they have a much better shot at that against Nebraska or Minnesota.

There’s no reason why they shouldn’t take some extra deep shots or send extra blitzers at quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

The No. 1 team in the country is coming to Camp Randall on Saturday. To them, Wisconsin is just another fly on their windshield, on the road to a championship.

So, I’ll ask again, what do the Badgers have to lose?

ROHRER: I'm confident the Badgers won't win this game unless they set a new season-high in sacks.

Wisconsin has logged three sacks in two games this season: South Dakota and Purdue. It hasn't topped that number. The Badgers have just two sacks over their past two games. The pass rush has been extremely tepid.

If Wisconsin can't find a way to put any pressure on Gabriel, it can kiss its already slim chances of pulling an upset goodbye. That will be easier said than done, of course, as Gabriel has taken just two sacks over his past eight games. After allowing seven sacks through the first two games, the Ducks' offensive line has tightened up its pass-protection significantly.

Wisconsin's best bet is probably to go after right tackle Ajani Cornelius. He's given up 15 total pressures this fall, the most on Oregon's offensive front. The Badgers' pass-rushers simply have to play some of the best football we've seen from them or Gabriel will pick Wisconsin's secondary apart.

SLUSHER: I’m confident that Wisconsin will have to rip off a few explosive plays if it wants to stay in the game.

This Oregon offense is one of the most explosive offenses in the country, led by a Heisman candidate in Gabriel, who has at least one 40+ yard completion in seven of 10 games this season.

The Badgers have done a great job of limiting big gains this season — only allowing two plays of 40+ yards, tied with Ohio State for lowest in the country — but it’s hard to imagine that this Oregon offense won’t rip off at least a couple big plays.

If and when that happens, the Badgers need to be ready to respond with some firepower of their own.

Their premier big play threat, receiver Vinny Anthony, has four 40+ yard receptions this season but hasn’t caught one since the Rutgers game, which was also the last time Locke completed a 40+ yard pass.

Ultimately, the Badgers can’t win by being slow and methodical on every drive. Oregon’s front will wear out the offensive line.

If they want a chance to pull off an upset, it’s gonna take a few miracles through the air.

ROHRER: I'm concerned that the Badgers will get out-classed in primetime for the third straight week.

There's plenty of in-game matchups that concern me, but I'm thinking bigger picture here. It will be extremely difficult to sell hope to this fanbase if Wisconsin gets pummeled in primetime yet again. I know this is the No. 1 team in the nation, but as I wrote earlier in the week, it becomes about pride at some point. The Badgers must at least play with heart and intensity Saturday night, even if they lose a lopsided game. Another dreadfully lackluster performance like two weeks ago in Iowa City would put this program in a dark place.

Vegas seems to think the Badgers will hang around, with the betting line currently at Oregon -14. That's awfully generous to Wisconsin in my eyes.

Will this be a four-quarter game? Probably not. Will this at least be a two-and-a-half to three-quarter game? For the sake of the program, it better be.

SLUSHER: I’m concerned that, if the Ducks take an early lead, the Badgers will flounder in the second half once again.

In all of Wisconsin’s four games against ranked opponents this season (all losses), a theme has emerged. In those four losses, their first half point differential is -15, but in the second half, that number drops to -88.

After the Penn State loss, Fickell pointed to the team’s general lack of depth as a possible reason for their late game erosion.

“Maybe, at the end of the game, we were a little bit worn down, defensively. And I think that, in the long run, cost us. So that's one of those things we've talked about; we have to play more guys,” Fickell said.

However, in his first press conference since the Iowa loss, Fickell hinted that their second half meltdowns could be the result of deeper issues.

“There's things we have to handle better, whether it's environments, and then really [it’s] the ability to make some adjustments and come out the second half and be who we really are. I know we haven't had a chance to talk since then, but that's probably the thing that, of anything, that you look back at and say [about] the second half was we didn't show who we are,” Fickell said Monday.

Against such an explosive team like Oregon, that could demoralize the entire stadium with one 50-yard bomb, it’ll be imperative for the Badgers to maintain mental fortitude for the full 60 minutes.

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