MADISON — Wisconsin suddenly finds itself in a bind for bowl eligibility, as the Badgers must win one of two games down the stretch to continue the program's historic postseason streak.

As Wisconsin looks to topple Nebraska for the 10th straight time, what are the hottest questions surrounding the football program?

It's a brutal question to ask, but this is where we're at. After coming out completely flat the past two games, Wisconsin is faced with questions about its grit, fight and will to win.

The Badgers simply looked like they didn't want to be there against Northwestern. Wisconsin went down 24-3 in the first half, and didn't make a dent in the deficit until the final, meaningless drive. It was the kind of performance that begs questions about the team's culture, buy-in and competitive spirit.

All three were called into question after the loss.

"There's gonna be some weeding out," safety Hunter Wohler said.

"I wanna know who has a big give-a-shit factor in this program," quarterback Tanner Mordecai said.

The same sentiment was echoed by many of the players, and it's beyond warranted. Wisconsin football isn't where it would like to be through 10 games. But should it beat an Indiana team that was previously winless in conference play and a Northwestern team that went through an absurd amount of turmoil this offseason? Why, yes, yes it should.

The Badgers should know how dire the circumstances are. Heck, everyone that isn't a true freshman or a transfer went through the very same situation a season ago. 5-5, with games against Nebraska and Minnesota remaining. One win needed to ensure bowl eligibility. Stressful times in Madison, and not for any of the reasons the fanbase had hoped.

When a football team not only wants, but needs to win a game, you can see it clear as day on the field. We haven't seen that from the Badgers since the comeback against Illinois. The only acceptable response from this team after the embarrassing disappointment of the past two weeks is to come out guns blazing, with hearts on sleeves and no regard for anything besides the final score. That's how Wisconsin can win back the trust of its fans and finish the season on a high note.

It's been an intriguing season for Huskers' first-year head coach Matt Rhule. He has them at five wins, a mark they haven't hit since 2019. Immediately, that's a win. Now, can he take them to a bowl game, a milestone they haven't hit since 2016? That's the bigger question.

But most surprisingly of all is where Rhule has the Huskers' defense. They're elite in several categories, most notably run defense — their 79.6 yards-per-game allowed on the ground is third in the entire country. They also boast a top-20 unit in terms of scoring defense, total defense and sacks-per-game.

Every metric for this game screams at the Badgers to air it out. It's not like Wisconsin's run game has been formidable in recent weeks, especially with a distinct lack of Braelon Allen. There's very little reason to have confidence in the Badgers' ability to run the football Saturday night, and so it's extremely likely that this game falls upon the right arm of Mordecai.

Still, Wisconsin hasn't proven that in can win with a one-dimensional offense. Realistically, if the Badgers want to win, they'll need to be able to move the football both through the air and ground.

The Badgers have played two of the top three scoring defenses in the nation in Ohio State and Iowa. They've totaled 16 points in those two contests. Nebraska checks in at 18 in that category; can Wisconsin flip the script?

The Badgers continue to shuffle players with reckless abandon on both sides of the football. The staff has clearly recognized that the same old broken record isn't working; changes must be made, both schematically and personnel-wise.

Against Northwestern, the big story on offense was the emergence of wide receiver Vinny Anthony. He reeled in a 35-yard catch on the first drive of the game and finished with a career-high three catches for 47 yards. After slowly getting more and more involved in recent weeks, both on special teams as a kick returner and on the offense as a gadget player, Anthony got his shot at a full-time role and looked plenty qualified.

Now, the question becomes who else will emerge for the Badgers in the final two weeks of the season? For the staff, there's a balance between knowing Wisconsin needs to win at least one game to become bowl eligible and experimenting with different players who haven't gotten as many snaps.

The same question arises on the defensive side of the ball. True freshman inside linebacker Christian Alliegro has seen some action in recent weeks and he logged his first career sack against Northwestern; will the staff continue to take an extended look at him?

Austin Brown is another potential breakout candidate late in the season. In this week's depth chart, he leapfrogged Kamo'i Latu as the starting free safety, albeit with an "OR" designation. Does his role expand against Nebraska, and how does Mike Tressel use him?

Expect the Badgers to continue digging deep into their bag as they search for answers on both sides of the ball. From a personnel standpoint, expect the unexpected.

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