Wisconsin and Nebraska meet for Freedom Trophy: 3 keys and prediction

The Badgers have beaten the Cornhuskers 10 straight times.

Nov 18, 2023; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; The Wisconsin Badgers celebrate with the Freedom Trophy following the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Wisconsin football team travels to Lincoln, Neb., for a pivotal matchup this week against Nebraska. The Badgers have won 10 straight games between the programs, but there are three keys for them to keep the streak going on Saturday.

Can Braedyn Locke play turnover-free?

Locke has made seven straight starts for Wisconsin at quarterback since Tyler Van Dyke went down with a season-ending knee injury against Alabama. He has thrown an interception in every single one of those games. The Badgers have shown they can overcome those mistakes, as they had zero trouble beating Purdue, Rutgers and Northwestern, but if Locke is able to play mistake-free against Nebraska, Wisconsin's chances of winning would increase dramatically.

Force Dylan Raiola to throw

True freshman Dylan Raiola has attempted more than 30 passes four times this season, and Nebraska has lost all four of those games. The only loss that saw him attempt fewer than 30 passes was a 27-20 defeat to UCLA. Raiola has shown flashes of brilliance this season, but much like Locke, he has struggled with interceptions. The turnover battle will loom large in this matchup, and if Wisconsin is able to force Raiola into making a mistake, it could be a big swing of momentum.

Get back to the basics offensively

After Wisconsin fired offensive coordinator Phil Longo, there are some questions about who will call offensive plays this week. Rumors point toward tight ends coach Nate Letton possibly being the guy, but head coach Luke Fickell does not want to announce their plans. Whoever is calling plays needs to get back to old-school Badgers football and lean on the run and play-action passes.

Prediction

There is a lot of pressure on both of these programs and head coaches to pick up their elusive sixth win to officially attain bowl eligibility. Both teams have tricky rivalry games six days after this one, adding more pressure to Saturday afternoon's contest. I think Raiola and the Nebraska offense make one more play than Wisconsin and sneak by in a closely-contested, old-school Big Ten West matchup.

• Score: Nebraska 21, Wisconsin 20