Fifth Quarter Consensus: Badgers run wild over Rebels

by Jake Harris on Sep 3, 2010 2:14 PM CDT in Wisconsin Badgers Football

The Predictions:

Adam Hoge: Wisconsin 41-13

Jake Harris: Wisconsin 31-20

Adam Tupitza: Wisconsin 31-16

John Veldhuis: Wisconsin 35-10

Wild Card Pick: Jeremy Mauss (Mountain West Connection): Wisconsin 41-17

The Reasoning:

The Badgers begin what many fans hope will be a special season in the desert against a shaky UNLV team. The Runnin' Rebels went 5-7 a year ago and subsequently fired their head coach, Mike Sanford. Bobby Hauck takes over after leading Montana to a 80-17 record in seven seasons.

The Rebels struggled against the run last year, giving up over 220 yards per game on the ground. That is good news for Wisconsin, which boasts three strong running backs, led by Heisman dark horse John Clay, and one of the nation's best offensive lines.

Expect the Badgers to use all three running backs, build an early lead and then protect their starters from injury. History suggests this game could be closer than it should be. Wisconsin needed a late touchdown from Tyler Donovan to win by seven in Las Vegas in 2007. The Badgers' struggles on the road subsided a bit last year but have been well documented during the Bielema era. Furthermore, the game begins at 10 p.m. Central time, which means it will feel like playing in the middle of the night for Wisconsin's players.

Still, if Wisconsin is truly a great team this year, as players, coaches and fans believe, this win will be convincing. Expect the Badgers to emerge from Sin City a very confident 1-0.

Who has the edge?

Offense: Wisconsin

Defense: Wisconsin

Special Teams: Wisconsin

Coaching: Wisconsin

Intangibles: Wisconsin

-Jake Harris

Poll

The Badgers (and thousands of their fans) are in Vegas.

Wisconsin by 0-9

10 votes

Wisconsin by 10 or more

165 votes

UNLV by 0-9

2 votes

UNLV by 10 or more

6 votes

183 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Scarily enough, that 5-7 record was the best UNLV had under Sanford.

They almost upset Oregon State at home, too.

I can’t and won’t sleep on this game, but I do expect Wisconsin to run away with it.

Oh no, don't tell me Matt Barkley ALSO doesn't tie his shoes...
September 1st, 2010. A day that shall live in infamy.
"Because one of the great minds of the 21st century is raising glow-in-the-dark fish and weaving serapes..." -Leonard Hofstadter from The Big Bang Theory

by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Sep 3, 2010 2:26 PM CDT reply actions

Woops

I chose the wrong one, mean to pick Wisconsin by 10 or more, and picked UNLV instead.

by jolly rancher on Sep 3, 2010 4:05 PM CDT reply actions

What time does the GameThread kick off?

Big Ten Standings: Penn State 1-0, Iowa 1-0, Indiana 1-0, Ohio State 1-0, Michigan 1-0, Michigan State 1-0, Illinois 0-1, Purdue 0-1
"Because one of the great minds of the 21st century is raising glow-in-the-dark fish and weaving serapes..." -Leonard Hofstadter from The Big Bang Theory

by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Sep 4, 2010 7:49 PM CDT reply actions

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Badgers Football Schedule

UNLV	Thu 09/01	W 51 - 17
Oregon St. Building The Dam	Sat 09/10	W 35 - 0
@ Northern Illinois Red And Black Attack	Sat 09/17	W 49 - 7
South Dakota Coyotes	Sat 09/24	W 59 - 10
Nebraska Corn Nation	Sat 10/01	W 48 - 17
Indiana The Crimson Quarry	Sat 10/15	W 59 - 7
@ Michigan St. The Only Colors	Sat 10/22	L 31 - 37
@ Ohio St. Along The Olentangy	Sat 10/29	L 29 - 33
Purdue Hammer and Rails	Sat 11/05	W 62 - 17
@ Minnesota The Daily Gopher	Sat 11/12	W 42 - 13
@ Illinois Hail to the Orange	Sat 11/19	W 28 - 17
Penn St. Black Shoe Diaries	Sat 11/26	W 45 - 7
@ Michigan St. The Only Colors	Sat 12/03	W 42 - 39
@ Oregon Addicted To Quack	Mon 01/02	L 38 - 45