No. 1 Oregon, Wisconsin have gone in different directions since their last matchup

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — When Oregon and Wisconsin last faced off in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day of 2020, the two programs legitimately could have considered themselves on equal footing.

They’ve gone in different directions ever since as they prepare to meet again Saturday night as conference rivals. No. 1 Oregon (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten, No. 1 College Football Playoff ) seems headed toward a playoff berth, while Wisconsin (5-4, 3-3) is merely attempting to have a winning season.

A victory at Camp Randall Stadium would make Oregon 11-0 for the first time since 2010, when the Ducks went on to lose to Cam Newton and Auburn in the BCS championship game. In its first year as a Big Ten member, Oregon already has gotten the hang of these Midwest trips with a 35-0 victory at Purdue and a 38-17 triumph at Michigan.

“Our guys are enjoying the work,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “We’re still having a lot of fun coming up here every single day to get better and find ways to improve. And the challenge of this new conference and the travel and some of the teams we have to play has been a lot of fun for us, but we got more work to do.”

Much has changed since Oregon capped that 2019 season with a 28-27 Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin.

Oregon went a combined 21-6 and Wisconsin was 18-9 from 2018-19. Wisconsin earned double-digit wins five times in a six-year stretch from 2014-19.

But in the five seasons since that Rose Bowl game, Oregon has gone 46-12 while Wisconsin is just 32-23. Oregon has won its 10 games this season by an average margin of 19.7 points, while Wisconsin has lost it last two games by a combined 47 points.

Wisconsin is a 14-point underdog Saturday, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. The Badgers have gone 2-14 in their last 16 games against Top 25 teams, including an 0-5 mark under second-year coach Luke Fickell.

“We have nothing to lose,” Wisconsin safety Hunter Wohler said. “Really no one expects us to win this game or have a chance. So why not just go out there and play? We have no pressure on us. At this point in the season, we’ve got three games left to just go out and do whatever we can to win.”

Record-setting QB

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel has been responsible for an NCAA-record 180 touchdowns (147 passing, 32 rushing, 1 receiving) during a career that also included stops at UCF (2019-21) and Oklahoma (2022-23). Gabriel broke the record by throwing three touchdown passes Saturday in a 39-18 victory over Maryland.

The record previously was held by Case Keenum, who was responsible for 178 touchdowns (155 passing, 23 rushing) while playing at Houston from 2007-11.

Gabriel has completed 74.1% of his passes this season to lead all Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks. He has thrown 22 touchdown passes with five interceptions.

Another top-five opponent

Saturday will mark the third time this season that Wisconsin has hosted a team ranked in the top five. The Badgers lost to then-No. 4 Alabama 42-10 on Sept. 14 and fell to then-No. 3 Penn State 28-13 on Oct. 26.

Struggling Locke

Wisconsin quarterback Braedyn Locke has thrown three interceptions with only one touchdown pass during the Badgers’ two-game skid. He has completed 56.8% of his passes with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions since taking over for Tyler Van Dyke, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament against Alabama.

Balanced Ducks

Oregon is ranked ninth among all FBS teams in total defense and 11th in total offense. The only other teams to be ranked in the top 15 in both categories are No. 2 Ohio State (15th in total offense, 1st in total defense, 2nd in CFP), No. 3 Texas (9th in total offense, 2nd in total defense, 3rd in CFP) and No. 6 Tennessee (8th in total offense, 5th in total defense, 7th in CFP).

Wisconsin’s bowl streak

Wisconsin is one win away from becoming bowl eligible and two victories away from clinching a winning season. The Badgers have gone to a bowl game and have posted a winning record each of the last 22 seasons.

Wisconsin has the longest active streak of winning seasons for any Power Four program. The Badgers have the third-longest active bowl streak of any FBS team. Georgia will make its 27th straight bowl appearance this year. Oklahoma has played in a bowl game each of the last 24 seasons.

The Badgers follow up the Oregon game by visiting Nebraska (5-4, 2-4) and hosting Minnesota (6-4, 4-3).

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AP Sports Writer Anne M. Peterson contributed to this report.

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