How to Watch Oregon Ducks vs. Wisconsin Badgers: Preview, Prediction, TV Channel

EUGENE – The Oregon Ducks remain the No. 1 team in the country for the fourth straight week after a 39-18 home victory over the Maryland Terrapins. The Ducks only have two regular season games left before heading into the playoffs.

On Saturday, October 16, the Ducks will travel to Madison, Wisconsin for a game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. UO is one of four undefeated teams in the country, off to a 10-0 start for the third time in program history (2012, 2010). Oregon looks to stay undefeated and add another win to its record in Madison against the Badgers.

How to watch:

The No. 1 Oregon Ducks (10-0) will face the Wisconsin Badgers (5-4) on Saturday, October 16 at 4:30 p.m. PT. The game will air on NBC, with streaming available on Peacock, Fubo and YouTube TV.

Preview :

The Ducks enter Saturday’s game as 14-point favorites against the Badgers. Wisconsin holds a 5-4 overall record with losses to Alabama (42-10), USC (38-21), Penn State (28-13) and Iowa (42-10).

Saturday will mark the seventh all-time meeting between Oregon and Wisconsin. The series currently has three wins each; However, the Ducks have won three straight against the Badgers, including victories in the 2020 and 2012 Rose Bowls.

The Ducks enter Saturday’s game off a historic performance from starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who now holds the NCAA record for total touchdowns. In Oregon’s win over Maryland, Gabriel threw three touchdowns, giving him a career total of 180 touchdowns, passing Case Keenum’s 178 for the FBS record. Gabriel tied the record with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Ferguson late in the first half, and he made history in the third quarter with a three-yard touchdown pass to lineman Genorris Wilson. Gabriel is poised to break another record as he is just eight touchdown passes away from breaking Keenum’s all-time record for touchdown passes (155). Gabriel currently has 147 in his career.

Defensively, the Ducks are ranked 9th nationally in defensive scoring, allowing just 16 points per game and holding opponents to under 20 points in eight different games this season.

Despite their success on offense and defense, there are still plenty of mistakes to correct if the Ducks are to have a chance at winning the program’s first-ever national championship. Against the Terrapins, the Ducks committed 12 penalties for a season-high 95 yards, something Oregon coach Dan Lanning needs his team to clean up as they take on Wisconsin on the road.

“Yes, some of them were justified, of course, and I wouldn’t say there were some more egregious ones that were missed,” Lanning said. “There’s reason we can improve our technique. There’s execution we can do better. And, you know, again, Wednesday last week, we had some in practice, so that usually shows up in the game so we have to do a good job of addressing that and making sure we eliminate them.”

To be successful at Camp Randall and avoid an upset on Saturday, the Ducks need to play cleaner than they did against Maryland.

Even if Wisconsin’s record doesn’t show it, the Badgers have one of the most dominant secondaries in the conference.

“I think it’s one of the most talented secondaries we’ve seen,” Lanning said.

Wisconsin’s secondary is led by corner Ricardo Hallman. The 5-foot-10 junior from Miami, Fla., has eight solo tackles and four pass deflections this season. Last season as a sophomore, Hallman threw seven interceptions, including one for a touchdown. Hallman’s success in the secondary has led opposing offenses to rely on their second receiver as offensive coordinators look to avoid throwing the ball in Hallman’s direction.

“Yeah, I think it’s probably smart, right, as a football coach, to not throw to a guy who’s going to make a lot of plays with the ball. I mean, how many pick he had last year? Seven? You know, the guy had seven picks last year, and, you know, why not throw it the other way? “That being said, you know, I think it’s a lot harder for a defense any time you can work all over the field. There’s a reason why people don’t test it, you know. It’s because he’s a talented player.”

Offensively, the Badgers are led by second-year starting quarterback Braedyn Locke. Locke has totaled 1,418 yards and eight touchdowns this season and is protected by a large and very physical offensive line.

“Yeah, I mean, they’re big, right? It’s one of those cases where you look at them and you’re like, okay, that’s what an offensive line is supposed to do They have great size up front, they have the ability to move you around, you know, but when you look at it, you’re like, okay, this is what a Wisconsin offensive line looks like. Lanning before the match.

A win against Wisconsin would make the Ducks 11-0 for just the second time in program history, joining the 2010 team. A win would also improve Oregon to 10-1 all-time when it is ranked #1 in the country.

Prediction: The Wisconsin Badgers are undoubtedly a talented team capable of creating high-pressure situations in crucial moments. The No. 1 Ducks have had issues with penalties recently, something Wisconsin could capitalize on if the Ducks have a performance similar to the one against Maryland. However, despite Oregon’s recent struggles with penalties, Oregon has proven week after week why it is the No. 1 program in college football, and the program’s undefeated season won’t end at Camp Randall.

Score prediction: Oregon 31, Wisconsin 17