Top 5 matchups for Week 12 of the 2024 college football season

5. No. 1 Oregon at Wisconsin – Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC

Oregon and Wisconsin will play as Big Ten opponents for the first time on Saturday night, adding to an intriguing six-game history. The teams first faced off in back-to-back years in 1977 and 1978 and again in 2000, with the Badgers winning all three matchups. Oregon has won the last three contests, including a pair of dramatic Rose Bowl victories in 2012 and 2020.

Five of the six contests between the Badgers and Ducks have been decided by a touchdown or less, but top-ranked Oregon enters the first matchup between the teams in Madison in 24 years as two-touchdown favorites. The 10-0 Ducks have been incredibly impressive no matter where they have played, winning seven of their last eight matchups by 21 points or more, with the only close game during that stretch coming in a big win over Ohio State. The Ducks have been boosted by the 11th-ranked total offense in the country and the 15th-best passing attack led by senior signal caller Dillon Gabriel.

Dan Lanning’s top-10 defense has also been impressive and will provide a stiff test for a Badgers offense that has struggled with similarly tough defenses in recent weeks against Iowa and Penn State. Luke Fickell’s squad was trending up at 5-2 before those defeats and held a lead at halftime against the Nittany Lions, but the 42-10 road loss to Iowa exposed a lot of flaws. Wisconsin has a top-30 total defense in the country, but sophomore quarterback Braedyn Locke and the Badgers offense may need to put together a season-best effort to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the year.