THE BASICS

The teams: The Wisconsin Badgers (8-4) vs the Arizona State Sun Devils (8-4)

The time: 9:30 p.m. CDT, Saturday

The place: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nev.

The TV coverage: ESPN with Beth Mowins and Kirk Morrison on the call, and Dawn Davenport on the sideline.

The last time: Arizona State won 32-30 in 2013 in a game that ended with much controversy.

The series: Arizona State leads 3-1

The line: Wisconsin -6

Injury report

QUESTIONABLE:
C Joe Tippmann
RT Logan Bruss (foot)

THE BREAKDOWN: 5 THINGS TO WATCH

1) One more time

Thursday will be the final game for a large senior class that includes quite a few multi-year starters and major contributors. Among them are linebacker Jack Sanborn, tight end Jake Ferguson, safety Scott Nelson, defensive end Matt Henningsen, wide receivers Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor, and cornerback Caesar Williams.

Following an ugly end to the regular season in Minnesota, the entire team seems motivated to end the season on a high note and send the senior class off right.

2) Speaking of motivation…

Wisconsin has plenty to prove to fans and itself after the debacle that was the loss to the Gophers and they seem to be approaching it as such. No players have opted out, no key contributors are in the transfer portal and the roster is relatively healthy.

Arizona State on the other hand comes in without its top two running backs (Rachad White, NFL Draft and Deamonte Trayanum, transfer portal), its second leading tackler (Darien Butler, NFL Draft) and two starting members of the secondary (Chase Lucas, NFL Draft, Jack Jones, NFL Draft). The Sun Devils will also be without starting center Dohnovan West, who earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors this season.

The matchup feels similar to the 2018 Pinstripe Bowl. Like this year, Wisconsin was coming off a loss to Minnesota and facing a team (Miami) that did not appear all that enthused to be playing. The Badgers won that 35-3 and would not mind a repeat performance Thursday night.

3) Good to go

It was clear in the Minnesota game that running back Braelon Allen was not close to 100 percent. Not to take anything away from the Gophers, but the explosiveness and power that Allen had shown in gaining 100 yards in seven straight games was missing.

However, after getting a month off with little to no contact, the true freshman figures to be eager to go against a Sun Devils defense that finished third in the Pac-12 against the rush but had trouble when facing the best rushing teams on their schedule. Arizona State played three top-20 rushing attacks — Wisconsin ranks 14th — this season and all three (Oregon State, UCLA, and Utah) ended up with more than 200 yards on the ground.

4) Defending Jayden Daniels

While the Sun Devils will be missing several key weapons on offense, quarterback Jayden Daniels will be under center. He came into the season with very high expectations and did not live up to them. He threw 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions and did not have more than 166 yards passing in the final four games of the season.

But the junior figures to provide a stiff test for Wisconsin’s defense because of his scrambling ability. He ran for 670 yards and six touchdowns, finishing second on the Sun Devils in both categories.

The Badgers struggled the last time they faced a mobile quarterback, allowing Nebraska’s Adrian Martinez to keep plays alive with his feet and throw for a season-high 351 yards. Wisconsin is going to have to be disciplined in their rush lanes and spy Daniels in an effort to keep him in the pocket and make him beat them with his arm.

5) Finish strong

Graham Mertz and Wisconsin’s passing game made significant strides in the final month of the season. After struggling early in the year, the sophomore quarterback played his best football in wins against Rutgers, Northwestern, and Nebraska. He completed 71.9% of his passes, tossing six touchdowns and two interceptions.

All that progress seemed to fade away in the loss at Minnesota, as Mertz averaged just 4.5 yards per completion and threw his 10th interception of the season. There were miscommunications with wide receivers and the offense failed to score a touchdown for the first time all year.

With Arizona State missing its top two corners, the Badgers should have an advantage on the outside with Davis and Pryor. Can Mertz finish the season strong or could another tough outing force Wisconsin to dip into the transfer portal for someone to compete for the starting job next season?

NUMBERS TO CONSIDER

— Wisconsin currently leads the country in total defense at 240.8 yards per game. The Badgers have not finished as the top defense in the nation since 1951 when they allowed a school record 154.8 yards per game.

— Paul Chryst is 5-1 in bowl games, with the lone loss coming in the 2020 Rose Bowl. Arizona State is 1-1 in bowl games with Herm Edwards as coach, including a loss in the 2018 Las Vegas Bowl to Fresno State.

— Wisconsin is 4-1-1 against the spread (ATS) in Chryst’s six bowl games but went just 6-6 ATS this season. Arizona State wasn’t any better, going 5-7 ATS.

ZONE PREDICTIONS

Zach Heilprin’s (8-4, 4-8 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 34, Arizona State 13
Ebo’s (8-4, 3-9 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 31, Arizona State 17
Nelson Raisbeck’s (7-5, 2-10 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 24, Arizona State 10
RJ Brachman’s (9-3-1, 4-7-1 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 31, Arizona State 17
Ben Kenney’s (8-4, 5-7 ATS) prediction: Wisconsin 31, Arizona State 7