All eyes will be on Camp Randall this weekend in a prime time game, with College Gameday on hand, and UW facing a top-ranked opponent in a key Big Ten October matchup.

Sound familiar?

It should, because there are many aspects that parallel this weekend’s matchup between Wisconsin and Nebraska with last season’s game against Ohio State. Nebraska doesn’t hold a number one ranking like the Buckeyes did, but the game has just as much, if not more, hype than last year’s game.

With all the comparisons and parallels that can be drawn between the two games, there’s one major difference: the Badgers are the favorites this year. Wisconsin has been favored by as much as nine points, which is a hefty amount for what will most likely be its biggest test of the season.

The Badgers aren’t used to playing the role of the favorites. Last year’s late October battle with Ohio State was a “coming out” party for the Badgers. With the nation watching, it was their chance to show they were legitimate Big Ten contenders that could win crucial games. Coming off a disappointing loss to Michigan State on the road, Wisconsin faced what would be the defining game of its season. Unlike recent UW teams, it chose not to falter again to a top Big Ten opponent and be satisfied with another average bowl game. Last year’s Badgers team showed they were special, as they defied recent history with their 31-18 victory over the Buckeyes. The game set the tone for the remainder of the Badger’s season all the way to Pasadena.

This weekend Madison prepares itself for as many as 20,000 Nebraska fans donning their favorite black Cornhusker gear. The cheapest tickets sold on the secondary market have been going for over $200. Everyone expects a great game, but does the contest between the Badgers and Cornhuskers match the hype that’s been building for months? Maybe, but it seems that’s not necessarily the case.

The Big Ten season will look different this year with twelve teams, two divisions, and a conference title game. Nebraska is in the Legends Division of the Big Ten, while the Badgers play in the Leaders Division. In order to earn the right to play in the Big Ten Championship game, it’s only necessary for a school to win its respected division. It would appear Wisconsin’s biggest threat in the Leaders Division would be the Ohio State Buckeyes, who play UW in Columbus on October 29. That matchup is probably the most important game of the season for the Badgers, if their goal is to make it to the Big Ten Championship game. From this perspective, the Ohio State game is much more important than this weekend’s highly anticipated matchup with Nebraska.

Although it seems the Ohio State game may be more important, the Nebraska game has much more implications than most would expect.

You can ignore the fact that if the Badgers lose this game, their national title hopes are essentially gone. You can ignore that fact that if the Badgers lose, their swagger and confidence will greatly diminish. You can ignore the fact that this game will very likely set the tone for the rest of Wisconsin’s season. You can ignore the fact that that if the Badgers lose, Russell Wilson’s shot a winning the Heisman is practically over.

If you put all that by the wayside, there’s still a reason why Wisconsin desperately needs to win this football game: for the future of its program and the Big Ten.

The downfall of the Ohio State and Michigan football programs in recent years has opened the door for other schools in the Big Ten to fill the void of the elite programs in the conference. Michigan hasn’t had the same type of success its accustomed to since Lloyd Carr retired, and Ohio State’s recent scandal has left them scrambling to rebuild its image. The Big Ten has never been so open or ready for a new school to emerge as the face of the conference, and Wisconsin looks to be the perfect school to fill that role.

Coming off a Rose Bowl appearance, many experts wondered if last season was a one-year fluke for the Badgers. They were questioning if Wisconsin would be able to realistically contend for a conference title every year, or if it’d return to being the third or fourth best team in the conference that was content with a trip to the Capital One or Outback Bowl each season. Last year was an impressive season for UW, who made its first Rose Bowl appearance since 2000. But as head coach Bret Bielema said last year, ten years is too long between Rose Bowl appearances.

It’s time for Wisconsin to show it can consistently contend and win the big games. In 2008 they lost three key games against ranked opponents, and in 2009 lost its most important games of the year against Ohio State (#9) and Iowa (#11). It’s been a recent trend for the Badgers to win their games against easier conference foes, but falter in the games where the stakes are higher. The game against Nebraska gives Wisconsin another opportunity to show it can perform well when the lights are at their brightest. UW beat Ohio State and Iowa in consecutive weeks last season, but they also squandered away a game at Michigan State. Nobody expects Wisconsin to win all of its matchups against top ranked opponents, but the Badgers need to prove they can win the majority of their tough tests. This is especially the case when they’re favorites to win a game at the raucous Camp Randall Stadium.

It would also be a travesty for the newest member of the Big Ten to defeat the favorite to win the conference in its first Big Ten contest. Nebraska’s toughest remaining games are both at home against Ohio State and Michigan State, so if the Cornhuskers knock off the Badgers, the conference would be theirs to lose. The national media would love to use the success of a new team to once again showcase the weakness of Big Ten football, which is not what Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany envisioned when he got Nebraska to join the conference.

The outcome of Saturday night’s game will have a significant impact on determining the future perception of Wisconsin football and restructuring the hierarchy of the Big Ten. It’s Bret Bielema’s time to show his Wisconsin Badgers can truly “jump around” with the best schools in college football.