Image via Wikipedia

“SIX STATS…” is a bonus feature of Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ and is published every Friday.

Two Top 10 college teams face off Saturday as the Nebraska Cornhuskers (ranked 8th) play their very first Big Ten Conference game this Saturday against Wisconsin (ranked 7th). Here’s a look at the previous match-ups between the two teams.

1. Wisconsin and Nebraska have faced each other five times previous to Saturday. Nebraska holds the edge with three wins and two losses. The Cornhuskers have played 146 games against Big Ten opponents compiling a 74-64-8 record. They are 43-21-4 at home, 4-1 at neutral sites and 27-42-4 in away games. They are 8-1 in their last nine games against Big Ten teams.

2. The very first game played between Wisconsin and Nebraska was on November 2, 1901. The game was played in Milwaukee. Wisconsin won 18-0. The Badgers went on the finish 9-0 that season, the first time they went undefeated in a season in school history. Touchdowns scored in games in 1901 accounted for only five points; the Badgers scored three touchdowns and had three extra points (called goals) in the game.

3. Nebraska won the second match-up 37-0 in a game October 9, 1965 in Lincoln, Neb. The Cornhuskers were ranked number one going in to the game; they finished ranked second in the nation that season after a Cotton Bowl loss to Alabama. The Badgers finished 2-7-1 that season.

4. Wisconsin hosted Nebraska the following year in Madison. The Cornhuskers, ranked number seven coming in to the game, prevailed again, this time by a score of 31-3. One of the interceptions in that game was made by a Nebraska linebacker named Barry Alvarez… yes, that same Barry Alvarez!

5. On September 23, 1973 the two teams played for the fourth time. Nebraska was ranked number two in the nation, but the Badgers gave them all they could handle. Nebraska won the game 20-16. The Badgers that season ended up 4-7; they lost their first three games that year by a total of eight points.

6. The last time the two teams met was Sept. 21, 1974 in Madison, a date many Badgers fans remember. Wisconsin won the game 21-20 over the fourth-ranked Cornhuskers. Nebraska ended the season 9-3, while the Badgers ended 7-4. Wisconsin was ranked number 11 in the polls after their upset win over Nebraska, but they lost their next game to Colorado 24-21. The 7-4 record for the Badgers was their first winning season since 1962.