When big sporting events approach there is no shortage of prop bets to keep fans interested in the games within the games. How long will a rendition of our national anthem last? What is the over/under on the number of completions "Quarterback X" will make?

With that idea in mind, Brian Bennett and Jesse Temple share their opinions all week on the Big Ten blog about various over/under marks they've set in anticipation of the 2016 season. In today's Take Two, they look at the potential rushing output for Wisconsin Badgers tailback Corey Clement.

Over/under on Clement's rushing total: 1,400 yards

Brian Bennett: Under

I bought in when Clement confidently set his goal at “no less than 2,000 yards” last summer. He looked bound for superstardom after a standout season as Melvin Gordon's understudy. But, of course, injuries and off-the-field issues wrecked his 2015 campaign.

Clement is back now, evidently healthy and ready to run behind a more experienced offensive line. So those high ambitions going into last season should seem to follow. Yet 1,400 yards is a big number, even in Wisconsin’s tailback-friendly offense. Only two Big Ten players -- Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott and Northwestern’s Justin Jackson -- cleared that hurdle last year, and Jackson needed 312 carries to barely make it. Clement also has some competition, after Dare Ogunbowale turned in a solid season as the main back and with sophomore Taiwan Deal and redshirt freshman Bradrick Shaw pushing for time. Clement is probably still the most talented back on the roster and the best bet to lead the Badgers in carries, but one sprained ankle or off-the-field problem can slow any player off the pace needed to get to 1,400.

And then there’s the schedule, as Wisconsin will face a slew of excellent defenses: LSU, Michigan State, Ohio State, Michigan, Iowa and Northwestern. There could be some long afternoons for Badgers ball-carriers this fall, not to mention the physical toll that schedule will take. A healthy, fully-engaged Clement could win the league rushing title and become the next great Wisconsin runner in a long line of them. I’m rooting for him to make that happen. But I’ll take the safer pick and hope to be pleasantly surprised.

Jesse Temple: Over

This is one of the more intriguing debate topics because nobody really knows what's in store for Clement and Wisconsin's offense. The offensive line is much improved and should be able to generate a greater push than last season. Goodbye, four first-time starters on the line. Hello, experience. Plus, Clement enters the season fully healthy following that disappointing 2015 campaign.

Those two intersecting circumstances lead me to believe Clement is in for a special senior year. I certainly understand Brian's points about the depth in Wisconsin's backfield and the difficult schedule. To address the first issue: Clement will be the primary ball carrier, so he's going to get his chances to produce special plays. Just look at the bowl game against USC, when he was actually healthy. He carried 19 times, Dare Ogunbowale carried 13 times and Taiwan Deal carried only twice. I'd expect Clement to average 20-plus carries this season. Over 13 games (including a bowl), he'd need to average around 107.7 yards rushing per game. It's a tall ask, but it's definitely doable, particularly if he can gouge bad defenses for 175 or 200 yards.

As for the schedule, that's a real concern. If Wisconsin falls behind, the Badgers may be forced to air it out and abandon some of the running game. At the same time, Wisconsin is still trying to determine how effective its starting quarterback can be, and that could make Clement more valuable as a runner than he already is. The defense is good enough to keep games close as well.

Here's one last nugget I think is interesting as it pertains to the Badgers' ground game. From 2011 to 2014, Wisconsin's leading rusher averaged an insane 1,997.5 yards rushing per season. Now, that includes Melvin Gordon's amazing 2,587-yard season in 2014. But the worst season in that stretch was Gordon's 1,650-yard output in 2013. Montee Ball rushed for 1,923 yards as a Heisman Finalist in 2011 and 1,830 yards as the Doak Walker Award winner in 2012.

Clement has yet to prove he is as good of a college tailback as either of those players, but don't forget he rushed for 949 yards as a sophomore in 2014 as Gordon's backup. Yes, Wisconsin finished last season without a 1,000-yard rusher for the first time since 2004. Still, there is little doubt Clement would have eclipsed that mark if he'd been able to play. This program has a tradition of producing monster seasons from its tailbacks, and Clement's prodigious talent makes him an easy candidate to replicate some of that success.