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MADISON, Wis. - The No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) will head down to Champaign for a game against Illinois (2-5, 0-4) at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, looking to build upon their lead in the Big Ten West as they try and return to the Big Ten Championship Game.
Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CST, and the game is scheduled to air on ESPN. BadgerBlitz.com will be there to take in all of the action, and you cane make sure you're up to speed before the game with our Pre-Snap Read.
FIRST READ: Can Wisconsin's offense put together a more complete performance against Illinois?
To be frank, a ho-hum win over Illinois is not going to do the Badgers much good in the eyes of the College Football Playoff selection committee. On paper it looks like Illinois' defense shouldn't present much of a challenge to Wisconsin's offense, which means that they'll have a chance to get off to a good start - if they don't get in their own way with offensive penalties and turnovers. If they take care of the ball they should be fine, and it will open up opportunities for them to put up points early.
SECOND READ: How many reps do the Badgers give to Chikwe Obasih?
The Badgers upgraded senior defensive end Chikwe Obasih and took him off of the injury report for this week's game, but head coach Paul Chryst said that the Badgers will have to limit Obasih's reps early on as he gets back in to the flow of the game. Getting any reps for Obasih would be helpful for Wisconsin's defense, since they'll be without redshirt freshman defensive end Isaiahh Loudermilk this weekend.
THIRD READ: Can the Badgers get some of their young players in the game?
This is a game the Badgers should win relatively comfortably, which means that if they can build up a multiple-score lead in the second half it would be a good chance for them to get their younger players some reps - particularly backup quarterback Jack Coan. The more reps they can get him in a road game the better, and the same goes for the rest of their travel roster. If the Badgers can get a solid win and leave Illinois without any injuries and having gotten their younger players some more experience the Badgers will have accomplished what they needed to this weekend.
WEEKLY PODCAST
BADGERBLITZ.COM STAFF PREDICTIONS
John Veldhuis: Wisconsin 38, Illinois 10
(7-0 this season)
The Badgers are the more talented team on both sides of the ball, and if their offense can protect the football they should be able to manhandle the Fighting Illini on Saturday.
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.
