Pre-Snap Read: What do the Badgers need to do to beat Penn State?

The Wisconsin Badgers (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) are back on the road on Saturday to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions (6-3, 3-3) at Beaver Stadium in State College, looking to keep their hopes of winning the Big Ten West alive. BadgerBlitz.com's three keys to the game are included below, along with our staff predictions for the game.

In the end it will not matter who is under center for the Badgers this weekend if Wisconsin's offensive line cannot hold up in pass protection against Penn State's defensive line. The Nittany Lions have four defensive linemen who have at least six tackles for loss already this season, with sophomore Yetur Gross-Matos leading the way with 13.5 - which is tied for second-most in the Big Ten. The good news for the Badgers is that their offensive line has held up well in pass protection overall this season - they have only allowed 13 sacks this season, and all five of their starters have received good grades from Pro Football Focus in pass protection through nine games. The Badgers will need that trend to continue this week, or else Alex Hornibrook or Jack Coan will have a much harder time moving the ball through the air when they need to this weekend.

Penn State's offense can still be an explosive unit, in part because quarterback Trace McSorley is still in town to make big plays. But they lack the experienced playmakers on the edges that made them particularly dangerous over the last two years - and their new group of receivers haven't helped McSorley consistently make plays because of some drop issues. But the Nittany Lions aren't lacking in raw talent, and their new slot receiver K.J. Hamler can cause problems when he can get a step on a defender. The pressure will be on Wisconsin's young secondary to keep Penn State's receivers in check, or else they will make it hard for their inconsistent offense to keep up for four quarters.

Even if Penn State can make some big plays against the UW secondary, the Badgers are going to need to keep running back Jonathan Taylor going if they want their offense to be able to keep up and put points on the board. So far this season Penn State has allowed 4.09 yards per carry - sixth in the Big Ten, and around the national average in college football. That means the Badgers will have a chance to run their offense the way they want to - and if Taylor can break off some big runs in the early going it will open up some opportunities for the UW passing game to get some big hits on play action passes. But if Taylor and the rest of the running game can't get going it will be hard for the Badgers to put points on the board against a solid Penn State defense, especially since the Nittany Lions have one of the best cornerbacks in the Big Ten in Amani Oruwariye.

JOHN VELDHUIS: PENN STATE 31, WISCONSIN 28

This feels like a game where both teams have some serious flaws, but on average I think Penn State has more going for them in this game. I'll take the team with the better defense, especially since they will likely be going up against backup quarterback Jack Coan if Alex Hornibrook misses the game as expected.

JON MCNAMARA: PENN STATE 21, WISCONSIN 17

This is a game Wisconsin can win, especially with Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley banged up. But unless Jonathan Taylor plays out of his mind, I don't think Wisconsin comes out with a road win. The Nittany Lions will stack the box the box and check Taylor in check, which will be the key to victory 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.