MADISON - The Badgers will look for sweet revenge against Illinois as they aim to sour homecoming weekend in Champaign.

BadgerBlitz.com breaks down its three keys to the game for Wisconsin.

When: Saturday, Oct. 21 @ 2:30 p.m.

Where: Memorial Stadium (capacity 60,670)

All-Time Series: Wisconsin leads 44-38-7 (Illinois leads 21-19-3 in Champaign)

TV: FS1 (Eric Collins on play-by-play, Devin Gardner as the analyst).

Local Radio: Badger Sports Network (Matt Lepay doing play-by-play, Mark Tauscher as the analyst, Patrick Herb as the sideline reporter)

Betting line: Wisconsin -2.5

Aside from one game, the Big Ten opener in West Lafayette, Wisconsin's offense has started slow and lethargic each and every time they take the field. Now, if they struggled to come out hot with Tanner Mordecai, there's little reason to think things will change with Braedyn Locke under center. Still, Phil Longo must devise an offensive game-plan that will get his young quarterback in rhythm early.

Whether this means quick-hitting routes to get Locke's timing where it needs to be, or establishing the run to set up the pass, or even drawing up one of your best downfield shot plays for an injection of confidence, this Badgers' offense will need a jolt early. They can't spend the entire game searching for a spark on that side of the ball — they need to make their own, and they need to do it rather quickly.

It'll be fascinating to see what Locke can do with a full week to prepare as s starter. Will the staff impose training wheels on him, or will they let him operate the offense in its entirety? This is a massive test for an offensive staff that, quite simply, hasn't been good enough to this point in the year, even when its experienced starting quarterback was healthy.

Wisconsin absolutely needs to be able to win on early downs in this game, for a myriad of reasons.

For starters, the Badgers need to get Illinois' offense off the field to have some chance at establishing their own rhythm on offense. With an inexperienced quarterback, Locke is going to need all of the time-of-possession he can get.

What's more, forcing the Illini into obvious passing downs will be key. Wisconsin's secondary, a much-maligned unit in the early portions of the season, has tightened things up in recent weeks. Illinois has some wide outs I'm concerned about, namely the shifty slot weapon Isaiah Williams and the jump-ball threat Pat Bryant. However, if the Badgers know the pass is coming, they'll have a much better chance to harass quarterback Luke Altmyer, who hasn't been particularly impressive this season.

Finally, Illinois' pass-protection is extremely suspect. They've allowed 28 sacks through seven games, which is easily the worst in the conference. On obvious passing downs, Wisconsin should have the green light to crank up the pressure and test the Illini's offensive front.

This may be a slight contradiction to the first read, which was to ease Locke into the game. Nevertheless, two things can be true at once. The Badgers need to ease their young signal caller into the game, but they also need to ramp up the big plays on offense.

Against Iowa, Wisconsin went after the big play right away. Not only did it work, but Bryson Green caught a beautiful 42-yard bomb over the All-American cornerback Cooper DeJean. The Badgers have the talent — both at receiver and quarterback — to execute more long passing plays than they have been. If Illinois is able to keep everything within 10-15 yards of the line of scrimmage, load the box and dare Locke to throw over the top, Wisconsin's offense will likely struggle once again.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Locke attempt a deep ball early on in the game, maybe on the Badgers' first drive. They'll need something to get the Illini defensive backs to back off and create a little space to work with. Even if Wisconsin's offense is more limited with Locke in the game, the worst thing the Badgers could do is let Illinois know that by keeping things simple and not going for a few big plays.

This is a very tough game to predict. I have little to no confidence in Wisconsin’s offense, even if Mordecai was fully heathy. Defensively, it’s week-to-week with these Badgers. You never quite know what you’re going to get from that unit. After a rejuvenating win over Maryland last week, I believe the Illini will return to Champaign and play with enough swagger and confidence to top Wisconsin for the second year in a row.

Illinois 24, Wisconsin 17

It's hard to find confidence in or predict anything about this Badgers team, especially on offense. They're the most talented Wisconsin team in years, but also perhaps the least consistent. But I think last week's disoriented mess of a football game brought them back down to Earth. I expect a bounce-back game from the offense, even with a first-time starter at quarterback.

Wisconsin 21, Illinois 18

Wisconsin has a back-up quarterback making his first start on the road. I also don't trust Braelon Allen being able to carry the offense for four quarterbacks. Give me Illinois in an ugly game.

Illinois 16, Wisconsin 10

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