The Wisconsin Badgers moved up to No. 6 in both the AP and Coaches polls on Sunday after decimating the Michigan State Spartans this past weekend in a 38-0 win. Now head coach Paul Chryst, his coaching staff and players turn the page to face Illinois this upcoming Saturday (11 a.m. CT, BTN).

BadgerBlitz.com returns its "3-2-1" weekly series to declare three more takeaways we learned after the win, two questions heading into this week, and one prediction before this Saturday's battle.

WOZN's Zach Heilprin tweeted some impressive stats for Wisconsin's defense halfway through its regular season.

Again, it is not just the way that UW has won its first six games -- it's just how dominant that unit has been. Against Michigan State, it swallowed the potential threats poised by the Mark Dantonio's offense and only allowed 149 yards total.

The fact it has recorded four shutouts in six games is an astounding fact, something that, according to UW, has not been done since 1930 when that team recorded five. BadgerBlitz.com very well may just do a special "Stat Pack" this week on the defense through six games.

The defense, and the team overall, preaches taking one game at a time. Illinois averages just under 31 points per game, though it has only gained about 337 yards per contest. As inside linebacker Chris Orr previously mentioned this season, the Badgers respect every opponent. Despite many looking ahead less than two weeks away with the Ohio State match-up, Wisconsin will not as it hopes to overwhelm yet another Big Ten opponent.

It just seems like the redshirt junior wide receiver can make plays when the ball is in his hands. We saw a lot of it during spring and fall camps this past year in having huge chunks plays, mostly through the air, but he also makes a difference when he carries the rock when it counts.

On Saturday, Pryor took a handoff -- and with the help of some blocking (hello, Quintez Cephus pancake) and a key stiff arm -- went 66 yards for a touchdown. The week prior, quarterback Jack Coan found him for what turned into a 33-yard reception against Kent State.

In years prior, Pryor has had touchdown runs against Michigan and Iowa. In 2017, he caught one pass for a score and ran for another against the Hawkeyes. There is so much talent in the Wisconsin wide receiver room, but the Illinois native finds a way to make the most of his opportunities.

Yup, that's right -- both Wisconsin and Minnesota are currently 6-0 midway through the regular season.

Both teams are 3-0 in conference play, with the Gophers holding its trio of Big Ten wins facing West opponents. The Badgers have faced two East programs in Michigan and Michigan State, dispatching each in "statement fashion."

The road ahead for both will be interesting. Minnesota finishes up October at Rutgers and at home against Maryland; this before a November slate that includes hosting Penn State, playing on the road at Iowa and Northwestern before finishing up inside TCF Stadium against Wisconsin.

For UW, these last six games include four on the road. Illinois and Ohio State will welcome Wisconsin to its respective stadiums in the next two weeks. Then after their second bye week, the Badgers host Iowa, play at Nebraska, finish up its home slate against Purdue before facing the Gophers.

Behind them, every other Big Ten West program has at least two losses. Maybe, just maybe, that season finale might have something more at stake besides Paul Bunyan's Axe.

Two years ago, then-left tackle Michael Deiter officially caught a lateral and ran in for a four-yard touchdown against Illinois in what was a somewhat ugly 24-10 win.

This year against the Illini, will the Badgers have to bust out another? UW's offense this year offers more ability to balance its attack between the rushing and passing games. However, Wisconsin has deployed the "Hippo" package to success this season with extra lineman on the field. Could we see a David Moorman make a play like his former teammate?

Not just that, but look at the flip side of the ball. Wisconsin's defense has scored just as many touchdowns as it has allowed (that number is four). Defensive end Matt Henningsen has scored two of those on fumble recoveries. If the unit creates havoc in the backfield, could we see something similar this week with a scoop and score?

We will find out more soon regarding when this game could be played. Ohio State ranks No. 4 in the AP poll, with Wisconsin now No. 6.

The Buckeyes head to Evanston this week for a Friday night matchup against Northwestern, and the Badgers make a trip to Champaign to face Lovie Smith's squad. If both programs notch a win on their respective road trips, it very well could be a top five matchup in Columbus in less than two weeks. That seems very worthy of a night time slot, but whether it should be and what it will be could be two different stories.

Sort of piggy-backing off of my first takeaway above, Jim Leonhard's unit has been what junior running back Jonathan Taylor referred to as, "lights out." If their approach and preparation stay the same, I honestly feel like the performance as seen in the first six games will follow. We could see, statistically, the best defensive unit Wisconsin has fielded.

The road the final six contests hold will not be easy, though. Looking ahead, there will be definite challenges against Ohio State and Nebraska on the road (for the latter, if quarterback Adrian Martinez is healthy).

For that matter, Iowa is averaging about 413 yards per contest, though it only is scoring about 25 points per game. Minnesota is an intriguing offense where it is putting up 415.8 yards and 35.5 points per outing, though it has not necessarily faced a standout defensive unit yet.

Regardless, I predict more success forthcoming for Wisconsin on that side of the ball in historic fashion.