GAME NOTES: The nation's longest winning streak is on the line in Champaign this Saturday, as the fifth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers try to make it 15 in a row when they come calling on the surprising Illinois Fighting Illini. The Badgers have won a school-record nine straight Big Ten bouts, although their two league wins this year have been by an average of just 3.5 points. Wisconsin is playing only its second away game of the season this week, and the road to a possible Big Ten championship doesn't get easier next Saturday as the team heads to Happy Valley for a date with the Penn State Nittany Lions. Speaking of Joe Paterno's club, it was Illinois that handed the then 21st-ranked Lions their second straight loss last week in a 27-20 final. As a result, the Illini are 4-1 for the first time since 2001 and it was their first win over a ranked opponent in their last 19 tries. Illinois is 2-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 1991 and this bout against the Badgers is one of seven the club will play against teams that played in a bowl game last year. Illinois owns a narrow 35-33-7 edge in the all-time series with Wisconsin, but the Badgers have won the last four meetings, and five of the last six in Champaign.

Led by the punishing running style of sophomore sensation P.J. Hill, the Badgers are putting up 32.2 ppg behind 412.4 total ypg. Hill is averaging 133.4 ypg on the ground to rank second in the Big Ten and sixth nationally. He is coming off a 155-yard effort in last week's tough 37-34 win over Michigan State and he has scored a total of 10 TDs (nine rushing, one receiving) this year. Tyler Donovan has been steady under center for coach Bret Bielema's club, hitting the mark on 62.3 percent of his passes for 201.6 ypg with nine TDs against just three INTs. His favorite target through the first five games has been Travis Beckum, and the talented TE is coming off a career game in which he caught 10 balls for 132 yards and a score. Beckum has 30 grabs for 325 yards and three TDs on the year, while Luke Swan has also been productive in the passing game with his 21 receptions, 384 yards and two scores. The Badgers have converted a highly-efficient 51 percent of their third-down tries to this point, and they have allowed just 10 sacks while suffering a mere seven turnovers.

The Wisconsin defense, while standing its ground more often than not, hasn't been the opportunistic bunch it has in recent years, coming up with a mere four takeaways in five games. Shane Carter has two of the team's three INTs, and his 19 total tackles trails team leader Elijah Hodge by 20. Foes are averaging 22.4 ppg this year, doing the bulk of their damage through the air (235.0 ypg). Michigan State gained a whopping 564 yards last week, getting 241 on the ground and 281 through the air. The Spartans picked up 22 first downs and averaged a gaudy 7.7 yards per offensive play. Hodge led the UW stance with 11 tackles, while Aubre Pleasant logged nine stops. The Badgers picked up five sacks, helping offset a Spartan offensive attack that pounded away at the heart of the UW defense all day long.

Illinois boasts the top rushing attack in the Big Ten, averaging 255.6 ypg. As a team, the Illini are netting better than five yards per carry and they have gotten a tremendous individual effort from junior Rashard Mendenhall (95 carries, 612 yards, eight TDs). The Illini have taken it to two of the nation's top run defenses the past two weeks, rushing for more than 200 yards against both Indiana and Penn State. Clearly a one-dimensional offense, Illinois doesn't air the ball out all that often, and QB Isiah Williams is completing just 53.4 percent of his passes for an average of only 99.4 ypg. He has four TD passes and five INTs, and despite that rather poor effort, WR Arrelious Benn is one of the more productive pass catchers in the Big Ten, having hauled in 24 balls for 286 yards and a score. Benn earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors recently after returning a kickoff 90 yards for a TD in the win over Penn State. Mendenhall was held to 76 yards by the Nittany Lions, but he did score a TD, while Benn finished with six grabs for 84 yards and another score.

Penn State generated 427 yards last week against the Illinois defense, doing most of its damage through the air (298 yards). Still, the Illini allowed just two TDs, logged four sacks and came up with four turnovers, including three INTs. Stud linebacker J Leman led the team with 10 tackles and an INT, while Justin Sanders and Kevin Mitchell finished with eight stops apiece. Leman is averaging a Big Ten-best 11.8 tackles per tilt and his total of 59 ranks him seventh in the country. His string of 13 consecutive weeks leading the conference in stops per contest is highly impressive considering the defensive talent that resides in the Big Ten. Mitchell currently sits second on the UI tackles chart with 34, and Will Davis heads the club with six sacks.

Two of the top rushing teams in the Big Ten will attempt to pound each other into submission. Illinois is riding the momentum of its first win over a ranked foe in what seems like forever, while Wisconsin tries to extend the nation's longest win streak. When the dust settles, expect the latter to come true, although it will be anything but easy.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Wisconsin 30, Illinois 27