No. 23 Wisconsin eyes division title run as Illinois visits

[October 18, 2018]  The season is not all lost for Wisconsin.

After suffering a upset loss at home to BYU that put a severe dent in any chance for a College Football Playoff spot, the Badgers reeled off two impressive wins against Iowa and Nebraska.

But the Badgers tumbled back down to reality following last Saturday's 38-13 loss at Michigan.

Even so, the No. 23 Badgers (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) remain in position to win the Big Ten West Division title -- if they can beat division leader Northwestern next week -- and punch a ticket to the conference title game in Indianapolis on Dec. 2.

As the Badgers prepare for Saturday's home showdown against struggling Illinois (3-3, 1-2), they understand the consequences of another letdown game.

"That is all still there," Wisconsin senior left guard Michael Deiter said. "We can win the West. We can win the Big Ten. And then win a really sweet bowl game."

Besides a road game against Penn State on Nov. 10, the Badgers should be favored in every game the rest of the regular season.

Based on their win over Iowa, the Badgers hold the West tiebreaker over the Hawkeyes. Besides Wisconsin, Northwestern (3-3, 3-1), Iowa (5-1, 2-1) and Purdue (4-2, 2-1) are the only teams in the West with only one conference loss.

"There's still so much to play for," Wisconsin linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel said. "There's still a long season ahead of us, and we've got a lot of goals that we have yet to accomplish. It starts with the Big Ten West. That's our No. 1 goal."

The health of Wisconsin's secondary is an area of concern heading into the Illinois game. Five players are questionable, notably safeties D'Cota Dixon and Scott Nelson.

The Badgers' offense is coming off a frustrating effort against Michigan's vaunted defense. Wisconsin was held to a season-low 283 yards, while quarterback Michael Dieter completed just 7 of 20 passes for 100 yards with two interceptions.

The Illini opened the season with two straight wins but have struggled at the start of the Big Ten season. Illinois suffered a 46-7 loss to Purdue last weekend. Wisconsin has won the last eight meetings against the Illinois, including by a combined margin of 96-26 in the last three games.

Illinois coach Lovie Smith said the Badgers represent a stiff challenge for his young team.

"Wisconsin has a system of commitment to the run," Smith said. "It starts with that. We played a lot of spread offenses. Wisconsin will huddle. There is some old-school flavor to that. Again, they want to grind it out, play tough man ball.

"That's a challenge. They're a running football team that will occasionally pass. On the defensive side, they're fundamental. They're sound. I just think they're a good fundamental football team that wins football games that way. They don't beat themselves that much."

--Field Level Media

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