Letdown. That is the word you’re going to hear when people are talking about Wisconsin-Illinois. It is easy for Wisconsin to letdown against Illinois heading into their massive showdown with Ohio State next week. Buckeyes also have a similar letdown chance at Northwestern tonight. Wisconsin is a 31-point favorite heading into Champaign, and they haven’t lost to Illinois in over a decade. Letdowns happen in these types of scenarios, but it is hard for me to see that happening with Badgers on Saturday.

Three Storylines I Care About
1. Stop on their throat early and often – One of the ways to avoid a letdown is score and score fast. If Wisconsin dominates the first half, there is zero chance that Illinois will win this game. Badgers need to take advantage early and often. Illinois hasn’t been good defensively. They’ve allowed 40 or more points in their three Big Ten games as well as 34 points to an average MAC team. Illinois allows over 200 rushing yards per game. That is a big-time yikes when Jonathan Taylor is coming to town.

2. Will the defense pitch another shutout? – Illinois has good offensive players. Brandon Peters missed the game against Michigan, and since Illinois is an irrelevant college football team, it’s impossible to find his status for this week. Illinois was able to score 25 points against Michigan with a back-up quarterback, but their defense is not compared to Wisconsin. At this point, Badgers know their chasing history, and if they pitch the sixth shutout in eight games, that would be eye-popping.

3. Stay hot, Jack Coan – One of the underrated things about Wisconsin is their quarterback. Jack Coan does not get enough credit for the season he’s having this season. Coan had a strong game against Michigan State only missing three passes and threw for 180 yards with two touchdowns. He only threw one interception all season. Now, Coan will be tested in the coming weeks after this Illinois game but his confidence has to be an all-time high.

Chuck’s Predicted Player of the Game
Jonathan Taylor – This is an easy answer. This is like picking Giannis Antetokounmpo or Christian Yelich as the player of the game, but this seems like a game set up for Taylor. He should have a massive game on the ground being a 31-point favorite combined with Illinois being unable to stop a good rushing offense. They haven’t played anyone like JT.

Prediction
31 points is a lot to cover a spread, but I believe the Badgers can do it. They’re going to dominate this football game and not a letdown at all. Wisconsin looks crisp and clean winning this game. They’ll be on cruise control by halftime. Wisconsin 45 Illinois 6

Charlie.