All Badgers

Watch Guide: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Illinois preview and notes

All the updates and information surrounding Saturday's game between Wisconsin and Illinois, including how to watch the game, betting odds, game notes, and news heading into Week 5.

Matt Belz

In this story:

The Wisconsin Badgers football team is hoping to get back on track this weekend after an uninspiring start to the season through the first four weeks of the college football season.

The Week 5 matchup with Illinois is a major opportunity for Paul Chryst and the Badgers to potentially get their first Big Ten win of the season and regain confidence following a 31-point loss to Ohio State last Saturday. 

As we will with every game this season, All Badgers has your gameday watch guide to help you be fully prepared for Saturday. 

Contents

  1. Game details and television information
  2. SI Sportsbook for betting
  3. Player news
  4. Pre-game Notes
  5. Articles to get you ready
  6. Quote of the week

Game details and television information

  • Illinois Fighting Illini (3-1 overall) at the Wisconsin Badgers (2-2)
  • Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CST from Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin.
  • The game will be aired on Big Ten Network.
  • Matt Lepay will call the game on Badger Sports Network (Varsity Network App).
  • Weather forecast: 60 degrees at kickoff with low winds and clear skies. 

SI Sportsbook for betting

  • Spread: Wisconsin is a 7-point favorite 
  • Over/Under: 43 points

You can see more at the Sports Illustrated Sportsbook.

Player news

The following players will not be available on Saturday night for Wisconsin:

  • Safety Hunter Wohler (Sophomore)- left leg injury
  • Cornerback Alexander Smith (RS Senior) - right hamstring injury
  • Kicker Vito Calvaruso (Junior) - right leg injury
  • Tight end Cam Large (RS Sophomore) - right leg injury
  • Outside linebacker Aaron Witt (RS Sophomore) - right leg injury
  • Quarterback Chase Wolf (Redshirt Senior) - knee injury
  • *Defensive end Isaac Townsend (RS Junior) - left leg injury
  • *Safety Travian Blaylock (Senior) - right knee injury
  • *Defensive end Mike Jarvis (Freshman) - left leg injury
  • *Inside linebacker Luna Larson (Freshman) - right leg injury

Coaching connections between Illinois and Wisconsin:

  • Illinois head coach Bret Bielema formerly coached at Wisconsin. He was the head coach from 2006 to 2012 and was previously a defensive coordinator under Barry Alvarez before that. He finished with a 68-24 record with the Badgers. 
  • Two of Bielema's assistant coaches were former Wisconsin players: Aaron Henry (DB) and Terrance Jamison (DL), while three others (Andy Buh, Kevin Kane, and Bart Miller) all coached for the Badgers at one point. 
  • On Wisconsin staff, Paul Chryst, Mickey Turner, Taylor Mehlhaff, Bob Bostad, and Ross Kolodziej were all formerly assistants under Bielema during his time in Madison.  

The following Illinois players have a connection to Wisconsin:

  • No. 17 Ryan Johnson (QB) is from Green Bay and played at Ashwaubenon HS.
  • No. 48 Mike Cerniglia (TE) is from Madison and played at Madison Memorial HS.
  • No. 65 Joey Okla (OL) is from Hartland and played at Arrowhead HS.

Pre-game Notes

  • Wisconsin has won 80% of its games against Big Ten West opponents since 2014 and is 20-3 when the games are played in Camp Randall Stadium. 
  • The Badgers have won 11 of the last 12 meetings with Illinois, most recently losing to the Fighting Illini in 2019.
  • Wisconsin leads the overall series with Illinois 44-37 with seven ties. 
  • Wisconsin quarterback Graham Mertz has thrown a touchdown pass to five different players this season. 
  • After recording an interception against Ohio State, the Badgers have now had at least one interception in each of the past nine games dating back to 2021. Wisconsin leads the Big Ten in defensive interceptions this season with eight. 

Articles to get you ready

Quote of the week

“Staying together; that’s what we’ve got to do. We are the heart of our team right now. We’ve got to keep these guys on a straight path to success.” 

- Wisconsin NT Keeanu Benton said after the OSU loss about he and captains Nick Herbig and Graham Mertz

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Matt Belz
MATT BELZ

Title: Publisher, Beat Writer for AllBadgers.com, a Sports Illustrated Channel Hello, my name is Matt Belz, and I am the site manager at All Badgers. I previously wrote for multiple years at Buckeyes 5th Quarter and have been the leading publisher here since March of 2022.  When I am not covering the Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball teams, I enjoy being outside and spending time with family and friends.  You can follow everything I write about on several different platforms. First and foremost on our site...AllBadgers.com You can follow me personally on Twitter at @savedbythebelz or check out our Facebook page at Wisconsin FanNation on Sports Illustrated.

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