When Wisconsin and Penn State take the field Saturday afternoon in State College, Pa. with identical conference-leading records, both teams will be looking for a foothold in the Big Ten title race.
In other words, the importance of the matchup can not be understated.
For that reason, head coach Barry Alvarez did not feel a pressing need to rev up his players, even in anticipation of the Badgers' most consequential game of the season to this point.
'If that doesn't get your motor running, there's something wrong,' Alvarez said. 'And that's why I try to stay away from building the game up. You don't have to. The players understand it,' he said. 'It's just trying to relax them, enjoy the game, enjoy what's it's all about, enjoy the experience and just go play, see what happens.'
According to analysts around the country, the Badgers must play their best game of the season. One would be hard-pressed to find any weakness in the Nittany Lions' game, and the team becomes even better when it plays at home, where opponents have yet to win.
At Beaver Stadium, visitors are not only greeted by one of the largest crowds in the nation, but are also met by a defense that allows 13.2 points per game and an offense that lights up the scoreboard for 28.4 points.
'Maybe people overlooked them because of their last few years, but they've performed,' Alvarez said. 'They're the best football team we've played thus far on both sides of the ball.'
The Badger defense, much maligned over the course of the season, is likely to get a boost with the return of middle linebacker Mark Zalewski. The junior, hobbled by a knee injury, is the third-leading tackler on the team and leads the defense with 8.5 tackles for a loss.
Sophomore defensive lineman Justin Ostrowski is also expected to play. Ostrowski has been battling knee problems and was not in action last weekend.
Any addition to the defensive side of the ball is a welcome one, as Wisconsin is going to have its hands full with Penn State senior quarterback Michael Robinson. The Badgers have well-documented problems containing running quarterbacks.
'You better have someone in the contained position,' Alvarez said, when asked how best to defend Robinson, who ran for 112 yards earlier this season against Minnesota.
Robinson, fully aware that he will be facing a defense that surrenders upwards of five yards per carry on the ground, said that he knows he will be the focal point of the Badgers when he's on the field.
'Any defense can show up on any day,' Robinson said. 'They'll definitely be ready for me to take off.'
In a game of this magnitude, nothing less should be expected of a Badger team that has the Big Ten title within reach.
