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FACTS & STATS: Site: Camp Randall Stadium (80,321) -- Madison, Wisconsin. Television: BTN. Home Record: NIU 0-0, Wisconsin 0-0. Away Record: NIU 0-0, Wisconsin 0-0. Neutral Record: NIU 0-0, Wisconsin 0-0. Conference Record: NIU 0-0, Wisconsin 0-0. Series Record: Wisconsin leads, 10-1.

GAME NOTES: The 121st season of Wisconsin football will kickoff this Saturday when the Badgers host the Northern Illinois Huskies at Camp Randall Stadium.

The Huskies were nothing special in 2008, racking up just a 6-7 ledger, but there is hope for an above .500 mark in coach Jerry Kill's second year in DeKalb. Unfortunately the Huskies have not performed well in season openers over the past few years, losing five straight, including four in a row to Big Ten competition.

As for the Badgers, they finished 7-6 in 2008, and while that is not a terrible ledger, it was the worst performance by Wisconsin since 2003 when the team also went 7-6. Wisconsin has claimed victories in 11 consecutive season openers, and has won 14 straight non-conference home matchups dating back to 2003.

The Badgers own a 10-1 mark against the Huskies all-time, and against team's currently in the Mid-American Conference, Wisconsin has posted an impressive 28-3 mark.

Northern Illinois' offensive play rested solely on the shoulders of Chandler Harnish. The quarterback only threw for 1,528 yards and eight touchdowns against nine interceptions, but the signal-caller also rushed for a team-high 539 yards and four scores. Coach Kill does not mind the rushing yards, but hopefully the sophomore can improve with his arm.

Obviously Harnish can not do it all for NIU, so the ground game will have to be productive, led by running back Me'co Brown. Brown, also a sophomore, rumbled for 510 yards on 4.6 ypc, and along with Chad Spann (eight touchdowns), the Huskies come into the season-opener with a dangerous tandem in the backfield. The left side of the offensive line returns intact, but for this front line to be completely unbreakable, Joe Pawlak and Panan Tense will need to dominate the right side.

The defensive play for Northern Illinois in 2008 was outstanding, as the team surrendered just 18.0 ppg, but there will be plenty of new faces as the season begins Saturday, so it could be tough for this unit to duplicate that effort. The front line will not have the services of Larry English, who has moved on to the NFL, but the Huskies do return Brandon Bice. Bice, who record 6.5 sacks in '08, will anchor this front line. Jake Coffman will take over the other end position, while redshirt freshman Brian Lawson will start the season at the nose guard spot. Alex Kube will return to the outside linebacker spot, but the most pressure will be on middle linebacker Pat Schiller, who saw limited time last season, but will open the year as the team's starter. The defensive backfield was rock solid in 2008, and safeties David Bryant and Tracy Wilson will be back in their positions, but the team will need Patrick George and Kiaree Daniels to instantly perform at a high level at the corner spots.

The Badgers' offensive attack is simple. They are going to run the ball and the opposing defenses will have to try and stop them. So far, this has worked for Wisconsin, especially in 2008, as the team averaged 211.2 ypg on the ground. Usually though when a team loses a 1,000 yard back, the following season that squad tends to have trouble searching for a capable replacement. However, for the Badgers, even with P.J. Hill now in the NFL, they have a running back in John Clay who could be even better. In limited action last season, Clay ran for 884 yards (5.7 ypc) and nine TDs. With a year under his belt in coach Bret Bielema's scheme, expect big things from the bruising tailback. Also look for Zach Brown to find himself with a few carries this Saturday.

When a team relies so heavily on one aspect of its attack, the other tends to find the backseat, which would explain the lackluster effort put forth by Wisconsin's passing game in '08. Junior Scott Tolzien will be under center for the team's opener on Saturday and coach Bielema will need the QB to play at a high level, hopefully opening up things for the ground game.

The Badgers had a tough time on the defensive side of the football in 2008, and with only a few starters back this year, they could have a tough time improving. The front line will see three new starters, as the lone returning player up front is O'Brien Schofield. Schofield racked up five sacks in '08, but he will need to play at a higher level this year, while sophomore J.J. Watt gets acclimated to the starting role at the other end position. The Badgers do return their leading tackler from 2008 in linebacker Jaevery McFadden (84 stops), but he will be joined by two new faces on Saturday, junior Culmer St. Jean and true freshman Mike Taylor. The defensive backfield has the most experience returning, with safeties Jay Valai and Chris Maragos back at their positions. Niles Brinkley was a solid corner for Wisconsin in 2008, but this Saturday the Badgers will go with sophomores Aaron Henry and Devin Smith at the corner spots.

The Badgers are extremely tough in front of their home crowd and should have no trouble running right through the Huskies, en route to their 15th consecutive non-conference home victory.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Wisconsin 38, Northern Illinois 13