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GAME NOTES: Expect a physical Big Ten battle this weekend when ninth-ranked Ohio State welcomes the Wisconsin Badgers to the Horseshoe in Columbus.

Wisconsin is one of just eight teams nationally with a 5-0 record heading into this week's games. Four of the five wins for the Badgers have come by eight points or fewer, so it is fair to call the club battle tested. Last weekend, Bret Bielema's team moved to 2-0 in Big Ten action with a 31-28 decision over Minnesota on the road. The Badgers have now scored at least 31 points in the last four games and have won 27 straight outings when posting at least 30 points.

Like Wisconsin, Ohio State is 2-0 in Big Ten play, so Saturday's game will have a direct impact on the top of the conference standings. The last three outings overall have resulted in wins for the Buckeyes, who suffered their only loss of the campaign to USC by three points back on September 12th. Last weekend, Ohio State crushed Indiana on the road, 33-14.

"Its good to get a Big Ten win on the road," said Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. "We'll take them every time."

Ohio State owns a commanding 52-17-5 series lead over Wisconsin, which includes two straight wins over the Badgers.

The Badgers are scoring 35.0 ppg while posting 433.2 total ypg, so it is fair to say that the offense has been a major factor in the perfect start. Wisconsin has always been known as a power running team, and the fact that it is gaining 217.2 rushing ypg at a clip of 5.0 ypc suggests that nothing has changed. Of the club's 22 offensive touchdowns through five games, 13 have been of the rushing variety. John Clay is the workhorse back of the Badgers, and he has gained 582 rushing yards and seven scores on 112 carries. As for the quarterback, Scott Tolzien has provided great balance by completing 65.6 percent of his passes for 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns with three interceptions. Garrett Graham paces the receivers with four touchdown grabs.

The Wisconsin defense hasn't been quite as impressive as the offense, as foes are scoring 24.6 ppg and 363.0 total ypg. The Badgers are permitting 14.7 yards per pass completion with nine touchdowns coming through the air. They have been better against the run, limiting foes to 3.6 ypc. Opponents are making good on 42 percent of their third down conversion attempts, and they have posted 11 touchdowns in 18 trips to the red zone. Clearly, those figures could be better. O'Brien Schofield is the man to watch for the defense, as he has made 11 TFLs already, including 4.5 sacks.

Clay had a monster game against Minnesota last time out, as he ran the ball 32 times for 184 yards and three touchdowns. Tolzien added 159 passing yards and 65 rushing yards for the Badgers, who racked up 22 first downs and 454 yards of total offense. Defensively, Wisconsin permitted just two touchdowns on the road in the league tilt, so the coaches have to be happy with that performance. The Golden Gophers only managed 57 rushing yards on 28 attempts, and Schofield had a pair of sacks.

"Today we just showed that we can endure and persevere through anything," said Schofield after the tilt. "We did make it harder than what it needed to be but (we) just fight through it again. Its just proving that this year's team can fight through any adversity that we go through."

"They said they were going to count on me during the fourth quarter to punish them and kill the clock, and I came in and did that," added Clay, the other star of the game.

Ohio State is scoring 29.4 ppg this season thanks to a balanced attack that produces 188.6 ypg on the ground and 180.6 ypg through the air. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor is a versatile threat who has completed 57.9 percent of his passes for 854 yards and eight touchdowns with five interceptions. Pryor has also rushed for 298 yards and three touchdowns on an average of 5.4 ypc. Dan Herron has five rushing scores to his credit, but his average of 3.6 ypc is far from impressive. As for the team's receivers, Dane Sanzenbacher has 14 receptions for 302 yards and four scores.

While the Ohio State offense has been potent, the strength of the team has been its defense. The Buckeyes are allowing only 11.8 ppg and just 252.6 total ypg. Stopping the run has been a breeze for OSU, which is permitting only 83.4 yards per game at a clip of 2.7 ypc. The pass defense has been solid as well, as opposing quarterbacks have managed half as many touchdown passes (four) as interceptions (eight) through five games. With 12 sacks and 12 takeaways, the Ohio State defense has certainly been opportunistic. Brian Rolle leads the unit with 37 total tackles, and Kurt Coleman has forced three fumbles.

In the romp over Indiana last time out, Pryor had three touchdown passes and a touchdown run to lead his team to victory. Brandon Saine was impressive running the football, as he had 17 carries for 113 yards. Defensively, the Buckeyes held Indiana to 11 first downs and 228 total yards. They permitted only 18 rushing yards on 26 attempts and came up with a pair of interceptions.

"Our defense is going to have a great challenge this next week, because that team (Wisconsin) can run it," said Tressel, looking ahead to the matchup with the Badgers.

Ohio State will win this game in front of the home crowd, although Wisconsin will be in it from the start. The Badgers are much better than the Indiana squad that the Buckeyes beat up on last time out.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Ohio State 23, Wisconsin 20