SOURCE: www.herald-review.com

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Wisconsin had to grind out 10 fourth-quarter points to defeat Iowa, 17-13. Then last week it waged a shootout against Michigan State, riding a 22-yard field goal with six minutes to play in a 37-34 victory.

So maybe the oddsmakers see a Wisconsin team that has used up its allotment of close calls. Maybe they see a squad whose winning streak is about to screech to a halt.

Maybe they see a Wisconsin team that stumbled around against Illinois last year in Madison, trailing 24-10 at halftime before waking up and winning, 30-24.

Maybe they see an Illini team that's more for real than people expected, a team that beat a ranked Penn State squad, but as coach Ron Zook said, "are still a long way from playing our best football game."

I'd say it's all of the above.

And maybe Illinois is just as Leman described his team on Monday.

"Last year, we knew we could compete with anybody. This year we know we can win against anybody. We have a great mix of veteran players and young, incoming players who have brought energy to this team. It's a great credit to coach Zook and his recruiting."

So far, at least, that's an accurate description.

And while outcomes are uncertain, this much we do know: Memorial Stadium will be sold out for the second straight week, Illini fans are so starved for excitement they can hardly wait to start hollering and if Illinois can keep tabs on Wisconsin's workhorse running back, P.J. Hill, there's a chance the oddsmakers could be right.

If nothing else, a peek at the betting line tells us something. It says that in far away places like Las Vegas, people who study this stuff for a living either aren't entirely sold on Wisconsin or think there's something very legitimate about the early success of the Illini.

Like I said, all of the above.

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