Who: No. 20 Northwestern vs. No. 25 Wisconsin

When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m. CT

Where: Camp Randall Stadium, Wisconsin

TV: Big Ten Network

Spread: Wisconsin -10

Matchup to watch: Joe Schobert vs. Justin Jackson

If you’re looking for a theme during Wisconsin’s five-game winning streak, look no further than the run defense. No tailback has eclipsed 75 yards rushing against the Badgers during that stretch. A big part of that is Schobert’s ability to blow up plays in the backfield. Against one the B1G’s best tailbacks, that’ll be especially important. For Northwestern to be successful, it has to establish Jackson. When the Cats win, they rush for an average of 234.6 yards. When they lose, it’s a paltry 44.8. Needless to say, Jackson is going to have to escape Schobert’s pursuit and get to the second level.

Thing I’m excited to see: Joel Stave’s sendoff 

Few quarterbacks with as many wins as Stave have ever been scrutinized like he’s been. He gets boo’d in his own stadium despite the fact that he has a chance to go down as the program’s winningest quarterback ever. There will likely be plenty more that boo him again on Saturday. Many probably can’t wait for the Stave era to end and the Bart Houston era to begin because after all, the grass is always greener. Unless Iowa collapses, Stave’s final game at Camp Randall won’t involve him leading a Rose Bowl push. Even if he can lead Wisconsin to a solid senior day win, fans’ impressions of Stave won’t change one way or the other. Many will still roll their eyes at the one or two dumb throws he makes in a game. Still, every program in America wishes it could squeeze 30 wins out of a walk-on.

Number to remember: 4

So you know those dumb throws I talked about with Stave? Well, three of them resulted in interceptions in last year’s game against the Wildcats. Tanner McEvoy threw a pick of his own, which was why the Badgers fell to Northwestern in the B1G opener. Four interceptions was an easy way to wipe away a 259-yard game from Melvin Gordon. Wisconsin cannot afford to make mistakes like that this time around. Stave knows that. You can bet he won’t throw jump balls in the direction of Godwin Igwebuike, who had three interceptions in that game last year. It sounds simple, but the Badgers don’t have the big-play ability to make up for costly turnovers. If they win that battle, they should be in good shape.

Prediction: Wisconsin 21, Northwestern 14

It’s supposed to snow Saturday morning in Madison, which means we could be in for some classic, ground-and-pound football. Assuming Corey Clement is inactive, Dare Ogunbowale and Jackson should both get plenty of work with two quarterbacks that have struggled with accuracy in ideal conditions. Despite the fact that the conditions might favor Northwestern’s style of play, the Badgers don’t get beat by one-dimensional offenses. It certainly won’t be the prettiest game of the weekend, but Wisconsin earns its sixth straight win and first over a ranked team.