Badger Football: 3 Things We Want to See Against USC

1. Is Wisconsin Playing for a Bowl or Playing for Pride?

It seems like this game will really show if the Badgers still have some life, or if the rest of the season is just about not getting embarrassed. If the team wins, everything is still alive -- top 25 ranking, bowl games, even a playoff spot technically. But if the Badgers lose, and especially of they lose ugly, all of those things are most likely dead, and the team will just try to keep their head above water.

Not to add pressure to an already important game, but the reality is that if the Badgers enter the meat of their schedule at 2-2 with no quality wins, it's going to be really hard to push for a bowl game or beyond. By the way, the last Wisconsin didn't play in a bowl game was 2001.

2. Aggressive Play-Calling

After three weeks of a hum-drum, boring offense, it's time for something different. There shouldn't be any excuses either. All summer, coaches raved about how improved Braedyn Locke is, and that he and Tyler Van Dyke both deserved to start. So the thought that the offense will be tamed down for Locke doesn't hold any water with me. Whether or not offensive coordinator Phil Longo sees things that way though is another story.

Still, it's a top 25 opponent and a critical juncture of the season. Trying to play things the same way that got the team blown out by Alabama and scraping by FCS schools would just be foolish.

3. A Defensive Statement

The Badger defense, which is typically the strength of the team, hasn't had a signature performance yet this season. While the secondary has been strong, the Badger front seven just hasn't quite put things together. The run defense has looked porous and the lack of pressure on the opposing quarterbacks hasn't done the team any favors. Something to watch might be the emergence of linebacker Tackett Curtis, who has come off the bench and played well. Maybe it's time he gets more playing time.

Making a big defensive statement this week won't be easy however, as the USC offense is putting up an average of 33 points per game.