Many would have predicted before the season began that the next few weeks for the Wisconsin football team (7-2, 4-1) against Indiana and Minnesota would be smooth sailing for the Badgers.

But the football season can be unpredictable, and this one is no different. Suddenly, with most of the season behind them, Indiana (4-5, 2-3 Big Ten) is averaging 43.1 points per game on offense, and Minnesota boasts an 8-2 record and is receiving votes in the polls. More importantly, neither game looks quite like the guaranteed win that it once appeared to be — something head coach Gary Andersen doesn’t mind.

“Moving on to this week, Indiana has a very potent offense that’s proven itself week in and week out,” Andersen said.

“Football is year-by-year, and Indiana’s done some really nice things this year. … They score at least 28 points each week. If that doesn’t make you stand up and grab your attention as a defender, then nothing will.”

While at first it might seem silly to think that Indiana would be anything other than Wisconsin’s punching bag this year when they come to town Saturday — UW has averaged 52 points per game on its way to an eight-game winning streak over Indiana — a quick look at Indiana’s offensive statistics suggest a different story.

On the year, Indiana has the second-most successful offense in the conference behind only Ohio State. They average 43.1 points per game and 527 yards per game — an interesting change of pace for an offense that only managed an average 16 points per game against Wisconsin over their last eight meetings.

Responsible for a large chunk of Indiana’s scoring, the passing game has become one of the Hoosiers most potent weapons this season. While sophomore Tre Roberson was named the starting quarterback on day one, sophomore Nate Sudfeld has taken over much of the role and now averages just more than 240 passing yards per game, in addition to the 19 touchdowns he has thrown.

Even more dangerous for the Wisconsin defense is Indiana’s receiving corps, which is almost the exact opposite of Wisconsin’s.

Many of Wisconsin’s opponents, including Indiana, know that redshirt senior wide reciever Jared Abbrederis is the main focus of Wisconsin’s passing playbook — particularly on deep balls. But Indiana has a number of options when it comes to moving the ball down the field.

For redshirt sophomore cornerback Darius Hillary and the rest of the secondary, this has meant a return to the basics this week as they look to shut down one of the better offenses in the conference and minimize potentially costly mistakes.

“We just have to stay with our guys. They thrive off the deep ball and so when the ball is in the air, just like our coaches said, we have to be the ones to go up and get it,” Hillary said. “They’ve got a very talented core, and I’m excited to see how that battle goes Saturday.”

Four of Indiana’s receivers have caught at least five touchdowns a piece, with 6-foot-3 junior Cody Latimer leading the pack with eight so far this season. Latimer is also averaging nearly 100 receiving yards per game.

Usually, Indiana also boasts a nice complementary run game with sophomore Tevin Coleman, who is averaging 106.4 yards per game and more than 7 yards per carry, but Coleman is doubtful after suffering a sprained ankle in last week’s win over Illinois.

Instead, Indiana will look to senior Stephen Houston to take over for Coleman, a player that has tallied 12 touchdowns for the Hoosiers over the course of the season. Still, while the Wisconsin defense might be anticipating an Indiana offense that depends a bit more than usual on its passing game, the Wisconsin defense won’t be overlooking Houston either, who — despite having nearly half as many carries — averages nearly 60 yards per game on the ground.

“We came to that conclusion [that they might pass more] a little bit,” Hillary said. “But they have another great running back. He’s a downhill runner, who’s pretty big, and he can do some big things. We have to contain him too.”

Getting into poll position

If Wisconsin can keep Indiana’s offense contained Saturday, it’s own offense may be capable of doing some serious damage of its own against Indiana’s defense, which has allowed an average of 37.4 points per game.

Currently sitting at No. 22 in the BCS rankings at the start of the week, running up the score against teams like Indiana could become a way for Wisconsin to climb those polls faster — former head coach Bret Bielema has been guilty of doing so against Indiana during his career at Wisconsin — but redshirt senior linebacker Conor O’Neill says that won’t be on their minds as they take the field Saturday.

Instead the goal remains to win out and let the cards fall where they may.

“We’ve lost two games to two good teams by two points and then a touchdown, so if the BCS wants to take away the chance at a bowl game for that, then so be it,” O’Neill said.  “We are just going to take care of our business on the field Saturday.”