Camp Randall and Beaver Stadium have a lot more in common than the shared oddity of their names. Wisconsin’s home football field, like Penn State’s, is known as one of the most intimidating places to play in the Big Ten.

The Illini look at that as an advantage.

“It will be another great challenge, another hostile environment,” Illinois head coach Ron Zook said Tuesday. “But I believe our guys enjoy going into a hostile environment.”

Illinois (2-6, 1-3 Big Ten) faces No. 17 Wisconsin in Madison at 11 a.m. Saturday. It will be Illinois’ first battle with a ranked opponent this season, as the Badgers look to hang on to third place in conference.

But while Wisconsin has won the teams’ last three meetings by an average of 17.3 points, Illinois’ coach warns this won’t be the same old ball game.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re going to get there. None,” Zook said. “We’ve got an opportunity to play another great football team, and another opportunity to prove ourselves.”

It’s strange that Illinois football has had more success away from home than at Memorial Stadium. Maybe it’s because the pressure is off. Maybe the players thrive on the energy of a hostile crowd. Whatever the reason, the Illini are hoping the trend continues in Madison before they return home to host No. 1 Ohio State.

Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium was built in 1917 and is known to be painted red the way Assembly Hall turns a vibrant shade of orange. The stadium acts as an anchor to the Badgers’ athletic complex, with the school’s indoor practice facility, fieldhouse, and basketball arena all nearby.

Just as Illinois basketball fans turn out in droves to see the successful team, Zook said Wisconsin’s support is strongly linked to its recent success.

“I don’t think there’s any question, that’s the legacy Coach Alveraz has left there,” Zook said. “They’ve come in and consistently won. Fans have gotten behind them. When you’re able to do it as long as they have, the program is something fans are proud of.”

Camp Randall draws its name from the Civil War training grounds that occupied the site 140 years ago. The land served as the Wisconsin State Fair grounds before becoming a major military training center.

Today it is one of the most hostile environments in the Big Ten.

“I’ve never played there, but I’ve heard it’s a pretty intense atmosphere,” sophomore wide reciever Derrick McPhearson said. “I think as a team we really feed off away games, the type of energy we get when it’s us against everybody else.”

But Illinois knows it will take more than luck and a little energy boost to put together a victory against the Badgers. First-year head coach Bret Bielema inherited a Heisman candidate in running back P.J. Hill, and has senior quarterback John Stocco still leading a solid offense.

“Offensively, they know exactly what their players can do,” Zook said. “Coaching is putting players in positions where they can be successful, and those guys can do that. Their quarterback is playing extremely well, he’s poised.”

On the other side of the ball, Wisconsin’s defense closely resembles the one Illinois saw two weeks ago when Ohio University came to Champaign. McPhearson said that is a bonus for the Illini offense, as they already know what to expect.

“We’ve just got to take every team the same, go in every game, knowing they’re just as good as you,” McPhearson said. “We can’t beat ourselves in this game, we’ve got to go in there prepared to execute.”

While Wisconsin hopes to hold on to third place in conference, Illinois could jump as high as fifth with a win this weekend. It would be the first time in several seasons that the Illini found themselves situated among the middle of the Big Ten pack.

For the team, it doesn’t matter if naysayers list that as an impossible feat. After all, McPhearson said, the Illini are at their best as underdogs.

“It’s crazy. When you’ve got that mentality that it’s just us against everybody else, like at Penn State it was us against 107 thousand, that’s just motivation,” McPhearson said. “You’ve got to turn that into motivation, feed off that energy and their home crowd.”