Purdue football at Illinois | 3 things to watch

• Purdue is seeking its third straight win after starting the season 0-3
• The Boilermakers have won the last two meetings against Illinois
• The Illini are one of the nation's top teams in forcing turnovers
• Purdue's defense is allowing an average of 20.5 points in the last two games

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Three items of interest heading into Saturday’s matchup at Illinois inside Memorial Stadium:

• Toward the end of Jeff Brohm’s Monday press conference, details about the Oct. 20 game against Ohio State were released. Night game against the third-ranked Buckeyes on ABC became the trending topic on social media, which likely seeped into the locker room. In case you forgot, the Boilermakers play Illinois this week. That’s the most important game, not the one next week. Purdue is expected to win against the Fighting Illini. The oddsmakers installed the Boilermakers as a 10-point favorite and even the television networks are counting on a 3-3 team to play the unbeaten Buckeyes, assuming they take care of Minnesota.

Saturday is considered a maturity game for the Boilermakers. Can they handle what is expected of them in the short term without their eyes and minds looking ahead to a bigger marquee matchup? We’ll truly see where this program is in its maturation process based on how Saturday’s game unfolds against the Illini.

• Takeaways. Takeaways. Takeaways. Lovie Smith preached it during his tenure in the NFL and is still emphasizing turnovers in his third season at Illinois. It’s working. The Illini have forced at least two turnovers in their first five games and lead the Big Ten in turnover margin (plus 8). Smith’s program has forced at least one turnover in 19 straight games, dating back to the 2016 season. Granted, all those turnovers haven’t led to a lot of wins. Not yet, anyway.

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Since the season opener, the Boilermakers have taken care of the ball – only one interception the last 18 quarters, denying opponents a chance to change the complexion of a game. Purdue paid extra attention to ball security this week in practice, knowing the Illini will look to keep their string of turnovers alive. What happens – or doesn’t happen – in the turnover department likely determines the outcome.

• Don’t chuckle but Saturday's winner could be tied for the top spot in the Big Ten West. It’s not impossible when you consider the scenarios. Wisconsin loses at Michigan – the Wolverines are an 8.5-point favorite – and Nebraska defeats Northwestern in Evanston to create a multiple team tie atop the division.

The Wildcats haven’t won a home game this season and the Huskers might be ready to snap their losing streak. You could have the Purdue-Illinois winner, the Badgers and possibly Iowa all sitting at 2-1 at the midway point of the 2018 season. It’s another indication of just how important the matchup in Champaign is to these two programs trying to gain an edge in a compact division.