MADISON, Wis. - Six-foot-six, 300 pounds. That's one big human being. But in the frightening world of University of Wisconsin offensive linemen, 6-6, 300 is a jockey.

Big?

Wisconsin has redefined the term, as Illinois will discover today at 11 a.m. when it lines up across from one of the biggest collection of football players in captivity.

Illini coach Ron Zook said Wisconsin's mammoth size across the offensive front is an eye-catcher when studying game tapes.

"The film tilts a little bit," Zook said this week. "They are really big. Wisconsin has always been known for its big offensive linemen, but these guys are athletic too. They move around well."

The incredible bulk of the offensive line is a major reason the Badgers are cruising along with a 7-1 record and No. 17 national ranking in coach Bret Bielema's first season since taking over for Barry Alvarez.

That line has the Badgers ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten in rushing, helping to pop redshirt freshman tailback P.J. Hill free for 1,172 yards, an average of 146.5 per game, sixth best in the nation.

That same line provides amazing security for quarterback John Stocco, who Zook says can stand fearlessly in the pocket scanning for open receivers. Stocco is taking advantage of the massive body guards, having completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 12 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

So just how big is this offensive line?

Senior Joe Thomas, the left tackle, is 6-foot-8, 313 pounds, and ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper ranks him as the No. 2 overall draft prospect for 2007.

The left guard is Andy Kemp, who at 6-6, 316 pounds is the runt of the litter.

Center Marcus Coleman is 6-6, 317, and his father, Roger Coleman, played baseball at Illinois in 1973 and 1974.

Right guard Kraig Urbik is 6-6, 326 and was a second-team freshman All-American last season.

And right tackle Eric Vanden Heuvel is an imposing 6-7, 324-pound sophomore.

Even the backups are huge. Six second-team and third-team offensive linemen are either 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8 and many weight more than 320 pounds.

Bielema, who at age 36 is the second-youngest head coach in Division I-A, played collegiately at Iowa and still wears a Hawkeye tattoo. But he served as Alvarez's defensive coordinator at Wisconsin and was hand-picked when Alvarez decided to concentrate solely on the school's athletic director job.

Alvarez is credited with transforming Wisconsin into a perennial bowl team and Bielema has simply seized upon Alvarez's winning formula.

"It's a workman mentality," Bielema said, citing Wisconsin's secret to success. "We know here at the University of Wisconsin we won't be labeled as one of the sexy schools in the conference and we won't get national attention until we earn it.

"I really believe we recruit a certain kind of kid to that philosophy. A classic example is P.J. Hill."

Hill was recruited to Wisconsin out of East Elmhurst, N.Y., and sat out last season, learning behind Brian Calhoun.

Hill is a 5-11, 242-pound ball of fury and running behind the Badger road graders has Wisconsin on track to a potential 11-1 season, if it can win home games against Illinois, Penn State and Buffalo and its lone remaining road game, Nov. 11 at Iowa.

Ironically, Illinois has played two of its best games of the season on the road in big, hostile stadiums, so traveling to Camp Randall Stadium today is not a concern for Zook and his team.

"Our guys like playing in those environments," Zook said. "They won at Michigan State and we played well at Penn State. They just seem to enjoy playing in places like that."