Does Purdue now control the Big Ten West?
That’s a theory Saturday Tradition didn’t mind pushing in a recent piece. They wrote in part:
Who has the edge?
Right now, I’d have to say Purdue does, because they have both of their remaining division rivalry games at home. Getting past Ohio State was huge, because everyone penciled that in at the Boilermakers’ second league loss. Heck, it was in pen. A Sharpie. They were 14-point underdogs, but won anyway. It’s changed the Big Ten West picture entirely.
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As I’ve said since the day after the Iowa loss to Wisconsin, I thought the Badgers had two or three more losses in them and that Iowa still had a chance to jump them. I’ve given my props to Purdue the past few weeks, and even though I called the upset of Ohio State last Friday, it was still something of a shocker when they pulled it off.
Let me go ahead and stop you right there.
I get that Purdue is the flavor of the day, but the only team in the Big Ten West that has the edge is Wisconsin. You might not think so after their loss to Michigan, but they do. Look at the rest of their schedule. The only team they might lose to is Penn State, and I wouldn’t be so quick to even bet on that. (RELATED: The Latest AP College Football
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I mean, I want to take this seriously, but I’m just not sure if I can. Purdue? We’re talking about the Boilermakers? The team with one signature win in the past few years, and now we’re elevating them to a possible spot in the conference title game?
Excuse me if I just don’t run out and buy all the hype immediately. I think I’ll take it a little slow.
Again, anybody who thinks Wisconsin isn’t going to cruise through the remainder of their schedule has no idea what the hell they are talking about. I respect Saturday Tradition. They’re a great site, and all Big Ten people should be reading them. There’s no doubt about it.
However, they’re just simply wrong here, and that’s a fact.