BYU was supposed to be a "trap game."
No. 10 Wisconsin had an answer for that. In fact, the Badgers had an answer for everything in a 40-6 drubbing of BYU that made it clear, if it wasn’t already, when it comes to College Football Playoff contenders coming out of the Big Ten. The Badgers, the hands-down Big Ten West favorite, are an equal partner in the discussions with the Big Ten East triumvirate of Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan.
The best part? Wisconsin has the best path to Indianapolis right now. The Badgers have it all right now, especially on offense.
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How about the quarterback? Alex Hornibrook finished 18 of 19 for 256 yards and four touchdowns in a super-efficient performance. Michigan couldn't score in the red zone against Air Force on Saturday. All of Hornibrook's scores came from there. There is no quarterback controversy in Wisconsin.
How about the running back? True freshman Jonathan Taylor is running into the fringes of the Heisman conversation after a 128-yard effort that ran his season total to 438 yards in three games. He averages 8.3 yards per carry. He’s not on the level of Penn State’s Saquon Barkley yet, but he could produce similar numbers.
How about the other skill players? Wide receiver Quintez Cephus caught two touchdownss opposite Jazz Peavy. Tight end Troy Fumigalli added another score. Hornibrook put it together with his receivers, unlike Ohio State through the first three weeks. Where the other three powers have questions, the Badgers have answers, at least at the quarter pole in the 2017 season.
It added up to a complete performance against the Cougars, who might have been worn down from a brutal early-season schedule that also included LSU and Utah.
This was about Wisconsin, however. All four of the Badgers’ first-half possessions resulted in points, and this was on the road. Wisconsin outgained BYU 491-192. The Badgers won the turnover battle 2-0, too. Complete domination.
When you combine all those appetizers with Wisconsin’s usual steak-and-potatoes on the offensive line and defense, then you have what looks like the makings of a complete team, one that can atone for the one-score losses to Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State in 2016. There's no question Wisconsin is good enough to win the Big Ten.
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Half the headlines, same results, just as coach Paul Chryst likes it in his third season. Wisconsin now gets a bye week before breaking into the rigors of the Big Ten schedule, where there is no clear-cut challenger in the West. Is it Iowa? Purdue? Minnesota?
The Badgers have every reason to be 9-0 heading into a season-ending stretch that includes home games against Iowa and Michigan before the regular-season finale at Minnesota. Don't count on Chryst to even come close to touching that one yet, but it’s the reality.
It doesn’t make the Badgers a potential favorite against the Wolverines, Buckeyes or Nittany Lions, but again, they shouldn’t be overlooked at the expense of the other three. After all, this was the first complete performance on the road among any of those teams.
The total domination of BYU told us what matters when it comes to the Badgers.
Wisconsin is the real deal, and they’ll have their say in December.
