Heading into 2020, Northwestern wasn’t a team where the expectations were very high – they were fourth from the bottom in the B1G’s annual preseason media poll. But right now, the Wildcats are pacing the rest of college football and even powerhouse Alabama when it comes to ‘Strength of Record.’

The Wildcats came into this weekend No. 19 in the nation but they won’t be there for long. Beating No. 10 Wisconsin will go a long way towards seeing them jump up a few spots.

The 5-0 Wildcats are No. 1 in the nation according to the metric which, according to ESPN’s Seth Walder, measures the percentage that a top 25 team would have to replicate the same record as Northwestern with the same exact schedule. ESPN’s data says that only nine percent of average top 25 teams would be undefeated in five games.

Fellow Big Ten program Ohio State makes the list at No. 7 with a 43 percent chance of managing a 4-0 record. The No. 3 Buckeyes faced a good test this weekend at home, beating No. 9 Indiana.

The rest of Northwestern’s schedule is rather favorable for them to continue this strong run. This Saturday is at Michigan State (1-3) followed by at Minnesota (2-3) and then at home to Illinois (2-3).