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What are the chances Paul Chryst has been lying? What if, instead of ignoring all the College Football Playoff hoopla, Wisconsin has been listening to every single word over the last two weeks?
The Badgers appeared well-aware of all the disrespect they’ve received in those CFP conversations. And on Saturday, they took it out on Iowa.
That ferocious Wisconsin defense pummeled the Hawkeyes until those black-and-gold uniforms started turning black-and-blue. The offensive line pushed around a fairly stout Iowa front without much of an issue. Every time the Badgers took a punch, they responded with a harder, more powerful blow of their own.
It resulted in a 38-14 decision for Wisconsin, but the game was even more lopsided than the final score. The Hawkeyes totaled just 66 total yards and earned just five first downs. They turned the ball over three times, were 0-of-13 on third downs and didn’t score a single point — both touchdowns came on Josh Jackson pick-sixes.
Deliberate or not, the Badgers made a statement on Saturday afternoon.
Over the last two weeks, the CFP committee has been reluctant to give Wisconsin credit and move the B1G’s lone unbeaten onto the cusp of the playoff picture. A weak schedule and unimpressive wins were the brick wall the committee could climb. Despite having that zero in the loss column, Chryst and Co. hadn’t done enough that proved they were worthy of one of those top four spots.
Perception is going to change over the next week.
This was a quality Iowa team that Wisconsin dismantled. A team that, just one week ago, stifled an Ohio State team that was expected to be the B1G’s representative in the CFP for a third time in four seasons. The 6-3 Hawkeyes — with that No. 20 beside their name — rarely get pushed around so easily.
Wisconsin had some issues offensively, making the kind of mistakes teams of national championship caliber don’t typically make. It had four turnovers and struggled to throw the football. The Badgers had trouble sustaining long drives in the early portion of the game.
Even with all those issues, the game was still decided by 24 points. Jonathan Taylor, who’s starting to look more and more like a running back worthy of serious Heisman consideration, racked up 157 yards on 29 carries. Wisconsin held the ball for nearly 40 minutes of the game.
Is all of that enough to get some playoff consideration? It should be.
For all the grief Wisconsin has received for not winning with “style points” or just limping to an undefeated record against really bad competition, it should receive some credit for taking the Hawkeyes to the woodshed and showing no mercy until the final gun.
Wisconsin gets another quality opponent next week, welcoming an 8-2 (and likely ranked) Michigan team to Camp Randall Stadium. It’ll be another opportunity for the Badgers to prove its 10-0 record is no fluke and that they belong in the CFP conversation.
Maybe Chryst and his team haven’t been paying attention to all the hoopla over the last two weeks. Maybe the televisions are muted, the social media restrictions are set and the websites are blocked.
It’s hard to believe the Badgers are completely oblivious, though. They made an example of Iowa and sent a message to the rest of the country.
Now the question is, will the CFP committee finally stop ignoring Wisconsin’s perfect record?
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB