The race for the B1G West is heating up after last Saturday’s huge day. After Purdue’s 24-7 road win over No. 2 Iowa, the West just became more wide-open.

That is encouraging for teams like Wisconsin (3-3; 1-2 in B1G play), who needed some help for the race for the West. Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard discussed how he feels with the West Division opening up during Monday’s press conference:

“It’s early enough in the season where you feel like you still have control over your destiny, especially playing so many teams in the (B1G) West coming up,” said Leonhard. “Anything can happen. The B1G is so wide open on the West side, and we’re excited.”

While he was excited for the West opening up, Leonhard was also cautious of Purdue after the big win. Wisconsin is set to travel on the road to take on No. 25 Purdue as it is will be a battle in the trenches.

“It’s a team that’s given us some issues, we’ve had some shootouts,” explained Leonhard about facing the Boilermakers. “We’ve had some fun games to be a part of because we’ve won most of them, but they’re a talented football team. They execute well.”