In a way, it was fitting how Wisconsin finished off Purdue on a gloomy Saturday afternoon in Madison.

For the final 8:14, the seventh-ranked Badgers chiseled away at the Boilermakers’ defense. Without any dramatic flare or flashiness, Wisconsin just pounded out yard-after-yard in what was a relatively boring finish to a one-possession game. The Badgers put together a 16-play, 77-yard drive to milk every last second off the clock. The offense never even crossed the goal line.

Those final eight minutes will likely foreshadow what’s to come for Wisconsin for the remainder of the season.

After knocking off Purdue, Wisconsin has a clear stranglehold on the West division. It sits at a perfect 6-0 on the season and 3-0 in conference play. Five teams already have two conference losses and the Badgers own the head-to-head matchup against Nebraska. Assuming the Huskers don’t pull off an unexpected upset against Ohio State on Saturday night, they’ll have two B1G losses, too.

Wisconsin is running away with the division, just like it ran away from Purdue late in the game. And it doesn’t look like there will be any fireworks late in this race, either.

Six games remain on Wisconsin’s schedule. The combined record for those opponents is a middling 20-15. But look at the numbers in B1G play, and it’s even worse. Those six opponents are a measly 3-13 in conference games this season.

There aren’t too many challenges left on the calendar.

Date Opponent Opp. Record (B1G)
Oct. 21      vs. Maryland      3-3 (1-2)
Oct. 28      at Illinois      2-4 (0-3)
Nov. 4      at Indiana      3-3 (0-3)
Nov. 11      vs. Iowa      4-2 (1-2)
Nov. 18      vs. No. 17 Michigan      5-1 (1-1)
Nov. 25      at Minnesota      3-2 (0-2)

Only two games really draw concern: match-ups against Iowa and Michigan in back-to-back weeks presents a nice test for the Badgers at the end of the campaign. Even then, both of those contests are played in Madison, a significant advantage in the B1G.

Wisconsin isn’t going to coast to a division title if it plays as poorly as it did against the Boilermakers. Aside from another 200-yard performance from freshman sensation Jonathan Taylor, the offense was shaky. Three turnovers and a couple costly penalties would be much tougher to overcome against a team like Iowa or Michigan.

But the Badgers proved something against the Boilermakers. Even when they play at their absolute worst — and Saturday’s game was as close as you’ll get — they still found a way to win.

That doesn’t give much hope to teams like Maryland, Illinois, Indiana or Minnesota — all of which are comparable to Purdue on some level.

Wisconsin was expected to come out of the West and compete for another B1G title again at the end of the season. Since the inauguration of the B1G Championship Game, Indianapolis has been somewhat of a second home for the Badgers. But nobody really anticipated it would be this easy.

The race in the West is all but over. There are only a few obstacles standing in the way of Wisconsin’s path to the doorway at Lucas Oil Stadium. But if Saturday was any indication, the Badgers won’t have much trouble with two-thirds of the remaining competition.

It won’t be overly flashy and it won’t be incredibly exciting, but Wisconsin is going to be able to grind out another West division title in the final six weeks of the season.

Just like it grinded out those final eight minutes against Purdue.