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Wisconsin and Purdue enter Saturday’s matchup both badly in need of a victory.
Wisconsin, first, has lost two straight games in blowout fashion. It fell 42-10 to now-No. 1 Alabama, then 38-21 to No. 11 USC. The team sits 2-2 (0-1 Big Ten) on the season. Given the challenging schedule that lies ahead, a win on Saturday is almost a requirement.
Purdue, meanwhile, has dropped three consecutive games after its Week 1 win. None of the losses were particularly close. The Boilermakers fell 66-7 to Notre Dame, 38-21 to Oregon State, then 28-10 to Nebraska.
Bowl eligibility seems like a long shot for a Purdue program that remains in a rebuild under second-year head coach Ryan Walters. Most metrics have it currently ranked as one of the worst teams in the Power 4.
Wisconsin, believe it or not, is in a similar position through four weeks. It is also falling to the lower-left quadrant of Bud Davis’ weekly look at the Power 4 based on each team’s offensive and defensive EPA/play.
(EPA is short for Expected Points Added. In short, it measures how well a unit performs compared to the expectation on a play-by-play basis. Here is an expanded explanation.
Here is the graph, which effectively tells the story visually.
📊Opponent-Adjusted EPA/play
Weeks 1-5
▫️Ignoring the game-losing disaster plays, the Huskies are great
▫️Middle Class Fancy: Indiana, KSU, Iowa St, Louisville, TTU
▫️Huepel got a defense
▫️UNC enters the Quadrant of Despair
▫️Potential Sicko FBS Game of the Year in Camp Randall pic.twitter.com/ml7d9Qg802
— Bud Davis (@JBudDavis) September 30, 2024
Purdue is alone on the bottom left, which is not where a team wants to be. Wisconsin is positioned significantly better on offense and defense. But still, the Badgers are sliding the wrong way.
Wisconsin finding a decisive victory on Saturday could reverse the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wisconsin-purdue-share-less-desirable-121259044.html
Author : Badgers Wire
Publish date : 2024-10-01 12:12:59
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