MADISON, Wis. -- Safety Michael Caputo said he held no rooting interest whatsoever when Nebraska played Northwestern on Saturday. Right tackle Rob Havenstein, meanwhile, insisted he rooted only for a good game.
It has become routine for players in general to offer politically correct responses so as to avoid offending anybody. But really, who are they kidding? If Nebraska won, Wisconsin would control its own path to the Big Ten championship game. If Northwestern won, Wisconsin would not.
So, allow Badgers tailback Melvin Gordon to say what most teammates likely were thinking:
"I was rooting for Nebraska that game," Gordon said. "I'm not going to lie. I knew (Northwestern) had to lose twice for us to really get back in order. I knew the two teams that would really give them a fight were Minnesota and Nebraska. It's on us now. If we win out, we'll be exactly where we want to be."
In the topsy-turvy world of the Big Ten West, all it took was a Wisconsin bye week for the Badgers to improve their standing. Northwestern, which knocked off Wisconsin only three weeks ago in Evanston, now finds itself trailing the Badgers in the loss column after dropping consecutive games to Minnesota and Nebraska.
And don't think for a second that Wisconsin players and coaches aren't aware of the Badgers' league status.
"I think we absolutely talk about it, yes," Badgers coach Gary Andersen said Monday during his weekly news conference. "I walk through the coaches' offices and their meeting rooms. A lot of those coaches have the standings up on the board once we get into the Big Ten, so the kids understand where they sit. I would be very hopeful that our kids already know that, which I'm sure they do."
Through two Big Ten games, the Badgers have done little to inspire confidence in fans that they can run the table the rest of the regular season. Wisconsin lost 20-14 to Northwestern and followed up that performance with a closer-than-expected 38-28 victory against Illinois. Still, Wisconsin very well could be favored in its final six games.
The road to a Big Ten championship appearance begins anew at 11 a.m. Saturday against Maryland at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin is favored by as many as 11.5 points, according to Vegas oddsmakers.
"Even when we just lost to Northwestern, coming in and talking, we were just saying we have to win out the rest of the way and things will fall hopefully back into our hands," Caputo said. "It's kind of heading that way. I don't mean to call it out and jinx it like that. But that's just how it is. I think if we just come out and keep battling and winning, I think it's going to keep going the way we would like it to go."
The problem with looking too far down the road, of course, is that it can bite a team well before goals come to fruition. Maryland is coming off its biggest victory of the year, a 38-31 triumph against Iowa. Road games also loom for Wisconsin against Rutgers and Iowa, and home contests against Nebraska and Minnesota are no gimmies, either.
"I'd be lying to you if I said no one has put a thought to it, but we're not dwelling on it," Havenstein said. "All we can control is what we can control. Our goal every week is to win."
When the season began, many presumed the West division race would be a battle between Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska. But the division has proven to be even more difficult than most anticipated. Minnesota, at 3-0, is off to its best conference start since 1990. The Gophers also cracked the coaches' top-25 poll at No. 24 this week.
At this stage, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin each can lay claim to controlling its own path to the league title game.
"I would say I felt going in it was going to be very competitive," Andersen said. "Much more so than what everybody turned around and talked about. And I think it's shown to be that at this point. Every team can line up and play, and they have playmakers. . . .
"I'm not surprised at all with how competitive it is. And I think it will continue to remain competitive, quite frankly, probably right down to the last week. There might be four teams left in that thing at the end. Who knows as you look at it? It's crazy right now. It'll work its way out."
Wisconsin has much work remaining, but the Badgers are hopeful the season works out in their favor.
"The Big Ten championship is still really there for a lot of teams," Gordon said. "It's a lot at stake, so you're going to get your best from every team."
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