Northwestern looked like a legitimate top-15 team and, with Wisconsin losing at home to Iowa, perhaps the favorite in the Big Ten West.
Early on, it wasn't pretty. In many ways, it was a classic Big Ten football game. But No. 16/17 Northwestern gradually turned a slugfest into a one-sided beatdown Saturday to stay undefeated and move to 5-0 (1-0 in the Big Ten). The Wildcats steamrolled Minnesota 27-0 — in a game in which they were only 3.5-point favorites — and perhaps inserted themselves atop the Big Ten West race.
Minnesota looked competent early.