Both Wisconsin and Northwestern are in the midst of seasons that they’ve packed to the brim with turbulence. The 2-3 Badgers are coming off a 24-point blowout at home to Illinois last Saturday. The day after, they thrust defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard into an interim head coach role after firing Paul Chryst, who won 67 games and six bowl games in seven full seasons with Wisconsin.
The 1-4 ‘Cats aren’t faring much better, though they did hang around against No. 10 Penn State on the road in a game most expected to be a blowout. The Big Ten West rivals should put on a defensive slugfest for Homecoming Weekend, making every point and big play all the more important.