Wisconsin and Purdue share a less-than-desirable standing through Week 5

A graph shows where Wisconsin and Purdue stand entering Week 5:

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.

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 current trend and start its season headed in the right direction.

The Badgers and Boilermakers will kick off at noon ET, 11 a.m. CT on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium in what is becoming a must-win game for both programs.

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