Wisconsin Badgers opened up on the road with a shutout. That is pretty rare to do. I believe it is the first time in years that Wisconsin opened up the season with a shutout. What’s even rarer is Wisconsin following up the next week at home against an FBS team with another shutout. Badgers are 110 points better than their opposition this season. That’s absurd. That does not even feel possible. Not surprising, Badgers are pushing their way toward the top of the Top 25, and that they deserve to be in the conversation with the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State for a playoff berth. There is no reason why Wisconsin should not be with that group of teams.

Player of the Game: Jack Coan – What a game for the Badgers quarterback. Coan goes for over 300 yards for the first time in his career. Badgers slung it around the field as Central Michigan played for the run. Badgers showed why they could be very lethal this season. Coan finished the game with 363 yards only seven incompletions and three touchdowns. The pass Coan made to Quintez Cephus for a 46-yard touchdown was better than anything we’ve seen from a Badgers quarterback in the last few years.

Honorable Mention: Quintez Cephus – What a moment for the Badgers wide receiver. He gets basically black-balled by the university after false allegations came out against him. Then, Cephus wins his trail, decides not to sue the university and instead play for his team. Cephus hasn’t been on the roster for more than a month, and he already looks like a great Badgers receiver. He caught six balls for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

The Thing To Think About – Is Coan the real deal?: Look, if Coan can actually be an occasional big-time quarterback and not just a game manager, Wisconsin has a great shot to be a playoff team this season. Wisconsin would combine their tenacious running attack with a better-than-average quarterback. That is a recipe of greatness right there.

The Thing That Makes Me Nervous – Graham Mertz is probably redshirting: Badgers’ stud prospect Graham Mertz told the media on Saturday that he would be probably be redshirting for the season. Now, he can play in the first four weeks of the season, but with a bye week this week then Michigan and Northwestern, it is likely the last we’ve seen of Mertz this season. Hopefully, that doesn’t affect his thoughts on Wisconsin. Coan looks like he could be the starter for the next two years.

Next up: Wisconsin will take on Michigan in two weeks at Camp Randall Stadium in a much-anticipated game. Michigan is still in its transition with their new offensive system. Badgers will look to get revenge after the blowout in Ann Arbor last year. Wolverines have not won in Madison since 2001.

Charlie.