Wisconsin Badgers are 6-0 to start the season. It is only the third time in recent years where they’ve been 6-0. In 2017 when they were 6-0, it was not as impressive. In 2011 when they went 6-0, they looked dominant in those six games before falling to Kirk Cousins on a Hail Mary and Braxton Miller in a similar play next week. Wisconsin is a 31-point favorite against Illinois this weekend, therefore, it is looking like they will be 7-0 heading into their showdown against Ohio State. One of the reasons why the Badgers are successful this year that hasn’t been talked about enough is their aggressive nature to go for it on fourth down. Jeff Potrykus did a great job diving deep into this today.

This is a far cry of things said about head coach Paul Chryst in the past. People criticized him for being too conservative. That hasn’t been the case this season. Chryst is showing innovation and a new-school approach to going for things on fourth down. He is not Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson where he goes for it more times than expected, but he’s willing to take the risk. Chryst said to Potrkyus that it comes down to ‘trust’ in these guys, but part of me thinks Chryst is a student of the game seeing how it helps him to go for it versus taking a field goal or a short punt.

The other part of Chryst trusting his offense on fourth down is the defense. Wisconsin has a killer defense, and Chryst knows if Wisconsin fails on fourth down, the defense likely will get them the ball back. When you have a good defense, it is easier to go for it on fourth down. Odds are in their favor without question.

Wisconsin heads on the road in the coming weeks and the opponents get better. Hopefully, this aggressive Wisconsin team will continue as the year goes on.

Charlie.