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The Athletic’s Scott Dochterman named the Wisconsin Badgers as a ‘dangerous trap game’ for the No. 4-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions.
The two square off on Oct. 26, just two weeks from Saturday. Wisconsin first plays at Rutgers (Oct. 12) and at Northwestern (Oct. 19) before returning home for the premier showdown.
Related: Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 6: Stage is set for Oregon vs. Ohio State
Penn State, meanwhile, is now entering the gauntlet part of its schedule. It travels to USC (Oct. 12), has a bye week, travels to Wisconsin, and then hosts No. 2 Ohio State (Nov. 2) in its biggest game of the season.
The trip to Wisconsin is sandwiched between those two defining games for Penn State. That is a crucial part of the criteria of being a true ‘trap’ game, along with the Badgers not being up to their normal high-end standard.
Here’s what Dochterman wrote about the Nittany Lions’ upcoming trip to Madison, Wisconsin:
The Badgers are out of the limelight but Camp Randall Stadium will be rocking as usual. Penn State has won the last five in this series and comes off a bye. That history can work against the Nittany Lions, especially because this game comes one week before hosting Ohio State. Look past Wisconsin (3-2) at your own risk.
Again, Penn State plays Wisconsin the week before the biggest game on the schedule. That creates a danger, one which is only accentuated by the fact that the Badgers and their fans will view the matchup as one of the biggest on their remaining schedule.
In other words: Penn State’s ‘Super Bowl’ is Nov. 2 vs. Ohio State. Wisconsin’s ‘Super Bowl,’ however, may be its contest against Penn State.
The potential upset win would be season-changing for the Wisconsin Badgers. It would make bowl eligibility a near-certainty, and give Luke Fickell a premier victory in his second year in charge. Fickell is still trying to build his program at Wisconsin. A win over a top-5 team would be a big help for that cause.
The Badgers upcoming games against Penn State and Oregon will be at the top of mind when the calendar turns to late-October. For now, the Badgers need to take care of business against Rutgers and Northwestern over the next two weeks.
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Story originally appeared on Badgers Wire