I’m not usually one for overreactions, but it’s clear that the Big Ten West title is remaining in Badger-land this year.

It’s fun to play the “what if” game and wonder if cleaner Hawkeye special-team play would have changed the outcome of Wisconsin’s Sept. 22 game against the Hawkeyes, but the truth is the Badgers deserved to win.

Despite a seemingly flukey loss to BYU, this Wisconsin team is good. Very good.

There are a few reasons for this, and the quarterback is one. Alex Hornibrook proved a lot against a good Iowa defense. He passed for 205 yards and threw 3 touchdowns. Oh, and he didn’t throw any interceptions, which is quite a bit better than the 3 he threw against the Hawkeye defense last season.

His improvement from last year is immense. If he continues that level of play, and Wisconsin keeps sophomore star Jonathan Taylor healthy, the Badgers are not only a shoo-in to win the West, but are a threat to win the Big Ten title.

While the Iowa offense has shown improvement, the Wisconsin defense made stops when it needed them. Big plays came especially from the Badger linebackers.

While the Hawkeye offensive line didn’t give up any sacks, senior Ryan Connelly forced some bad throws from Nate Stanley. And Wisconsin linebacker T.J. Edwards grabbed the last-chance throw from Stanley to seal the Badger win.

Wisconsin’s schedule is fairly favorable, as well. The tougher games for it come against Michigan and Penn State, which have both proven quite vulnerable.

Having won this head-to-head against Iowa, the West title is Wisconsin’s for the taking. A trip to Indianapolis is in the cards for the Badgers, and they have reason to be excited about this team.