The wild, wild west is usually a cliche used to describe the setting of an old cowboy movie starring Clint Eastwood or Sam Elliot.

In 2022, that phrase can also characterize the Big Ten West, starring Kirk Ferentz, Charlie Jones, Tanner Morgan, and Chase Brown.

If you’re reading this, you know who Kirk Ferentz and Charlie Jones are, but you might not know that Tanner Morgan calls the signals for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Chase Brown gets chased by defenders as Illinois’ star running back.

The Hawkeyes, Golden Gophers, Fighting Illini, and Jones’ Boilermakers are each part of a six-way tie at the top of the seven-team Big Ten West along with Nebraska and Northwestern at 1-1 in conference play. Illinois, Northwestern, and Purdue are technically the top three teams because their Big Ten wins came against other teams in the West.

When the dust settles, I think Iowa will repeat as West champions and run into a Buckeye stampede at Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts.

Behind an improving running game and a stout defense, I believe the Hawkeyes have the horsepower to leave the rest of the West in the dust.

In all seriousness, Iowa’s loss to No. 4 Michigan last week at Kinnick Stadium gave me hope — in the second half.

The first half was bad, but Iowa got some first downs, which exceeded my expectations.

While the Hawkeye defense struggled in the first 30 minutes, I chalk that up to one simple thing: Michigan is better than Iowa. If Michigan was in the West, I would not be writing this.

But the fact that Iowa was six yards away from drawing within one score of the fourth-best team in the country with seven minutes left in the game, after scoring two safeties and a field goal against an FCS team a month ago, is promising.

Michigan is better than any team Iowa will face in the West, and the Hawkeyes held their own against the Wolverines. The Iowa pass blocking looked better than it has all year, and the defense made adjustments in the second half that limited Michigan to just 91 total yards in the final 30 minutes. Meanwhile, Iowa’s offense hummed to the tune of 190 yards in the final two quarters.

Kirk Ferentz’s teams don’t usually get worse as the season goes along, and this year’s model looks like it’s improving quickly. After last week’s showing, I wouldn’t be surprised if team buses destined for Indianapolis were leaving Iowa City in early December for the second-straight year.