Wisconsin used to have an identity of a killer D with a strong run game. They have had some of the most consistent and explosive backs in the country for 20 years.
This year they have no defensive identity and Mertz has been a complete bust outside his first game or two a few years ago. The running game has been mostly kept in check since it's literally the only thing defenses have to account for.
The crazy thing is their QB play has always been pedestrian at best, and then Mertz comes in as a highly rated QB and struggles.
I think Chryst isn’t good. It’s really hard to judge these west teams, though. It has been one of the bottom P5 divisions every year since it’s inception, and has even had years where G5 conferences have had higher SOS.
There has never been a divisional unbalance this large and for this long. Not even close. SEC East and Big 12 North had 3 year periods of being terrible, but that was it. This has been consistent and zero signs of any of the current west teams being competitive.