Upsetting Purdue two years ago was nice.

Pounding Minnesota at its stomping grounds had its sentimental value.

But Saturday for NIU football offers a potentially even more special Big Ten upset of an opponent in Wisconsin.

Unlike The Boilermakers and Gophers, the Badgers are by no means a scrub bunch.

Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema constructed an awfully talented and deep football team.

You’ve likely heard all the statements and descriptions of the Badgers throughout the week.

Chock-full of paunchy lineman up front.

Speed littered at nearly every skilled position.

From these declarations of Wisconsin, they’re pretty much a, if not the, Big Ten powerhouse.

So one might ask, “does NIU even stand a chance?”

The majority would likely karate-chop you if said yes, or even maybe.

But there’s a chance, and granted, it might be slim, but the Huskies very well could pull off the biggest upset in program history.

The best case scenario is that NIU continues its hot hand in scoring on offense – quickly, that is.

If this turns into a good old classic barn burning slobber knocker, a high scoring game for those who missed the Jim Ross reference, the Huskies will have the ammunition.

It’s almost fitting that this game is labeled as a showdown, as both teams are packing as much ammo on offense as a Michael Bay movie.

But if the Huskies stutter on offense, it won’t be easy for them to crawl from the Badgers potentiality grinding them into the ground like a bag of coffee beans.

It can happen because NIU’s defense has shown mixed faces through its first two games.

A cloud of uncertainty hovered over the Huskies defense heading into this season, and so far, it’s a steady downfall.

Losing half of your starters from the previous season isn’t something easy to digest nor easy to replace for any team.

But, the talent is definitely there for NIU’s defensive side, it just might need to be on a bigger stage to show up.

I talked with someone close to the athletic program a few weeks ago about this year’s team.

He mentioned how special they were last year, but how this year they could be special this season.

Perhaps that brief conversation was a prelude to Saturday’s game, or it might have been nothing more than just shooting the breeze.

But I know for a fact that the NIU community cannot wait to find out Saturday.