White Suburban Punk

So, was it a successful football season?

Anytime your team loses its bowl game, the answer has to lean towards no. Wisconsin football has certainly come a long way, though. Not long ago, just making any bowl game was a successful season. But the expectations are much higher now. In the last two seasons, Wisconsin has taken the mantle from Ohio State as the best team in the Big Ten. But it’s tainted by back-to-back losses in the Rose Bowl.

Just think how harsh the last four losses have been for fans of this team. The game-tying two point conversion batted down in last year’s Rose Bowl. The Hail Mary at Michigan State. The inexplicable defensive breakdown at Ohio State. And then everything that went wrong in this year’s Rose Bowl. Each loss heartbreaking, stunning, a sucker punch to the stomach.

And where are the countervailing wins, the ones we didn’t deserve but pulled out? There haven’t been any, at least not in the last year. The Nebraska game had loads of pregame hype, but it was a rout. The Penn State game was for the division championship, and it was another rout. The Big Ten Championship was a wild, fantastic game, but it just seemed like it was the Badgers’ turn. Aren’t these things supposed to even out?

At this time last year, expectations for Wisconsin football were fairly low. There was a lot of talent coming back, but they didn’t have anyone to play quarterback. Russell Wilson transformed everything and showed Wisconsin fans how much better their program could be with a legitimately elite quarterback. The Badgers finished #10 in the AP poll and were quite literally two plays away from playing for the national championship.

This year’s situation is remarkably similar, but more serious. Wisconsin loses some great talent on the offensive line again, but it seems there is always more to come. Montee Ball decided to come back for his senior year, even though there is virtually no chance he will be able to approach the numbers he compiled this season. Once again, the quarterback position is the big question on the field. But now Bret Bielema also has to replace almost all of his offensive assistants. Paul Chryst took the head job at Pittsburgh and took several coaches with him, including the recruiting coordinator, Joe Rudolph. So this offseason will really be like none other for Bielema.

No matter who he gets to run the offense, given the turmoil at Penn State and the fact that Ohio State is ineligible for postseason play next year, it looks like it will be between Wisconsin and Purdue for next year’s division title, so another trip to the conference championship is likely. So even if they take a huge step backward, they may still be one game away from a third straight trip to Pasadena.

The day after the Rose Bowl, Wisconsin basketball lost at home to Michigan State on one of the most bizarre plays I’ve ever seen, where the clocks at the Kohl Center were out of sync so a Ryan Evans tying three pointer in overtime was disallowed. That was the second straight home loss, and the Badgers went on to lose at Michigan to make it three in a row. I guess they’re not as good as we thought they were. At this point, losses like these just feel like par for the course, like I almost feel numb to them. I don’t know, maybe it’s from growing up a Red Sox fan.

We’ve finally arrived at the much-anticipated Nebraska week, Nebraska’s first Big Ten conference game (next week they’re at home for Ohio State). A quick check of Stub Hub today found tickets available from $200 to $5,000. Big game. ESPN College Game Day will be in Madison and it’s a prime time, 8:00 Eastern start on ABC with Uncle Brent Musberger.

The Badgers are ranked #7, Huskers #8. Nebraska is currently #8 in the nation in rushing offense. QB Taylor Martinez, 6-1 200 lbs., has averaged 105.2 yards per game and I-Back Rex Burkhead, 5-11 210 lbs., is at 105.0 yards per game. Wisconsin is ranked #22 in rush defense, but they’ve stopped running quarterbacks twice so far in Northern Illinois’ Chandler Harnish and South Dakota’s Dante Warren. Wyoming and Washington both managed to slow down Martinez’s running (combined 29-120, 2 TD) but Burkhead ran wild against them.

If Wisconsin has a weakness, it’s in the secondary, but Martinez has not shown he can exploit it. The Huskers have averaged just 167 yards per game through the air against Tennessee-Chattanooga, Fresno State, Washington and Wyoming and Martinez has been just 10-21 in each of the last two games.

Offensively, Wisconsin has been stellar so far against weak competition, while Nebraska’s Blackshirt defense has been surprisingly weak, allowing 29 points to Fresno State and 38 to Washington.

Nebraska leads the nation in kickoff returns behind Ameer Abdullah and they are also solid in the rest of the special teams. Wisconsin has had few punts, but Brad Nortman has been solid when called upon. Kyle French continues to kick field goals for the injured Philip Welch and he is 2-4, with both misses from beyond 50 yards.

I’m calling a rout. It’ll be Russell Wilson’s first chance to shine in prime time for the Badgers and an opportunity for him to get into the Heisman race and get Wisconsin into the national title discussion. It’s time to show the nation if we belong with LSU, Alabama, and Oklahoma. It’ll be Badgers 52-24.

The Badgers have certainly looked impressive so far, beating UNLV 51-17 and then shutting out Oregon State 35-0 last week. The only significant injury to this point has been junior cornerback Devin Smith, who was lost for the year early in the Oregon State game. Depth in the secondary could quickly become an issue. The next backups at corner are all freshmen or redshirt freshmen. Something to watch.

Next up is Northern Illinois at Soldier Field in Chicago. Surprisingly, ticket sales have been pretty slow and officials are expecting just 40,000 at the game. Tickets are apparently very expensive — $90, $75, and $60.

Northern Illinois presents a significant challenge — a legitimate quarterback. Chandler Harnish is really good, and his stats make him sound like a Russell Wilson who just runs more. In week one’s 49-26 dismantling of Army, Harnish ran 11 times for 80 yards and a touchdown and through the air was 12-19 for 195 yards and 5 TDs. Last week was kind of a shocker, though. Northern Illinois were 6.5 point favorites on the road at Kansas and lost, 45-42. Harnish was 27-33 for 315 and 2TDs, and ran for 89 yards and 3 TDs. Kansas got the game winning touchdown pass on fourth down with 9 seconds left. So it looks like the Huskies will be able to score on virtually anyone but will struggle defensively. The Badgers will need another huge game from the two-headed rushing attack of Montee Ball and James White and continued efficient, mistake-free quarterback play from Russell Wilson. The Badgers are 16.5 point favorites, so I’ll go with 52-35 for my score.

It should be an entertaining game — it’s too bad it’s not on TV. Anywhere. Since it’s a Northern Illinois home game, and the MAC has an agreement with ESPN, the Big Ten Network is unable to carry it and the “ESPN family of networks” has other games they’re showing. It will apparently be shown on ESPN3. It’s a 3:30 Eastern start.

In other NCAA news, The Atlantic has a huge story about the NCAA titled “The Shame of College Sports.” It’s written by Taylor Branch, a Pulitzer Prize-winning civil rights historian, so when he says the NCAA gives off “whiff of the plantation,” he knows what he’s talking about. He attacks the notions of “amateurism” and “student-athletes” as basically sham concepts with no legal definition used by universities to exploit the skills of their athletes. The argument the NCAA has used is that their “student-athletes” have no right to due process because they essentially have no rights at all. Yikes. The piece doesn’t really present new information or arguments, but I’ve never seen the issue examined in such depth and by such an esteemed reporter. It really helps that he’s not a sports guy.

Collegefootballnews.com released its 2011 Wisconsin preview this week.  Written by the excellent Pete Fiutak, who is a must-read during the season, the article challenges Bret Bielema’s team to take the next step to the consistently elite level of college football.  It begins: “Wisconsin, your opportunity is now.  This is when it’s time to become a true superpower.”

Fiutak foresees big years from senior wide receiver Nick Toon and sophomore linebacker Chris Borland.  Toon, at 6-3, 213 lbs., will be getting long looks from NFL scouts this year.  He had numerous injury problems last year and has yet to have a consistently strong season.  Borland dislocated his shoulder early last season after a superb freshman year.

The biggest question mark will be on the defensive line.  Even with JJ Watt last year, the Badgers were just 91st in the nation in tackles for loss. The pressure will be on defensive tackles Patrick Butrym and Jordan Kohout to both stay healthy and anchor the line, especially against strong running teams like Northern Illinois, Nebraska, Michigan State and Ohio State.

Quarterback Russell Wilson comes in with a reputation for ball security based on his freshman season, when he set the NCAA record for consecutive passes without an interception.  However, Fiutak points out that he threw 14 interceptions last year and 25 over the last two years.  Of course, that was for NC State, which had a terrible offensive line and virtually no running game.

The schedule is good early, tough late.  Of the first six games, all are at home except Northern Illinois at neutral site Soldiers Field, although Wisconsin support will be overwhelming there.  The out of conference slate is UNLV, Oregon State, Northern Illinois, and South Dakota, and then the Big Ten opener is against Nebraska in prime time at Camp Randall.  After an open date and then Indiana at home, the Badgers have a brutal stretch where they are on the road for four of the next five weeks — at Michigan State, at Ohio State, home for Purdue, at Minnesota, at Illinois.  And oh yeah, they finish at home against Penn State.

For a reminder, the Leaders Division is Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin.  The Ohio State game will obviously be huge for the division title, as well as the finale against the Nittany Lions.  The Badgers could be 6-0 heading into Oct. 29 in Columbus, and if they don’t win that game, they probably won’t win the division.  Not making the conference championship game could make it very difficult to get an at large BCS berth, too.  That game is also in prime time and will be a revenge game for the Buckeyes, as last year’s matchup was the only game that tOSU didn’t need to vacate because of Jim Tressel hiding known NCAA violations.  The Bucks are also fortunate enough to have an open date the week before the game.

Fiutak concludes that the season will be a success if the Badgers get back to the BCS.  He thinks an undefeated season is too much to ask, but 10-2 or 11-1 is very possible.  I obviously have to agree, but there are a lot of land mines out there this year.  Nebraska, at Mich. St., at Ohio St., and Penn St. at home are all brutal.  A lot of things went right for Wisconsin last year, and those things tend to return to the mean.  They actually deserved to lose to Arizona State, they barely beat Iowa, and they beat a terrible San Jose State team by less than two touchdowns.  Of course, at the end of the regular season they may have been the best team in the nation.  They need to use the Rose Bowl loss to TCU as motivation and get strong play from Wilson, and there’s a chance the defense could be a very powerful surprise.

Fiutak concludes: “A third straight double-digit win season, another trip to a BCS game, and another huge year for the Badgers should all be there for the taking. Now it’s time to get used to the role of being big-time, and now it’s time for the expectations to be sky-high on a regular basis.

“Now it’s time to be a consistent superpower.”

50 days until kickoff.

Former North Carolina State star quarterback Russell Wilson is giving up on baseball and will use his final year of collegiate eligibility at Wisconsin.  In a vicious (but accurate) shot at the ACC, Wilson said he wanted to play “big time college football.”

Wilson started all three of his years at NC State and was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round of the 2010 draft.  He was struggling mightily for the Single A Asheville Tourists, hitting .228 with 82 strikeouts in 183 at bats.  He had to return a portion of his $250,000 signing bonus, but a Rockies spokesman said he would be welcomed back if he chooses.

Wilson’s decision came down to baseball, Auburn, or Wisconsin.  He graduated from NC State in three years and therefore is allowed to transfer without sitting out a year.  He is apparently also taking advantage of a graduate student exception where a student-athlete can transfer without sitting out by signing up for a graduate course not offered by his current school.

Wilson is a mobile quarterback and a playmaker who has a reputation for not making many mistakes.  He had a 76-26 TD-INT ratio at NC State and by all accounts is very intelligent and will be able to pick up the offense quickly.  It appears that the Badgers’ biggest hole has been filled in a big way.  Plus, with the Badgers’ running attack, he won’t be asked to do nearly as much as he was previously.

Numerous analysts are saying Wisconsin is now the Big Ten or at least the Leaders Division favorite, and some are saying the Badgers are now a national title contender.  Dave Curtis of the Sporting News has a very interesting article arguing that Wilson represents the continuation of a Big Ten power shift from Ohio State to Wisconsin.  The upcoming football season just got a whole lot more interesting.  Relevant dates:

Thurs. Sept. 1 — opening game vs. UNLV at Camp Randall

Oct. 1, 8 PM — Nebraska at Camp Randall, Big Ten opener

Oct. 22, 8 PM — at Michigan State

Oct. 29, 8 PM — at Ohio State

Nov. 26, regular season finale – Penn State at Camp Randall

Former University of Wisconsin athletic director Pat Richter had some strong words for North Carolina coach Roy Williams on his radio show in May regarding the Badgers’ upcoming matchup with North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the ACC/Big Ten challenge.

“I know darn well that you’ll never get Roy Williams here. He won’t come to Wisconsin; he’s afraid the people are going to boo him and everything else. I think that’s all bogus.  They should have been at our place a long time ago and it never happened.  And here we go again — we’ve got to go down there when they’re supposed to have all these horses back, and it’s going to be a tough road for us. Who’s going to benefit but Roy Williams?  And I think Roy Williams squeals. He’s never really had to pay his dues, so to speak, like a Bo Ryan and Dick Bennett.”

North Carolina will undoubtedly be #1 in next year’s preseason rankings.  Richter apparently has a long memory.  When Williams was the coach at Kansas, he took a shot at Wisconsin and then-coach Dick Bennett after Kansas beat UCLA 99-98 in its season opener in 2000.  Wisconsin had lost to Michigan State in the previous Final Four, a game with a halftime score of 19-17.

Williams said, “Are you going to tell me you don’t like this more than 19-17 at halftime? I’m not a nuclear physicist, but you make the choice. We’re trying to make it a game of basketball skills, not a weight room contest.”

The Final Four appearance was the pinnacle of Bennett’s long and storied career and Williams’ comments were widely viewed as a cheap shot at a highly respected coach.  Kansas played in the 2002 Midwest Regional at the Kohl Center and Williams was booed vociferously by the Wisconsin crowd.  He’s never been back.  The Badgers are 152-11 at the Kohl Center in 10 seasons under Bo Ryan, including 16-0 last year.

Williams responded to Richter on Tuesday.

“Former athletic directors don’t have enough to do,” Williams said.  “I guess that’s what that was.  The fact of the matter is that Wisconsin had home games in two straight years.  The fact of the matter is that I’ve been here eight years and [in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge] we’ve played three true home games and Illinois in Greensboro. And we’ve played three true road games and Michigan State in Detroit. So you can say that’s four and four. The fact of the matter is that in 12 years [of the Challenge], Carolina is 6-6. The fact of the matter is that in 12 years, Wisconsin is 6-6.  The fact of the matter is I called and said ‘Who are we going to play?’ I have never told them I want to play anybody. I’ve never told them I don’t want to play anybody. They have more important things to do then think about what the dickens I want to say anyway.  The fact of the matter is I was on the rules committee and said the style of play was getting too physical.  The fact of the matter is that I am very good friends with Dick Bennett and Tom Izzo.  The fact of the matter is I don’t care what somebody else says.”

For somebody who doesn’t care what anybody else says, the fact of the matter is that he had quite a lengthy response and took the time to check the Badgers’ record in the last 12 years.  But at least he’s good friends with Izzo; that will surely endear him to Wisconsin fans.