2017 Wisconsin Football Thread

[Fear The Chorizo]

The Big10 could easily run the table in bowl games this year - that typically would send a strong message that the league was vastly underrated this season...if the conference was the SEC or ACC, at least.

 

regardless of how it's perceived nationally, it'd be great for the conference to finish bowl season off strong and at least give them something to pump up preseason hype machines for next year's week 1 rankings - since that ranking is still the most important one for college football, unfortunately.

[AKCheesehead]

I just don't want to see Wisconsin be the only Big 10 team to lose their bowl game this year. Plus, I was at the Miami game in 89 and stayed for the whole show as they kicked Bucky's hind end 51-3. Sure, Wisconsin got some payback for me in the Champs bowl in 09 but I still want more. That game in 89 stunk that bad.

[pacopete4]

ALl lies with Hornibrook. Can he stay away from making mistakes?

[pacopete4]

Badgers just aren’t that good. Case closed.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Badgers just aren’t that good. Case closed.

 

So, they've played one bad quarter and that's it? I'm shutting it off now then. Thanks!

[young guns]

Better turn it back on, were good again!

[DuWayne Steurer]

Better turn it back on, were good again!

 

Thank goodness!

[DuWayne Steurer]

Hornibrook has been ridiculous in the 2nd quarter. The defense has put them in position to be successful and Hornibrook has been absolutely on fire.

[owbc]

That might have been the best quarter of Wisconsin football I have ever seen.

[Fear The Chorizo]

If Bucky wins this game, there won't be many better bowl wins this year - regardless of what happens during the CFP games...Badgers are basically playing a road game tonight.

 

I've long thought Miami was overrated ever since dismantling the Irish, and the beatdown Clemson put on them erased all doubt, but they're still a quality team - particularly when playing in Miami. A win like this would be huge for WI.

[DuWayne Steurer]

I didn't think Hornibrook had this kind of game in him. I thought the Badgers would come in here and win a lower scoring game (like 17 - 14), but do it despite Hornibrook. There's still 8 minutes to go, and let's hope they hang on, but dude has had himself a night.

[pacopete4]

Horni4Heisman

 

Let the campaign begin.

 

Why couldn’t that guy come to play against OSU?

[DuWayne Steurer]

Badgers just aren’t that good. Case closed.

 

 

ahem.......

[Fear The Chorizo]

Hornibrook's arm will always be a limitation, but college quarterbacks don't have to be top 5 NFL talents to win. His 3 losses as a starting QB in college have been at Michigan by 7, home against OSU last year in OT, and against OSU in the Big 10 title game by 6. For all his warts, the kid makes plays more often than not when he needs to.

 

Fumagali graduating is a big loss on offense, but the Badgers always seem to find TE's that can play. Getting Cephus back in their WR stable and Taylor back at RB behind a dominant OL will make their offense really good next year if Hornibrook keeps progressing and key pieces stay healthy. If their defense doesn't fall off the face of the earth due to the graduations/early NFL entries, they'll be right back in the mix next season. Three tough road games at Iowa, Michigan, and Penn State should be enough to silence most of the cupcake schedule ?s that this year's squad dealt with, too.

 

Big Ten 7-0 in bowl games with only a winnable MICH / South Carolina matchup left...pundits spent about two months arguing over which 1-loss teams had the "best" loss on their resume. After recent results, there's no arguing that the Badgers' one score loss against the Buckeyes looks the best right now among the teams that were battling for playoff consideration down the stretch. One can argue endlessly whether a 2-loss OSU Big Ten champ deserved to get into the playoff over Alabama (I think they should have been), but with how bowl season has played out, I wouldn't be surprised if after the Jan 1 games there's alot of people thinking that the Big 10 title game probably had 2 of the nation's 4 best teams this year playing each other - and it's a shame neither of them got a shot at the national title. Go to a 6 team playoff, same committee approach with the top 2 teams getting a bye.

[pacopete4]

Badgers just aren’t that good. Case closed.

 

 

ahem.......

 

What can I say, they faced a team that’s just a little bit worse.

 

 

Already booked my weekend in Indy for the rematch with OSU next season.

[LouisEly]

I wonder what the won-loss record is for Top 25 teams with home night games this past season? Have any ever lost?

 

The NCAA playoff committee can kiss my royal white arse.

[PeaveyFury]

Nelson apparently received a 2nd round grade from the advisory committee, and will be declaring.

 

Statistically, he had a great season. But even last night, it seemed like he was involved/at fault for many of the busted plays throughout the season. Best of luck to him.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Long way to go this New Year's Day, but it's shaping up to be an 8-0 bowl season for the Big Ten - and could be an epic pantsing of the SEC all across their home network.

[nate82]

Long way to go this New Year's Day, but it's shaping up to be an 8-0 bowl season for the Big Ten - and could be an epic pantsing of the SEC all across their home network.

 

Michigan lost to South Carolina and it looks like it is going to be a toss up between Notre Dame and LSU while UCF looks like they are going to beat Auburn.

[pacopete4]

Down with the SEC!

 

Harbaugh losing is still fun.

 

UCF is the national champs in my book. Screw the playoff system.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Even with Michigan losing by beating themselves again, outcomes of games today should go a long way towards adjusting this system, or at least perceptions of conferences for 2018. UCF beating auburn drives that home in a big way. Would love to see a sooner clemson title game.

[lcbj68c]

Even with Michigan losing by beating themselves again, outcomes of games today should go a long way towards adjusting this system, or at least perceptions of conferences for 2018. UCF beating auburn drives that home in a big way. Would love to see a sooner clemson title game.

 

An All SEC Final squashes that momentum.

[sdcheezhd]

Horni4Heisman

 

Let the campaign begin.

 

Why couldn’t that guy come to play against OSU?

 

He did but so did OSU's D line. Hornibrook looked better against them than Darnold did.

[pacopete4]

Horni4Heisman

 

Let the campaign begin.

 

Why couldn’t that guy come to play against OSU?

 

He did but so did OSU's D line. Hornibrook looked better against them than Darnold did.

 

Yeah their dline played well but the momentum swing off his first interception was brutal. He wasn’t pressured. In fact he had no one around him even. He just made a Hornibrook throw that had no business being thrown. Going forward, we can’t have that guy. He had to be better.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Even with Michigan losing by beating themselves again, outcomes of games today should go a long way towards adjusting this system, or at least perceptions of conferences for 2018. UCF beating auburn drives that home in a big way. Would love to see a sooner clemson title game.

 

An All SEC Final squashes that momentum.

 

I'd argue the all SEC Final is a product of the flawed system - if you call it a "playoff", you can't leave two of the five power conferences out of it altogether. Plus there's the fact that UCF beat a now 4-loss Auburn team yesterday - the same Auburn team that was everyone's shoe-in 2-loss playoff representative had they beaten Georgia in the SEC title game. Had Auburn won the SEC title and the Badgers beaten OSU, I think there would've been a legit chance that Alabama would've still been selected and an undefeated WI would've gotten snubbed from the CFP since their "best" win would've been against a 3-loss buckeye squad.

 

I wouldn't have put UCF in the final 4, but they were ranked #12 coming into their bowl game as the only undefeated D1 program - Frost's comments yesterday about suppressing their poll rankings are spot on. To me, yesterday's slate of games just looked so bad and annoying, and made the collusion between ESPN, the SEC, and the CFP obvious - all on ESPN aside from the ND game, all with the stupid "Finebaum room" scroll across the ticker pimping the "talking head" show the SEC network had on during these games, all with an SEC school playing in the game. I get that ESPN was the network dumb enough to shell out a mountain of cash for CFP game broadcast rights - but you'd think someone there would realize how bad jamming an SEC team into each of their New Year's Bowl games looks when they have the obvious financial interest in the SEC network.

 

I cut the cable cord last year and frankly was thrilled to not watch any football yesterday aside from ND/LSU. I'm sure Alabama looked like a well-rested, healthy, and prepared club last night - must be nice to have a playoff spot without needing to add to the wear and tear and risking further injuries by actually playing in a conference title game, and having an extra week to prepare than anyone else.