Wisconsin Badgers

pounding day in and day out.  He's a good story, but not a legit prospect.

3.  Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball will not lose a home game this year.. with or without Jon Leuer.  Trevon Hughes and Jordan Taylor can play.  Somehow, they've managed to win 2 games they've had no business winning because of mad offensive struggles (Michigan and Penn State).  A win is a win.. especially without your leading scorer.

Continue reading "Random Sports Thoughts"

So, the saying goes that college football is only played on Saturdays and any Saturday.. anything can happen.  This is not always the case as some physical games occur on Friday nights.  Madison.com covered the basics of the story well, but they missed out a few things.. mainly my opinion.  For those of you that didn't click on the link, nearly every year for the past 10 the Wisconsin football managers have played the Iowa football managers in a slugfest of a football game.  The keys here are that the game is supposed to be:  1.  Friendly and 2.  Flag-football. 

Continue reading "The Rusty Toolbox. Wisconsin Badgers ..."

I haven't really written much lately because I've been pretty busy.. of course, that doesn't mean I don't think about football.

1.  Chris Spielman is awesome.  No nonsense, says what he thinks and how he feels.  He expects players to make plays, I wonder if he would ever want to coach.  If so, you've got to give him an interview.. at least.  I guarantee his team would have instant toughness and not hurt themselves.  There are some mid-major programs that could use this guy.

Continue reading "Random Football NCAA Thoughts"

Fresno State +8.5 vs. Wisconsin.  (Wisconsin had over 30 people sick with a 2 day flu bug and only beat Northern Illinois by 8.  Fresno State is a better opponent and is not afraid of playing big competition.  Ryan Mathews can run the ball all day and Fresno will play tough enough defense against the Badgers)

Continue reading "Operation: Centsports"

The first weekend of college football is nearly over; we've got the 2nd half of the Colorado vs. Colorado State game and tomorrow features Cincy vs. Rutgers and Miami vs. FSU.  I do have some interesting thoughts on the opening weekend. 

Continue reading "Random College Football Thoughts"

I have a love/hate relationship with the Big 10 Network.  You see, I am from Wisconsin, land of cheese, cows, brats, burgers and Big 10 Sports.  The weather, the game atmosphere, the rivalries, the fans, and the ugly fights in the trenches appeal to me.  So, naturally the Big 10 previews, the classic games, and the live games are amazing to me.  Look, I hate Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, and Ohio State; I mean really hate.. yet, here I tun in and watch Iowa beat LSU on a hail mary, Michigan vs. Ohio State, Ohio State's improbable win over Miami.  Why?  I think they are clearly great games; I know the players, the tradition, and the result.  I laugh to myself watching Jeff George sling the rock, ol Jess Settles battling in the paint, and seeing Desmond Howard strike the pose.  Just classic.

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JSONLINE.com just released an article about things changing for the Wisconsin Badgers' football team; the rumor is that this year they are going to focus on being disciplined and just playing the game.  What?  Is this the same Badgers team that ripped off 7 wins and was embarassed 13-42 in their bowl game against FSU?  The same team, that in that game, made a tackle after a 13 yard gain being down by 20+ points and celebrated like this?  I'm pretty sure the first 30 seconds on that video are game footage from the Champs Sports Bowl.  This is also the same team that ripped off a solid 69 penalties last year for 616 yards, including their Head Coach getting a 15 yard unsportsmenlike conduct penalty at Michigan State in an epic meltdown.  Here are some "highlights" so you can remember that game.  (How does somebody cover a game and not show a coach getting flagged?  It's not like that happens a lot to football coaches.  This isn't basketball or baseball where it's expected.. it's football.  How many coaches have you seen getting flagged?  Remember Coach B:  OWNERSHIP)

Continue reading "Wisconsin Badgers: Just Play Ball"

It’s an intriguing weekend in the Big Ten this week, as all five underdogs are at home.  That is quite the rare feat, and we know that somebody is going to jump up and pull off an upset at home.  So , which team will actually defend its home turf?  I’m going with Michigan, despite the fact they haven’t been doing such a great job of winning at home so far this year.  The three home losses this year have me thinking that the home-field advantage is less of a factor than is the Spartans’ one-dimensional offense.  Michigan’s three poor defensive performances have come against Brian Johnson, Juice Williams, and Daryll Clark.  Brian Hoyer is not on that level, and the Michigan front seven should be able to gang up on Javon Ringer and keep itself off the field.Otherwise, the other four road favorites should have enough in their arsenal to get wins.  That includes Penn State, who is capable of making a big statement in the de facto Big Ten Championship.  The offense hasn’t been slowed yet this year, and the Buckeyes will only be able to keep them in check for so long.

Continue reading "10-25 Big Ten Picks"

Quick -- name the 3rd best team in the Big Ten!  You might have to get your hands dirty.  You’re not sifting through grade-A football anymore.  But no worries, you’ll find something.  What did you come up with?... that can’t be right.  Minnesota? Northwestern? Michigan State?  Illinois?  Okay, just abort this grizzly mission, then.  Listen, I know it’s been awhile but what more can I say about this season now that most teams are already halfway through the conference schedule.  In the span of 10 minutes sitting in a bar in Madison, Wisconsin, I watched the winningest program in the history of the sport lose to Toledo at home, and saw Juice Williams throw for 440 yards yet lose at home to Minnesota.  A few hours later, I sat in Camp Randall Stadium to witness a once-Top 10 team that had lost 2 games at home in 4 years get beat by 41 points before a typically infamously raucous home crowd.  So what gives?This is truly a very topsy-turvy season for some of the more common reasons, and some deeper reasons as well.  While turnovers and poor quarterback play have been significantly responsible for the craziness that has occurred, it can not be overlooked that there are some serious tides that are changin’.  For anyone who wondered, Michigan football will never quite be the way it has been for the last 40 years.  I’m not saying they won’t be very good, and at times, better than they’ve been.  All I’m saying is 2008 Michael Jackson resembles 1980 Michael Jackson more than the 2008 Michigan Wolverines resemble the Bo/Carr Wolverines – and that’s even disregarding the Adidas logo on the unis.

Continue reading "Coming to Grips with the Big Ten"

Looking forward to this weekend's game between Ohio State and Wisconsin, I'm trying to figure out how this game will go.  Then I look at the ugly, putrid 2nd half the Badgers played against

Continue reading "Wisconsin??? Please."

Penn State is currently ranked #6 by both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll. The Nittany Lions are 5-0, including a 38-24 victory over then #22 Illinois. PSU is led by Junior quarterback Daryll Clark, who leads the Big Ten in passing efficiency. The high-powered offense of the Nittany Lions are averaging just under 50 points per game, and they have beaten their opponents by an average of 37 points. The team is showing the country that they should be considered a national power.

Continue reading "We ARE!...Overrated?"

FINALLY, college football begins today.  Well, specifically it began Thursday night with Oregon State’s shocking victory over USC.  While it might be impossible for today to match the drama of Thursday night, it is finally time when the FCS/Div I-AA/cupcakes go awayLast week was another successful one in general for the Big Ten.  Nothing too spectacular, but they avoided the disasters that have seemed to strike the Big East, Pac 10, and ACC on different occasions this year.  Purdue narrowly survived against Central Michigan, Michigan State dominated in the trenches against the Fighting Irish, and Minnesota surprisingly annihilated a struggling FAU team.  Despite two losses, neither were unexpected – Iowa lost to Pitt by a single point in Pittsburgh, while Ball State rallied around fallen teammate Dante Love and dominated an Indiana team that looks like the conference’s weakest link at this point.  Here are the Big Ten Big 11 Rankings, then some picks:

Continue reading "Big Ten Week 5 Blog, Sep. 27 Picks"

 Welcome to the maiden, bare-bones edition of my futile attempt to start a Big Ten Football blog.  Sure, we might not have a team capable of playing USC within 30 points, but that doesn't mean the league isn't worth talking or complaining about at least a little, eh? Anyhow, any feedback or comments readers have are always welcome.  I hope I don't test your patience as much as mine and Michigan diehards are being tested at the moment from our Wolverines....

Continue reading "Big Ten Week 3 Blog"