SEC – Big Ten Challenge

While I was living at the DePaul library last week, one of the few hours I took off of studying was to watch the Badger Basketball team take on UNC in Chapel Hill.  This game was part of the highly touted, Big Ten – ACC challenge that has taken place over the past 11 years.  Each season, NCAA basketball fans have this challenge to look forward knowing that it will contain compelling games.  It makes up for cupcake contests early in the season such as Wisconsin vs. Keensaw State.

Two of the top Guards in the country
played each other thanks to the Big Ten - ACC
Challenge.  

This challenge has been so successful that the Big East and SEC have started their own challenge that takes place at the beginning of the season.  As I was watching the UNC-Wisco game, I was talking to a former college roommate about the challenge in general. We were both mentioning how great it would be if football had a similar challenge with a conference such as the Big 12 or even the SEC. 

Since then, I have thought on this topic more and more and really question why this has not happened yet.  Now, I do not understand contracts and what it takes to schedule college football games but I must imagine athletic directors and conference commissioners have thought of this idea before.  Other than just setting up the schedule, I really see no other problem with this.

Each game would be a highly anticipated match as there is a good chance the opposing teams have not played each other in past or in recent history.  Fan bases would want to flock to away games for a chance to attend a game at a historical college football sight.  It would also draw a great deal of national attention and positive attention at that.  It is the type of attention that is desperately needed for a conference like the Big Ten. 

Yah, there is a chance we could lose a number of these games but eventually we will win.  Even if we do lose, one of the biggest knocks as of late has been how weak the non-conference schedules have been of Big Ten teams.  Throw in a challenge with the SEC and no one will be able to make that argument again.

Imagine the scene that would take place at Camp Randall as LSU comes to town and they have to play under the lights as the country watches on.  Or an Urban Meyer Buckeye team heads back to the Swamp to play his former team.  The storylines and potential matchups are endless and even if it was not the SEC, a Big 12/Pac 10/ACC challenge would be just fine.  Yet, if you’re going to take on a bully on the playground, you might as well go after the biggest and strongest. 

So Mr. Delany, take the necessary actions to recapture the respect that our beloved conference has lost.  Yes I understand this type of deal might take time but it is a deal that would be well worth it.  It would allow college football fans to know that the 3^rd Saturday of every college football season (hypothetical) will contain a set of games that is must watch TV.  What the hell, let’s kick this weekend off with a Thursday night game to get even more national attention.  

What Could Be…

Earlier in the season, I explained my hatred of the current BCS system and what I believe could be a proposed solution.  To recap, I fully support an 8-team playoff.  At the most, it would require an additional two extra games from the two teams who have the honor to play in the national title game.  It is a small price to pay for a fair solution to the biggest problem that resides in American Sports. 

Now that the end of the season has arrived, and the bowl schedule has been completely released, let me describe to you the scenario I envision.  To start, wipe out the four major BCS bowl games including the national title game.  These bowls no longer exist and replacing them will be the games in the 8 team playoff. 

The 8 teams that comprise the playoff will be the 6 major conference champions followed by the two highest BCS ranked schools that did not win their conference.  The seeding would also be determined by the BCS rankings so the playoff seeding for the current year would look like this:

1)  LSU – SEC champion

                   2)  Alabama – 1^st At large Bid            

                    3) Oklahoma State – Big 12 Champion

       4)  Stanford – 2^nd At large Bid

        5) Oregon – Pac 12 Champion

          6)Wisconsin – Big 10 Champion

       7)  Clemson – ACC Champion

                  8) West Virginia -  Big East Champion

Sorry Boise, you would not be included in this year’s BCS playoff.  Yet in most other years, a Non-AQ school would have been in the playoff system which would have solved this whole Non-AQ problem years ago.  Regardless of that, tell me how much a college football fan would salivate at the sight of that lineup.

The first four games would each be played in a BCS bowl site.  During a four year rotation, each bowl site would have a chance to pick 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th for the respective quarterfinal game.  The bowls would also rotate the semi-final games as well as the national championship game over the four year period.  

In regards to dates and times, there would be at least ten days off in between each playoff game.  The quarterfinal games would happen before Christmas.  The Semi-final games would occur on January 1^st (the 2^nd this year) to keep the New Year’s Day bowl game tradition alive and the final game would occur on the first Saturday after the Tenth of January.  This timing structure would give teams plenty of time to recover from injuries and prepare for the next game.  So taking into account a few hypothetical situations, here is what the bracket would look like. 

Take a look at that bracket.  You want rematches; you have great rematches that start in the first round.  You want your one loss team to still have a shot at title, you now have that shot.  BCS Bowls you want money, tell me that system won’t double the amount of money you already make.  Yes, I am sure that there might some potential flaws that could be wrong with my system, but nothing the professionals couldn’t iron out.  With an 8 team playoff system, we keep the intensity of the regular season alive, make championship Saturday extremely relevant and give conference champions and one loss teams, a chance to play for the crystal ball.  This is it; this could compete with the NFL as the greatest sport out there.   

The Nightmare that Bloomed Roses

Saturday night felt all too familiar to October 22^nd as the Badgers duked it out with the Spartans in Indianapolis for the first ever Big Ten Championship.   Yet the prize in this game was a little different compared to when these two teams battled in East Lansing.  A berth to the Rose Bowl was on the line and the prize had significant meaning for both teams. 

Montee Ball had no problem running over the Spartan
defense in the first quarter.  

The Spartans have not been to Pasadena since 1988 and had a roster full of seniors teething for a BCS bowl after coming so close last year.  Then there were the Badgers, who lost a heartbreaker to TCU last year and were looking for Rose Bowl redemption.  Not to mention, there was the transfer of Russell Wilson and the expectation to be uncommon, anything less than the Rose Bowl would be considered a failure. 

Watching the first quarter, it was clearly evident the leaders on the Badger team had redemption on their mind, not only for the Rose Bowl but also to settle the score with Michigan State for the loss earlier in the year.   Montee Ball was a wrecking machine racking up over 100 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter as our offensive line was opening up holes similar to dynamite in an excavation site.  After racing out to a 21 – 7 lead, it felt as if the Badgers would not look back. 

Then Peyton Manning (aka what our defense makes Kirk Cousin look like) took the field and once again the Badgers faltered in the second quarter.  Kirk Cousins shredded our secondary and looked as if he was the hall of fame quarterback that had played in Indy all these years.  In the game on October 22^nd, Michigan State went on a 21 – 0 run to take the lead at half.  This game was no different; the Spartans scored 23 unanswered points to take a 29 – 21 lead at the end of the second quarter. 

Kirk Cousins ended his career with one of the
best games of his career, however his effort fell short. 

How could this Wisconsin football team allow this to happen again against Michigan State?  Once again, our offense dried up with a total of – 4 yards during the second quarter.  That wasn’t even the worst part, whenever the Michigan State offense came on the field it was a scary sight because our defense could not stop them.  I hate to say it but I blame this on the coaching staff.  They need to be able to keep up the intensity amongst the players and call the correct plays when they feel the momentum turning astray.

 I know Bielema likes to keep his cool yet I would like to see some passion every now and then.  I want to see him scream at his defense for playing such awful football.  I want to see him get in the refs face when there was an awful call.  Seeing this will inspire players and it is exactly what teams need in moments similar to where the Badgers found themselves in the 2^nd quarter on Saturday night.  I do not want him to turn into Bo Pelini nor do I know how he acts in the locker room yet I wouldn’t mind seeing a little emotion on the sidelines during big games. 

Russell lead another fourth
quarter comeback, and this time
it resulted in a W against Michigan State. 

Similar to the first meeting, it took the Badgers to feel a sense of urgency to get their offense rolling again. The Badges went punch for punch with the Spartans in the third quarter as Montee Ball’s third touchdown of the game drew the Badgers within 2.  Afterwards, our defense was finally able to hold the Spartans to a field goal on a scoring drive.  Once again, the Badgers needed a touchdown with only minutes left in the game.  Russell Wilson took the field and just as he had done all night, he came up with brilliant play after brilliant play including a 4^th and 6 34 yard bomb to QUACK QUACK QUACK Mr.Ducksworth (Tyler Duckworth).  This was followed by Montee Ball’s fourth touchdown of the game leading to a dazzling two point conversion executed by Wilson.

Yet with 3:45 left in the game, every Badger fan was speechless because we knew we had left way too much time on the clock for Kirk Cousins and the Spartans offense.  The Badgers, to the shock of many, were able to hold the Spartans (thanks to an overruled catch) and get the ball back with a chance to run the clock out.  However after a three and out, Brad Northman came into punt deep in Badger territory.  With two minutes left, it seemed to be a perfect opportunity for a special team’s nightmare similar to what we saw earlier in the year between these two teams. 

Wilson got what he came for, a trip to a BCS Bowl.  

The nightmare seemed real once again as Keshawn Martin returned Northman’s punt all the way down to the five yard line guaranteeing a tie but everyone knew the Spartans would be able to deliver a win.  Just as Badger heads were about to hang, a blatantly obvious running into the kicker penalty was called on a Spartan player.  This negated the play and gave the Badgers the ball back allowing them to take the victory formation and seal the win. 

The penalty lead to a truly ironic ending to what was a spectacular night for Badger fans and the Big Ten.  In State’s win earlier in the season, they had no penalties yet it was a penalty that cost them the game in this one.  It also happened on a punt, a play which changed the course of the Badger loss earlier in the season.  And it was only a few plays earlier in which the Badgers had a replay review ruled in their favor, something that cost them the game in East Lansing.  Ironic or not, the Badgers were able to clench the roses in their teeth at the end of this one.  Yet the Badgers have a lot of work to do before their date with the Ducks in Pasadena.  Michigan State was able to put up 471 yards on 23 first downs, numbers Oregon will double if our defense does not play significantly better. 

Game day projections

The final weekend of the college football season has arrived and for some, the outcry of a playoff has never been louder.  Very rarely do we come to a championship weekend that has no effect on the title game no matter the outcome.  That’s right, even if LSU loses, they will still face Alabama in the title game (99%).  That would mean that neither team in the national title game would be a conference champion and they would be from the same conference.  That would be fine with me if they met each at. Although the title game cannot be affected, there are still some major bowl games up for grabs, such as the Rose Bowl. 

Wisconsin vs. Michigan State: A rematch of one of the most memorable games this season takes place on a neutral site this time, advantage Badgers.  Russell had one of his worst games statistically in East Lansing, making more mistakes compared to any other game.  I would imagine that Russell learned from his mistakes during this game and will use them to his advantage this time around.  Add in a healthy Montee Ball for an entire game and I do not think the Spartans will be able to hold the Badgers scoreless in any quarter.  The Badger defense has also been playing much better the past 6 quarters and I would expect our front four to be able to get enough pressure on Kirk Cousins to force turnovers.  Oh and I do not expect the Spartans to go the entire game without a penalty in this one.  Wisconsin 34 – Michigan State 21 

Virginia Tech vs. Clemson: These two teams faced off earlier in the year and at that time, it was Clemson who was looking like a top five team in the country with a Heisman hopeful.  Oh how the tables have turned since then.  Clemson has lost 3 out of their last 4 and the Hokies have won seven straight.  Also, VT running back, David Wilson, emerged as a long shot for the Heisman during that time.    Wilson along with quarterback Logan Thomas should help the Hokies be able to get in the end zone this time around.  Yet, I think Tech is overrated, they play in the ACC (I know so do the Tigers) and have only played one ranked team since their meeting with the Tigers.  I am calling the upset because I think Clemson pair of Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins will connect on more than one occasion.  Clemson 31 – Virginia Tech 28  

Oklahoma @ Oklahoma State:  A few weeks ago, this game had serious national title implications but after a few major upsets, only the Big 12 title is at stake.  The winner will head to the Fiesta bowl and the loser most likely will be left out of the BCS party.  The Cowboys have had one of the most explosive offenses all season but they have not played a defense compared to the Sooners.  The Sooners will put a tremendous amount of pressure on Cowboy QB, Brandon Weeden, and send him to the turf at least five this this game.  Oklahoma State has also had trouble on defense letting up over 27 points a game.   Even though Ryan Broyles, star Sooner WR, is out with a season ending injury, Landry Jones will still have no trouble spreading out the Cowboy secondary.  I smell another upset.  Oklahoma 38 – Oklahoma State 28

Baylor @ Texas:  Baylor is a week off from their emotional win against the Sooners while the Longhorns are coming off a similar one against Texas A&M.  This game has no title implications but every Heisman voter will be watching this one to see how RG3 does.  Griffin was a frontrunner for the race until he got knocked out of the game last week.  Although he will have a few touchdowns tomorrow, it will not be enough to get him the Heisman as he throws a few picks as well which cost Baylor the victory.  Both David Ash and Case McCoy will see playing time and each will help lead the Longhorns to a win in their last game of a mediocre season.  Texas 34 – Baylor 31

Georgia vs. LSU: The SEC championship, typically this game has had major national title implications over the past few years.  Yet, it seems that even if LSU loses, they will still play for the crystal ball on January 9^th.  The only interesting outcome of this game is if Georgia wins, it will be the first time three teams from the same conference will be in a BCS bowl game since the BCS era started.  As much as I want to see that happen, I do not think it will.  The Bulldogs have been one of the hottest teams in the last ten weeks but they have not faced a defense like LSU.  Georgia quarterback, Aaron Murray, will lead the dogs to an early lead but they will not be able to sustain it.  LSU’s defense will make major plays including a defensive touchdown by the honey badger, Tyrann Mathieu.  This will be crucial because the Georgia defense has been fabulous as of late and the Tigers will have trouble scoring for most of the game.  LSU 27 – Georgia 21 

Urban Meyer’s effect on the Badgers

Listen, no one wanted to see the Buckeyes suffer more than me.  With the firing of Jim Tressel and NCAA sanctions knocking on the door, it seemed like Ohio State was in for a few years of misery.  Not only that, it would pretty much guarantee the Badgers a spot in the Big Ten Title game each year.  Illinois, Purdue and Indiana are three programs which are not on the rise.  Penn State was a top contender but then there was Jerry Sandusky.  Finally, we have the Buckeyes, who seemed like they would turn into an afterthought yet with the hiring of Urban Meyer, they are back to being a perennial powerhouse. 

The hiring of Urban Meyer will propel Ohio State
into the national title race each year.  

Yet, this hiring is the opposite of negative for the Big Ten.  The Big Ten’s biggest problem in the past five years is respect.  If Wisconsin were to make it to the Big Ten Title game each year by winning our division, I can assure you they would still have none.  However, add Urban Meyer into the mix and the Big Ten can quickly become the SEC.  After-all, the SEC bias was not in full force five years ago, it only came to be after a few national titles by Urban Meyer’s Florida Gators.

 

This is exactly what could happen in the Big Ten and is exactly what the Big Ten needs.  With Urban calling the shots, Ohio State automatically becomes a national title contender. Before Meyer even signed, recruits were signing with the Buckeyes with the chance to play for Meyer.   Four and Five star recruits from all over the country will flock to OSU for a chance at another national title with Meyer. 

National attention will shift slowly back to the Big Ten which is exactly what a team like Wisconsin needs.  It was clear this year that the Big Ten was not thought highly of both with the media and the BCS computers.  Had Ohio State not hired Meyer, Ohio State would have been just another mediocre team Wisconsin had on their schedule.  Yet, add a top five team in the country and your strength of schedule increases significantly.  Not only that, Wisconsin – Ohio State has become one of the most heated rivalries in the past decade so any game between the two will always draw national attention.   

The main concern that Badger fans have is beating Ohio State.  Without Urban Meyer’s hire, Wisconsin would have had dominance over the Buckeyes for the foreseeable future since our program is on the rise.  Yet, let’s not forget what has happened over the past decade when Ohio State had a coach by the name of Jim Tressel. 

Year in and Year out, Tressel had Ohio State as a national title contender and had some of the best recruits in the land.  However, since 1999, the Badgers have gone 5 – 6 against Ohio State including the horrific hail-mary this year in the horse shoe.  So as you can see Badger fans, just because Ohio State has a great coach does not mean they will control the Big Ten or control us.  As long as Bielema continues to get great recruits, we should not have to be too concerned with Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes. That being said, when we have a season where we are a national title contender, a win over Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes will go a lot further than Luke Fickell’s.  I am not concerned, we will beat them.  On Wisconsin!