Unranked, 8-5 Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl...

[Marty Jackson]

Where's the national outrage?... No comparison to Uconn's 8-5 team in 2010.
ESPN seems to provide support for Wisconsin...

My guess is that this will be downplayed. At least when people bring up Uconn, we have Wisconsin to counter.

 

[TRest]

You are either in the big boy club and beyond reproach, or you are not. The BE has never been in the big boy club once Miami left.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

ESPN is pre-occupied with trashing NIU.

 

[MattMang23]

I think Wisconsin gets a pass because they didn't actually win their conference's regular season. Ohio State, Penn State, Nebraska, Michigan, and Northwestern all had better years record wise. Wisconsin back-doored it into the Conference Championship Game because of sanctions on OSU and PSU.

We won our conference and had the second-best record in our league overall that year. There's a bit of a difference.

 

[ZooCougar]

ESPN is pre-occupied with trashing NIU.

I really dislike Herbstreit right now. It's not like the Orange Bowl is still some kind of uber-prestigous bowl still. The irony of the BCS is that it has devalued their own bowls with their own crazy rules.

 

[Marty Jackson]

I think Wisconsin gets a pass because they didn't actually win their conference's regular season. Ohio State, Penn State, Nebraska, Michigan, and Northwestern all had better years record wise. Wisconsin back-doored it into the Conference Championship Game because of sanctions on OSU and PSU.

We won our conference and had the second-best record in our league overall that year. There's a bit of a difference.

we can make excuses all we want... The BE only had 9 teams that year.

Just makes a point that the media has an agenda...

 

[MattMang23]

we can make excuses all we want... The BE only had 9 teams that year.

Just makes a point that the media has an agenda...

Please. First of all, the BE only had eight teams that season, but that's not the point. The two best teams in Wisconsin's division were disqualified from the postseason. Wisconsin was given a gift by playing in the champ. game. They took advantage of their opportunity. There shouldn't be outrage.

Rational people realize that by circumstance the sixth best team in their league won the conference champ. game.

This isn't even close to the Big East sending an average UConn team.

 

[MattMang23]

Please. First of all, the BE only had eight teams that season, but that's not the point. The two best teams in Wisconsin's division were disqualified from the postseason. Wisconsin was given a gift by playing in the champ. game. They took advantage of their opportunity. There shouldn't be outrage.

Rational people realize that by circumstance the sixth best team in their league won the conference champ. game.

This isn't even close to the Big East sending an average UConn team.

 

[hexlub]

Please. First of all, the BE only had eight teams that season, but that's not the point. The two best teams in Wisconsin's division were disqualified from the postseason. Wisconsin was given a gift by playing in the champ. game. They took advantage of their opportunity. There shouldn't be outrage.

Rational people realize that by circumstance the sixth best team in their league won the conference champ. game.

This isn't even close to the Big East sending an average UConn team.

Exactly. Be ticked off at Nebraska for losing. Not for Wisconsin for winning.
I think the main difference here vs. UConn is that the media thinks Wisconsin has a legitimate chance to play a competitive BCS game on paper vs. UConn against Oklahoma.

 

[Antiobserver]

ESPN is still on the warpath over NIU. But Wisconsin is "safe" because they're an old program just like all the others in the "club"

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Where's the national outrage?... No comparison to Uconn's 8-5 team in 2010.
ESPN seems to provide support for Wisconsin...

My guess is that this will be downplayed. At least when people bring up Uconn, we have Wisconsin to counter.

No comparison. Wisconsin wins conference in a down year. It took possibly Uconn best ever year to win BE. Also UConn had a chance to shut up their detractors with a good showing or a win. Instead they were absolutely impotent on offense. Only thing that kept game close for a while was KO return and Pick six. UConn couldn't even convert a fourth and one foot in a goal to goal situation. Snap the ball to the QB and let him fall forward. Nope, hand the ball off to Jordan Todman and try to get him outside. Nope, don't even use Todman, hand off to Robby Frey and run him up the middle. Nope, Frey on the slowest developing sweep that has been seen in a decade.

 

[BHusky]

Wisconsin doesn't have a bad loss that people can tear into. Their only loss greater than 3 points was to OSU in overtime. The worst loss being to MSU by 3. Otherwise they lost to OR ST - 3, PSU - 3, OSU - 7 and Neb - 3. It doesn't hurt that they dropped 70 on #13 Nebraska on national TV to avenge that loss and looking very good.

Compare that to UConn's schedule from 2010 and it is no comparison. Our best win was against a 4 loss WVU team.

And as we have learned with some of the realignment issues. It is not the actual product on the field, it is how a team/college is perceived.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Exactly. Be ticked off at Nebraska for losing. Not for Wisconsin for winning.
I think the main difference here vs. UConn is that the media thinks Wisconsin has a legitimate chance to play a competitive BCS game on paper vs. UConn against Oklahoma.

I am not pissed at anyone, except this crappy system that rewards the have's at the expense of have-nots. We can rationalize all we want... the second I concede that an 8-5 Wisconsin is deserving of a bowl but an 8-5 Uconn isn't, I'm buying into this sham of a system...

In the grand scheme, there are better teams that are more deserving of this spot, just as there were in 2010 with Uconn. That just points out a major flaw in the system. It seeks out the best teams in specific conferences. But to suggest that these situations are different because Wisconsin is 'perceived' to be better is flawed.

This is going to happen a lot in the new system. And if people are fine with 6-7 or 7-5 teams in the new playoff/bowl format then the Power 5 have done what they set out to... They've made it so their mediocrity is 'perceived' to be better than a non-Power 5 with a substantially better record so why even play the game (think 12-0 Boise)...

Drink the Kool-aid if you will. An 8-5 team, regardless of situations is not deserving of a BCS bid. That doesn't mean you change the system or the rules mid-stream to get the outcome you want. But, to crap on one school that benefitted from the system and turn your back on another is hypocritical.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Problem is television. They want all their televised games to include some pairing of Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, USC, LSU, Wisconsin, Florida State, Clemson, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Oregon and Notre Dame. Penn State used to be in that group. Ditto for Tennessee, Michigan State, Arkansas, Colorado, UCLA, Texas AM and a couple more. After that . . . . . all others need not apply.

 

[Adios]

Wisconsin kicked Nebraska's rear ends all over the field. The media would view this season as an underachievement for UW.