Bring on Sparty

This season did not exactly go as Badgers fans wished, but at least we get another shot at Michigan State in the first ever Big Ten Championship game. A shot at revenge and a little bit of vindication.

I don't think anyone was really worried about Penn State. They have all their internal drama going on, plus they are not that good of a team. There was a lot of talk about their great defense, but Wisconsin's run/pass combo was much too much for the Nittany Lions to handle. It was business as usual for the Badgers at home this season. 4 more TD's for Montee Ball, bringing his season total to 34, now second on the all-time NCAA list. All he does is score touchdowns. ( Just a quick aside, if you have time, check out the stats on Barry Sanders' 1988 season. 39 touchdowns in 11 games! This number does not even include his 5 touchdowns in the Holiday Bowl. That's 44 TDs in 12 games. 3.66 per game. Staggering.) Across the board this season's stats are pretty sick for Wisconsin. Russell Wilson with the best pass efficiency rating ever. 28 TDs and only 3 ints. Wisconsin with an amazing Red Zone TD score %. I'm pretty sure that stat is usually measured in just scoring, TDs and field goals, but Wisconsin is so good they just measure it in touchdowns. Dominance at Camp Randall, outscoring opponents 359 - 75. Wow.

Some amazing stats for sure, but with those stats, with this dominate season, should we not have more? Am I too greedy? I don't think so. Yesterday the "what ifs" continued to abound. The obvious one, what if we defended two last second bombs? The answer to that would be easy. We'd be the #2 team in the nation. What if we just beat Ohio State? That one is a bit more interesting. Would we be the best one loss team? Probably not in the polls, but I think Badger Nation would have a legitimate argument for a National Championship shot. I mean, who wants to see LSU/'Bama again? Not this guy. But alas, sports is full of "what ifs" and "could have beens". The reality is Wisconsin 10-2 and headed to the Big Ten Championship game against a good Michigan State team. Would a Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl victory erase those painful loses? No, but they would make this a successful season. So next Saturday night I will try to suspend my imagination and enjoy the awesome 2011 Wisconsin Badgers. I have very strong dislike for Michigan State, even approaching hatred in recent years. So let's go out there and show them what Wisconsin football is all about and bring home a trophy in the process.