It’s a great way to end the exciting year that has been the high school football season. Every team has their own storyline, whether its Waunakee with a brother/sister duo on the squad. Reedsburg made it to the championships on a last second touchdown that will be talked about in Reedsburg for some time. Also, the Beavers are led by Chad Mazur, the younger brother of Tyler Mazur who led them to the championship game in 2008.

It will be fun to watch and hopefully some local squads will hoist that elusive gold ball.

Sean Towle

Sports Photographer

Lose to Tampa, beat Dallas. Go from a 4-12 season to the Super Bowl, depending on who you ask. Obviously they are somewhere in between, but it’s pretty funny to hear how the same peopkle can respond to the same team a week apart.

You’re knees could buckle before the season ends based on the inconsistency of this Packer squad. Just relax. They’re not world beaters and they’re not the Lions. Enjoy it. At least the Pack isn’t boring.

Sean Towle

Sports Photographer

For the record, it’s in San Diego.

But I really don’t feel bad for a program that has been to a BCS bowl every year since 2002. Welcome to the rest of our worlds. But I do sometimes hear Wisconsin fans get a little tired of where they go. 

In January, Badger fans get to know Florida very well. It seems to be where the Badgers head almost every year for their bowl game the last decade. Whether it’s the Capital One, Outback or Champs Sports, Wisconsin has made a second home of Florida.

I know many Badger fans would love to be back in Pasadena, but that’s not in the cards this year. That belongs to Ohio State, but there is still a slim chance that the Fiesta bowl in Tempe could come calling.

However, that is unlikely. It looks like the Capital One or Outback is where the Badgers will find their bowl futures this year. That’s not a bad thing. These are good bowls. It is not as exciting as California, but it is a great spot with a tough opponent. Even if you don’t like the game, you do have the beach.

Sean Towle

Sports Photographer

Having just gone to Indiana a couple weeks ago, I really hope the crowd and stadium atmosphere is better than what I witnessed in Bloomington. That was the worst college football atmosphere I’d ever seen. I’ve heard louder crowds in Waunakee, Verona, Middleton, Reedsburg, Lancaster,etc. It was sad.

It wasn’t the stadium size. It was the demeanor of the crowd. In what was a tight game throughout, you never would’ve known. Now granted, half the stadium remained empty as I’m guessing most people were waiting in line for basketball tickets(Although, I’d imagine the football team might be better at the moment.).

The place made Vanderbilt feel like Camp Ranadall. That’s saying a lot, since that stadium might be smaller than some high school fields. I’d be willing to bet Michael Bolton concerts have more enthusiasm than what I witnessed in Bloomington.

So my plea is this.

Dear Northwestern fans: Please show up and bring energy. It makes the game better for all involved. You have a good football team. Support them. Help take this game to the level of excitement it deserves.

Sean Towle

Sports Photographer

Well, prepare for a change. Both the men’s and women’s teams this year say they want to run. Lisa Stone has mentioned on numerous occasions the desire for more transition buckets this year with their small lineup.

And Bo, well he didn’t tell the media. I believe his exact words were, “I don’t tell them not to push it. We try to run all the time, defenders just get in the way.”

But Bo is stressing the change in practice. He has a smaller, athletic group of guys where even the big guys like Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil can move. Point guard. Trevon Hughes has mentioned how he thinks they have the biggest strides he’s ever seen.

Both Hughes and Niankivil said this week the change is taking some time to get used to, but they are excited for it. It may take some time for Badger fans to adjust to a faster pace too, but it is definitely something to get excited about.

Sean Towle

Sports Photographer

So as I am watching hoops and getting sick from eating a whole bag of doritos, I was surfin the net to look at all the conferences.  My conclusion is… if Bo Ryan gets his team to the NCAA tourney this year, it will be the best coaching job of his career at Wisconsin. 

Six Big Ten teams are ranked in top 25 in the AP Poll… #2 Michigan State,#7 Purdue, T#15 Michigan, T#15 Ohio State. #23 Illinois, and #24 Minnesota.  Add on top of that, this year Northwestern has a legitimate shot of making the NCAA tourney for the first time in school history.  We know Wisconsin will be tough at home and well coached.  That leaves Penn State, Iowa, and Indiana as the bottom three.

So where you rank the Badgers in that mix of teams doesn’t matter.  The Big Ten basketball conference is tough, and if the Badgers get to the tourney, that means they will have beaten some darn good teams.  I like the talent they have in the post but am curious to see the big men on UW go up and down the floor for 40 minutes with BIg Ten talent. 

I am lovin this basketball marathon.  I am already excited for March.  College football doesn’t have a very exciting post-season, so the hell with it. Bring on basketball

Brian Custar

bcustar@wkowtv.com

Having said that, the Badgers should be winning by a much greater margin.  Two costly turnovers - one a Tolzien fumble, another a Tolzien interception - have resulted in ten Michigan points.  Fortunately the Badgers are playing a very mediocre Michigan team.  If the Badgers can keep from turning the ball over in the 2nd half, they should win by at least ten.  The biggest concern for Wisconsin, besides the turnovers, is the play of the secondary.  Too many holes by the Badgers’ corners and safeties.  Look for adjustments to be made at half.  I’ll still with the prediction I put on twitter before the game began - 31-21 Wisconsin (actually I’ll change that to 31-20 since the Wolverines have 17!)