|
The USA Today Coach’s Preseason Top 25 poll was released late last week. This marks only the sixth time in the history of the coach’s poll that the Wisconsin Badgers are on the outside looking in. Am I surprised? No. I mean ever since the all-time greatest Wisconsin Badger’s football coach of the modern era, Barry Alvarez, retired and named his successor Bret Bielema it is obvious the Wisconsin football program has taken a step back from its dominate run of the ‘90s and early turn of the century where they won 3 Big Ten Championships, 3 Rose Bowls Titles, 1 Heisman Trophy winner, and countless Bowl victories. Since Barry Alvarez’s final season in Madison in 2005, where the Badgers finished ranked #15 with a 10-3 record and capping the season off with a 24-10 win over Auburn in the Capital One Bowl(I was there to see it!), the Badgers have continued a downward slide among the college football landscape. The Badger’s have continually worsened under the helm of Bret Bielema.
In his first year the Badger’s went 12-1, the lone loss to Michigan and capped the season with a 17-14 win over Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl finishing the season ranked #5 in the country. The Badger’s were the odd man left out as Ohio St. and Michigan went on to grab BCS bowl bids and as the rule states no one conference is allowed three teams in the BCS. Nonetheless, the season was a success. However, this team was still due because of the work of Barry Alvarez. It takes longer than a one or two year absence for the effect of his presence to take place. Under Bielema’s second year as head coach in 2007, the Badger’s finished ranked #21 with a 9-4 record earning an Outback Bowl appearance, and then this past season in 2008, a record of 7-6 finishing the year with a 42-13 Champs Sports Bowl loss to FloridaState. The margin of defeat marked the worst bowl loss in program history. I can not remember watching a Badger team so unprepared and unwilled. The Badger’s are losing the physical, intimidating, smash-mouth brand of football that Barry Alvarez brought to the program. Every defense would know exactly as to what the Badger’s game plan would be on offense and STILL could not stop it. On defense, the Badger’s are missing player’s flying to the football. Where have the overlooked walk-ons that turn into All-Americans under Alvarez gone? The Jim Leonhards? So, as you can see it is obvious that the Wisconsin football program is becoming more and more classified as to “average” under Bret Bielema.
However, as history shows the recent 5 times the Wisconsin Badger’s have been unranked in the USA Today Coach’s Poll Preseason Top 25, the Badger’s have gone on to have a good season. Disrespect has always played well in motivating the Badger’s. No matter what sport when the so-called “analysts” or “experts” simply write off Wisconsin, the Badger’s seem to thrive. Below is a list of the previous 5 times in the history of the coach’s poll where the Badger’s have been unranked to begin the college football season:
1993
Begin: Unranked
Finished: #5 (10-1-1) 21-16 W over UCLA, Rose Bowl
1995
Begin: Unranked
Finished: Unranked (4-5-2)
1996
Being: Unranked
Finish: Unranked (8-5) 38-10 W over Utah, Copper Bowl
2005
Begin: Unranked
Finish: #15 (10-3) 24-10 W over Auburn, Capital One Bowl
2006
Begin: Unranked
Finish: #5 (12-1) 17-14 W over Arkansas, Capital One Bowl
As you can see with the exception of the 1995 season, the previous 5 times the Wisconsin Badger’s have began the college football season unranked in the USA Today Coach’s Preseason Top 25 poll, the Badger’s have went on to finished the season ranked almost every year and with bowl victories as well. Could the 2009 season follow suit? Only time will tell. The Badger’s have a lot of questions left unanswered entering the season. Who is going to play quarterback? Is the O-Line play going to pick up? Who will emerge as the leading receiver? What are the Badger’s going to do with little depth and experience on the D-Line? I know one question that needs to be answered and that is: Can the Badger’s regain there swagger which they had under Alvarez in the ‘90s and turn of the century where they would win primetime games and always be in the national talk for a shot at a BCS bowl? However, the only way we will find the answers to any of these questions is to do what we do every year, and that is to let the games play out. Wisconsin’s first game is September 5th vs. NorthernIllinoisUniversity at Camp Randall Stadium.
|
