Wisconsin Football: The good, the bad, & the ugly vs. Michigan

[FlaPack]

To me the guy is a rubber stamp guy won't have backbone to do tough calls.

Well he has no choice. The other thing is they are finally getting around to hiring a deputy AD. It’s more than the tough calls

 

[FlaPack]

Badgers will never be OSU unless they are willing to change the way to recruit and admissions will never be able to be like that.

It’s so much more than that. OSU can fill a top 10 roster with instate kids. Thats the harsh reality. Admissions is a small part of it due to NCAA guideline. Yes partial qualifiers would help sure but that’s the least of their problems

 

[FlaPack]

Let’s look realistically about the B1G. As many resources PSU has how many years have they made the B1G title game? Once. They cannot even get over the PSU “hump”. It’s not different than the SEC or ACC or Big 12. Parity does not exist.

 

[TW]

I get that but I don’t have any expectations that this program can be OSU or PSU. So many clear disadvantages. The CFP have made things clear. There is a parity problem in college football. Even this year. 2 spots are booked, Bama & Georgia. As much as I like Campbell as a coach what has ISU done with a vet roster. You hit a plateau. Not sure what the answer is. It’s bey coaching

I get what you're saying. But, the reality is, if you want the kind of seasons in sports like OSU and Penn State have, as well as Michigan and MSU, you're going to have to deal with the costs of getting there.

If Wisconsin is satisfied with just hanging around with the big boys, we're right back to the BS that we saw for way too long. We'd end up as one of the doormats.

 

[FlaPack]

I get what you're saying. But, the reality is, if you want the kind of seasons in sports like OSU and Penn State have, as well as Michigan and MSU, you're going to have to deal with the costs of getting there.

If Wisconsin is satisfied with just hanging around with the big boys, we're right back to the BS that we saw for way too long. We'd end up as one of the doormats.

For as many NY6 Bowls this program has been to and B1G Title games I would hardly call this program a doormat. For all of the built in disadvantages that UW has it’s actually amazing how consistent and successful this program is. UW will never spend at a OSU level. And it’s not just state funding or athletic revenue it’s we don’t have the boosters with deep pockets that Michigan, OSU, PSU have and I’m not going to even mention SEC or ACC institutions.

Now all of that said the article / interview pointed out or at least hinted that spending to keep up with the current level of success may not be there or maybe a better word is commitment. That’s unacceptable. Maybe is complacency. But something to me is not right off the field. Now to be fair Covid did the program no favors on and off the field. The next 12-18 will be telling. How will the south end zone project sell? Will McIntosh have any muscle? Now the media will all focus on staff changes and recruiting hits and misses but I think the bigger story or issue is being missed

 

[57packer]

The Badgers are probably stuck, no matter what they spend. Should they do some things to push the envelope - hell yes. That might get you some incremental improvement in talent, but that's likely it. Doubling or tripling the budget isn't suddenly going to put them in the hunt for a national championship. If all it took was money, Oregon would be there every year.

The reality simply is that it's not a level playing field and no amount of money will change that. It's not like you can do much on the recruiting trail that is suddenly going to convince a bunch of 4 and 5 star kids to flock to Wisconsin. You can spend a million bucks on each 5-star kid and at the end of the day they'll still go to Alabama, Clemson, tOSU, etc. Wisconsin can sell a nice campus, academics, and an overall "fun" atmosphere to kids. Those other schools can sell weather and championships . . . in addition to a pretty nice campus and solid academics.

There's a reason that after 7 years only 6 schools have ever even won a CFP game much less a championship. If it was as simple as money and a bigger staff we'd have seen more impact by now from other Power-5 schools but it's the same story everywhere. It's not like none of these schools are trying. They are, but ultimately they don't get there, and with the serious disadvantages UW faces geographically I suspect it WILL take some departmental improvements, but mostly it will take that one magical season, with just the right group of players to get in . . . only to likely lose to a Clemson, "Bama or Georgia. That's the sad reality.

There is no parity in college football and unlike the NFL, there is no artificial way to create parity.

 

[Mark87]

And that culture problem is in the administrative part not the on field part. It’s not just the financial part. One line struck me
There was a level of complacency, a level of comfort with what was being done.

Thats not financial. It’s deeper. That’s on the AD

I stand with previous comments it's BOTH administrative AND within the team. I hope I am wrong but don't be shocked if it plays out that way.

 

[TW]

For as many NY6 Bowls this program has been to and B1G Title games I would hardly call this program a doormat. For all of the built in disadvantages that UW has it’s actually amazing how consistent and successful this program is. UW will never spend at a OSU level. And it’s not just state funding or athletic revenue it’s we don’t have the boosters with deep pockets that Michigan, OSU, PSU have and I’m not going to even mention SEC or ACC institutions.

Now all of that said the article / interview pointed out or at least hinted that spending to keep up with the current level of success may not be there or maybe a better word is commitment. That’s unacceptable. Maybe is complacency. But something to me is not right off the field. Now to be fair Covid did the program no favors on and off the field. The next 12-18 will be telling. How will the south end zone project sell? Will McIntosh have any muscle? Now the media will all focus on staff changes and recruiting hits and misses but I think the bigger story or issue is being missed

You're referring to recent history in my book. Your memory must not include the horrid years which began near the end of Milt Bruhn's time as HC until Alvarez took over. A winning season now and then was a miracle. No bowl games from 1962 until 1981. That's the malaise that existed. In fact, we never won a bowl game until McClain's crew did in 1982? That was 83 years without a bowl win, and in fact, only three appearances, all losses, in the Rose Bowl, until 1993, when Alvarez's crew won the darned thing. In reality, we really sucked even before them, with so few championships.

Trips to NY6 bowl games is a recent event. It didn't exist when bowls were limited. If you look at the first Badger bowl win, it was a year we were 7-5. Impressive? Not really. Bowl games have become a right of passage for any team who doesn't stumble over their own feet more often than what they win. Imagine, this year. Being eligible if you go 6-6. Wow! Impressive.

That Wisconsin "good old boy society" that permeated the Badger culture for so long was the problem, and the direction they're going now, as a athletic department, is about the same as back then.

So, please don't tell me about the successes now and relate it to where we're heading. We're winning more games now, and that old "ride the wave" mentality is going to bring us down.

 

[GBP4EVER]

It’s so much more than that. OSU can fill a top 10 roster with instate kids. Thats the harsh reality. Admissions is a small part of it due to NCAA guideline. Yes partial qualifiers would help sure but that’s the least of their problems

I do agree WI lacks in state talent

 

[FlaPack]

You're referring to recent history in my book. Your memory must not include the horrid years which began near the end of Milt Bruhn's time as HC until Alvarez took over. A winning season now and then was a miracle. No bowl games from 1962 until 1981. That's the malaise that existed. In fact, we never won a bowl game until McClain's crew did in 1982? That was 83 years without a bowl win, and in fact, only three appearances, all losses, in the Rose Bowl, until 1993, when Alvarez's crew won the darned thing. In reality, we really sucked even before them, with so few championships.

Trips to NY6 bowl games is a recent event. It didn't exist when bowls were limited. If you look at the first Badger bowl win, it was a year we were 7-5. Impressive? Not really. Bowl games have become a right of passage for any team who doesn't stumble over their own feet more often than what they win. Imagine, this year. Being eligible if you go 6-6. Wow! Impressive.

That Wisconsin "good old boy society" that permeated the Badger culture for so long was the problem, and the direction they're going now, as a athletic department, is about the same as back then.

So, please don't tell me about the successes now and relate it to where we're heading. We're winning more games now, and that old "ride the wave" mentality is going to bring us down.

The college football envoirment was not even close now to what It was then, its not apples to apples. Scholarship limits did not exist, TV money was not a factor

Yes I remember the bowl trip to NY vs Tennessee, I sat in the stands durning the McClain era, I rode the Don Morton debacle so yeah I understand the past. I also remember Abe Spangenberg putting the athletic Department in near bankruptcy and Elory Hirsch being clueless on how to run a program which handcuffed the program for decades. I get what happened then and remember it well.

As mentioned if money was the magic bullet, Oregon and Notre Dame would be in the hunt every year and going 11-1 or 12-0. There is no parity in college football, zero none. Yes in a perfect storm year we might see 11-1 and be in the discussion