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One look at the Twitter universe around the Badgers after Saturday’s loss to the BYU Cougars and it is easy to see Wisconsin’s season is over with.
The common refrain went something like this:
Sad ,embarrassing and a huge disappointment.
Once a badger always a badger.#Badgers #OnWisconsin
— RJ Hogan (@ritah0228) September 15, 2018
That would be cool we may get a rematch then in the San Diego county Valero holiday bowl
— Bill_Woj (@Slough_Creek) September 16, 2018
But, the Twitterverse is often not indicative of reality. Such is the case with the all the doom and gloom surrounding the 2018 Wisconsin Badgers season.
As one person on Twitter said in response to a Tweet we made, the season really isn’t lost. The path forward is more difficult, but there is history to show that winning a lot the rest of the season goes a long way towards repairing that one loss early on in the season.
If Wisconsin finds themselves and wins out they can still make the playoff. But they have to win and win convincingly. Osu lost to VT and then won the Natty.
— Brad Brown (@BuckyMcstuffins) September 16, 2018
Another thing lost in all of this doom and gloom from around the social media world? BYU is pretty dang good.
The Cougars have played three Power 5 opponents to start the season and are 2-1 — owning wins on the road against Arizona and Wisconsin. It’s loss to Cal was a narrow one and guess what? BYU happens to still have three more games against Power 5 opponents.
Up next for BYU is a date with McNeese State prior to a big one with Washington. Then there is a red-hot Boise State program and a season-ending date with Utah too — all three of them on the road no less. Those are major teams to compete against and potentially win against.
Is it far-fetched to think the Cougars can’t win those games? Not after what we saw on Saturday inside Camp Randall. This is a program that is stout up front, assignment sure and has a quality run game. You can win a lot of games in college football with that formula…just ask the Badgers.
How the Cougars play the rest of the season will only matter if the Badgers do their part and win out though.
That begins with regrouping for a major rivalry game at Iowa on Saturday night. Winning that against a 3-0 Hawkeyes team sets up the Badgers for it’s first step towards national respect once again — controlling its own destiny in the Big Ten West division.
Then there are big matchups with Michigan and Penn State to win as the season goes along. Get both of those games and Wisconsin is suddenly right back in the picture.
Of course, all of this is speculation and if’s and but’s and wonderment. That’s what losing a game will do — make you speculate instead of controlling your own fate.
Ultimately, the Badgers still have their main goals in front of them. Win the Big Ten West division. Play for and win a Big Ten championship and let the chips fall where they may for the College Football Playoff committee.
Wisconsin still controls how those things could happen — even if Saturday’s loss felt like a familiar gut-punch to hype and hope for the Badgers faithful.
It certainly isn’t time to jump off the bandwagon or abandon all hope.
Saturday’s loss hurts, but if we are being honest, one loss doesn’t define a season like it used to in college football. Wisconsin’s reaction to that loss…well, that will define it’s season.
Continue reading...
The common refrain went something like this:
Sad ,embarrassing and a huge disappointment.
Once a badger always a badger.#Badgers #OnWisconsin
— RJ Hogan (@ritah0228) September 15, 2018
That would be cool we may get a rematch then in the San Diego county Valero holiday bowl
— Bill_Woj (@Slough_Creek) September 16, 2018
But, the Twitterverse is often not indicative of reality. Such is the case with the all the doom and gloom surrounding the 2018 Wisconsin Badgers season.
As one person on Twitter said in response to a Tweet we made, the season really isn’t lost. The path forward is more difficult, but there is history to show that winning a lot the rest of the season goes a long way towards repairing that one loss early on in the season.
If Wisconsin finds themselves and wins out they can still make the playoff. But they have to win and win convincingly. Osu lost to VT and then won the Natty.
— Brad Brown (@BuckyMcstuffins) September 16, 2018
Another thing lost in all of this doom and gloom from around the social media world? BYU is pretty dang good.
The Cougars have played three Power 5 opponents to start the season and are 2-1 — owning wins on the road against Arizona and Wisconsin. It’s loss to Cal was a narrow one and guess what? BYU happens to still have three more games against Power 5 opponents.
Up next for BYU is a date with McNeese State prior to a big one with Washington. Then there is a red-hot Boise State program and a season-ending date with Utah too — all three of them on the road no less. Those are major teams to compete against and potentially win against.
Is it far-fetched to think the Cougars can’t win those games? Not after what we saw on Saturday inside Camp Randall. This is a program that is stout up front, assignment sure and has a quality run game. You can win a lot of games in college football with that formula…just ask the Badgers.
How the Cougars play the rest of the season will only matter if the Badgers do their part and win out though.
That begins with regrouping for a major rivalry game at Iowa on Saturday night. Winning that against a 3-0 Hawkeyes team sets up the Badgers for it’s first step towards national respect once again — controlling its own destiny in the Big Ten West division.
Then there are big matchups with Michigan and Penn State to win as the season goes along. Get both of those games and Wisconsin is suddenly right back in the picture.
Of course, all of this is speculation and if’s and but’s and wonderment. That’s what losing a game will do — make you speculate instead of controlling your own fate.
Ultimately, the Badgers still have their main goals in front of them. Win the Big Ten West division. Play for and win a Big Ten championship and let the chips fall where they may for the College Football Playoff committee.
Wisconsin still controls how those things could happen — even if Saturday’s loss felt like a familiar gut-punch to hype and hope for the Badgers faithful.
It certainly isn’t time to jump off the bandwagon or abandon all hope.
Saturday’s loss hurts, but if we are being honest, one loss doesn’t define a season like it used to in college football. Wisconsin’s reaction to that loss…well, that will define it’s season.
Continue reading...
