BigAppleBucky

It certainly makes for a more interesting game if both star running backs are in peak form. Hope everyone is well.

Yes. 1999. Kid was his HS class valedictorian and everything, but he never even participated in even a single practice. Came to campus in the summer and assaulted a woman. The next day (maybe the second day after) he was off the team. Jael Spaights. Convicted and sentenced to 37 years. I believe he's referring to the kid from Mukwonago that was sentenced this summer, BAB. Forgot that. That kid never even signed a LOI.

Do you have a story to link? Seriously, that is not something I've read about before. Could have missed it though.

Yes. 1999. Kid was his HS class valedictorian and everything, but he never even participated in even a single practice. Came to campus in the summer and assaulted a woman. The next day (maybe the second day after) he was off the team. Jael Spaights. Convicted and sentenced to 37 years.

That is not correct. Buckyville is independent. Badgernation (FKA Badgermaniac) is the Scout board. The Rivals board is Badger Blitz. The denizens of Buckyville (as a whole, not individually) have a skewed sense of humor. Be aware that The Onion satirical newspaper, started in Madison. Buckyville lives up down to that tradition. Minnesota - chair leg in eye socket (an all time classic) Iowa - Olive Garden On Nebraska 2012 Hmmmm . . . Fire up you weenies And, the Monsignor, Himself

Young coaches are "projects". You win with some. Bart Miller, the graduate assistant who became Wisconsin's offensive line coach when Bielema fired the SEC experienced guy, Mike Markuson who is 50. Clearly, that was a huge win. Sometimes a little change to shake things up works well. But over the 2010/11 seasons, Bielema lost his entire staff - to promotions. That has clearly hurt the team's performance, especially this season. That's too much change.

Block looked legal to me, but I'm not a football official. In ice hockey it would have been a penalty. I wish it had not happened because the next five or ten playing minutes of the game became chippy. I give credit to the coaches and the refs for settling the teams down before things got out of control.

Essentially nothing. IIRC, the participating team gets an extra share, but that just covers the added expenses. UW actually lost money on one of its 1990's Rose Bowl trips because so many wives and staff members were given free trips out west. The way it was before 2011: 13 equal shares Big Ten gets one Each school gets one Participating school gets two.

Well, then that's a payback non-call for the holding on their 60 yard TD run. There were a whole lot of no calls on holds the entire game. I think there was only one holding call the entire game - on Mathais of Wisconsin who blatantly grabbed a jersey. Mathais was in due to the Costigan concussion.

Bielema got that from Ferentz. But when the UW offense was horrible, he did defer for a couple of weeks.

If Phillips gets to 200 yards passing it will be because Nebraska successfully sold out to stop the run. Phillips is anything but a great passer. Phillips needs to convert a couple of third and longs and pass for 125 or 150 along with an effective running game for the Badgers to win. I'd be cautious believing Bielema and any injury report he makes. Before the Penn State game he said Borland just had cramps. It looked to me like Abbrederis took a pretty solid helmet to helmet hit in the fourth quarter against Penn State. Those are tricky. As the article said, Shelton Johnson (SS) and Brendan Kelly (DE) will both play. IIRC, we were missing DE, Pat Muldoon, for that game. Game should be close. Obviously if the Rose Bowl officials had their way Nebraska would win, but those folks have no say.

I hated the Fox broadcast of the game last year. Had the feel of a pro football broadcast. They don't do many college games and the quality level was well below the better ESPN-ABC broadcast teams. I did enjoy Johnson's Gusgasm when Duckworth of Wisconsin caught the pass that led to the game winning TD, but that was close to the only high point of the broadcast. Unfortunately, the BTN and Fox are intertwined so that as long as Fox wants it, they'll have the game and keep it away from ABC-ESPN.

More likely the offensive coordinator. Matt Canada, got overly cautious. Nevertheless a good tough comeback by Nebby. Nebby could have had a much easier game of it if the three picks are made. Stave kept trying to give the ball away, but your guys refused to catch it. There is a new rule in college football this year. It is now illegal to jump over the three protectors on a punt in an attempt to block the kick. Borland did that in a game. Call it the Borland rule.

I see the game as closer at the start and then the Wisconsin defense wears down. Nebraska 38 Wisconsin 10. The UW defense is actually respectable this season. We will be missing a couple of DEs, but should still be fairly decent. But the offense is just a pale shadow of its 2010/11 self and will leave the defense in bad field position and a negative TOP.

2011 We beat Ohio State Ohio State beat Wisconsin We beat Wiscons... oh, n/m We beat Michigan State Michigan State beat Northwestern We beat Northwes.... oh, n/m I could do this all day long. Right. The transitive property of college football scores is a very weak one, especially when road-home varies as it does in this game. Wisconsin's rush game woes are a combination of a new offensive coordinator, and offensive line coach (since fired) who tried to make a major change in technique, and the losses of some very good players to graduation. Back in August I said on this board that James White might not be our second best running back. I think I mentioned Gordon. We'll see Saturday who plays the most. I think 2Beez is playing his usual "an injured player might play" game with Montee Ball. I'll be very surprised if Ball plays. It's simply not worth the risk to his brain. He was concussed in August and then took two helmet to helmet hits early in the game against UTEP. As a touchdown or more underdog with Bielema as coach, Wisconsin has not covered a single spread. I doubt if we will Saturday night, but anything is possible. Wisconsin's defense has played fairly well, but has not generated a single turnover yet this season. The one fumble recovery the Badgers have had was on a punt return. If Wisconsin can somehow generate positive turnovers, we have a shot, but that doesn't seem likely. Negative turnovers for Wisconsin will lead to a total rout.

1- Nebraska 2- Ohio St. 3 - Michigan 4- Purdue 5- Michigan St. 6 - Northwestern 7 - Minnesota 8 - Wisconsin 9 - Illinois 10- Penn St. 11- Iowa 12- Indiana Wisconsin has gone from first to last in offense. Terrible team right now. Illinois might actually be a better team, but after last night, that's a tough argument to make. Before the season I predicted Purdue would play for the East in the Big Ten championship game. It still looks that way to me. Minnesota finally seems to have found a defense and a decent coach. I'd have Ohio State in first except that they haven't played a game on the road yet.

I'm not 100% certain James White is the second best running back on the Wisconsin team. It might be Melvin Gordon. Wisconsin has two other guys who have potential, Jeffrey Lewis and Vonte Jackson. The coaches experiemented with two running back sets in spring practices. But . . . I'm also not certain the offensive line will be nearly as effective as the last three years. Lost a couple of graduates and have a new line coach. There are some definite questions. *** Wisconsin has had a 1,000 yard rusher every season since 1993 except for 2003/2004 when Anthony Davis, the top RB was injured. He had 1,400 and 1,500 his first two years but only 700 and 800 in his junior and senior years when he was hurt. 1,000 yard rushers since 2004: 2005 - Brian Calhoun 1,728 2006 - PJ Hill 1,569 2007 - PJ Hill 1,236 2008 - PJ Hill 1,161 (Clay 884) 2009 - John Clay 1,517 2010 - James White 1.052 John Clay 1,012 (Ball 996) 2011 - Montee Ball 1,923 (White 713)

The best 10 scores for each sex are used. If a school has 20 men's and 25 women's sports it has a better chance of scoring higher than a school with, say, 11 sports for each gender. But a school with just 22 sports can, in theory, win the Directors' Cup.

GO PURPLE HAZE! (There was a serious proposal in the 80s to change Wildcats to Purple Haze) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnFSaqFzSO8&feature=related Sparty has had some strange results over the years. They could lose to Indiana. Not very likely though. Who thought Purdue would beat Ohio State? That's just life in the Big Ten.

I had no trouble with Nit fans in a game I went to in 2001. They were cordial in line waiting to get in and the ones I was seated near were friendly and easy to talk with. There was one bit of mild bantering as we walked past the tailgating area, but that was very mild.

Some Big Ten history and tradition - Wisconsin vs Minnesota http://buckyville.yuku.com/topic/34512/The-Storied-Rivalry It is, of course, the most-played rivalry in Division I-A football. 120 meetings and counting, missing only 1906 since that first game in 1890. It was once for the Slab Of Bacon, and since WW 2, has been played for Paul Bunyan's Axe. Minnie leads the series, 59-53-8. For a lot of old-timers like me, it is THE game of the season. I frankly want to win this game more than any other. A victory over the Gophers can salvage a 1-10 season; it can be the caviar on a Big Ten championship. === I know this isn't Nebraska (nor PSU scandal) related, but I thought some readers might appreciate some of the flavor of the UW-UM rivalry. Las Vegas has made Wisconsin more than a 20 point favorite on Saturday. Probably won't cover. In this game even a very bad team puts in extra effort and makes for a close contest. In 2007 Wisconsin was pretty good and Minnesota were 1-10. The Gophers came very close to winning. If you get a chance to watch the end of the game, watch the celebration with the Axe.

They socked it to Nebraska, no doubt. Though, for a couple of weeks it seemed Illinois would be tougher than Ohio State or Penn State. In 2013 the schedule will shift. Then we'll see.

Yep. Welcome to the Big Ten. You haven't really belonged until you lose a head scratcher to the Nerds. I cringe every time Wisconsin is scheduled to play in Evanston the week after NW has their bye. No matter how much better our record is, it's a toss-up at best, and very often a loss. You can beat the Nerds by 70 one year and lose to them the next. They win at least one game every season they have no business winning. Last year it was Iowa. Give credit to Fitz and that offensive system of theirs.

For starters each and every Big Ten bowl game is played in the home territory of the opponent, sometimes in the opponent's home stadium. (e.g. UCLA in the Rose) Secondly, it is true the SEC is the best college conference and the Big Ten meets the SEC in at least two, often three, bowl games. IMO, it isn't really speed at the skilled positions that puts the SEC over the Big Ten. It's power and speed on the defensive line that does. It seems each of the top SEC teams has a defensive lineman, maybe even two or three, who are on the level of Crick. Third, over the longish haul the Big Ten isn't massively under .500 in bowl games. Penn State, Iowa and Wisconsin all have winning bowl records over the last 20 years.