LSU draws an interesting postseason matchup as it will return to the Sunshine State to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in the ReliaQuest Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Given our typical understanding of Wisconsin’s program identity as a physical, run-first team, this would seem like a contrasting styles matchup on its face.
However, the Badgers are in the midst of a transition to a more passing-oriented offense. While the results have been mixed in 2023, it does add a bit of intrigue heading into a game against an LSU team that can both score and allow points at will.
CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli ranked all 41 bowl games, and this one sits near the top at No. 12.
The Heisman Trophy has not been awarded as of publication, but I’d be shocked if LSU’s Jayden Daniels doesn’t win the award. I will be slightly surprised if he plays in this game, but the odds could be higher than I think. I’ve watched Daniels refuse to slide and willingly throw himself into oncoming traffic for years, so what’s one more game before moving on to NFL Draft prep? I hope Daniels plays, but if he doesn’t, the Tigers are high on backup Garrett Nussmeier, so at least we’ll get a chance to see him get extended run. They’ll face a Badgers team that didn’t live up to the preseason hype of the new Dairy Raid offense, but if I’ve learned anything this season, it’s that there’s nothing that fixes an ailing offense better than the LSU defense. They can give up yards and points to anybody. As a result, almost every LSU game is entertaining, and no lead feels safe.
It’s hard to argue with anything Fornelli says here, and whether the Tigers can slow down an offense — the “Dairy Raid,” as Fornelli puts it — that has not had a lot of success this season will be a good indicator whether the defense has taken some strides down the stretch.
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