Tag: Big Ten

Badgers are No. 11 in pre-bowl Amway Coaches’ Poll

The Wisconsin Badgers finish 11th in the Amway Coaches’ Poll.

Following a hard-fought loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game, the Wisconsin Badgers finished at No. 11 in the final pre-bowl edition of the Amway Coaches’ Poll, just barely losing the top-10 spot they had last week.

The Amway Coaches’ Poll does not determine the bowl placements, but it is certainly interesting to use the coaches’ rankings as a guide for what the playoff committee will do. As you can see, the LSU ranking at No. 1 in the Amway Coaches’ Poll was agreed with by the playoff committee, which put LSU as the No. 1 seed against No. 4 Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl. Ohio State’s win over Wisconsin did not lift the Buckeyes to the top spot. OSU is seeded second and will face No. 3 Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl, the other playoff semifinal.

Overall, the Badgers (10-3, 7-2 Big Ten) have to be unhappy with the result against Ohio State. Yet, their level of play in the first half was the best we saw all season long, especially when measured against the caliber of opposition.

The No. 11 ranking is not a scandal in and of itself. Wisconsin wasn’t going to rise in the rankings with a loss. However, it seems dubious at best to think that several of the teams placed ahead of Wisconsin deserve to be ranked higher than the Badgers.

Baylor is No. 8. Yes, the Bears played Oklahoma really tough on two occasions, but the Bears lost both times. Where is Baylor’s big win, comparable to Wisconsin’s win at Minnesota and the Badgers’ other quality win over Michigan? There is no comparison. Wisconsin should clearly be ranked higher than Baylor.

Alabama is No. 9. The Crimson Tide got this spot based on reputation, not on quality wins. The Tide didn’t beat any of the other top teams in the SEC. Alabama lost to LSU and Auburn. It didn’t play Georgia or Florida.

Utah is No. 10. The Utes didn’t beat a single team with eight or more wins this year. Yet, the Utes finished ahead of the Badgers. Wisconsin fans can laugh at Baylor, Bama, and Utah finishing ahead of the Badgers in the final pre-bowl coaches’ poll of 2019.

Wisconsin is still one of an impressive six Big Ten teams in the Amway Coaches’ Poll. The Big Ten conference has proven yet again to be one of the toughest football conferences in the country, with six Big Ten teams just inside the top 20 of the poll. Penn State was one spot behind Wisconsin at No. 12. Minnesota was 16th, Michigan 17th, and Iowa 19th.

Wisconsin lost the Big Ten title on one third-quarter drive

When and where the Wisconsin Badgers lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes: a third-quarter drive.

The sky was not falling — not yet — for the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Championship Game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Wisconsin’s botched punt in its own third of the field did not lead to an OSU touchdown, to the surprise of many. Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields missed an easy throw, denying the Buckeyes a tying score. Wisconsin still led, 21-17, in the third quarter. The roof had not caved in. The Badgers still had a decent chance to win and had to feel good about where they were — not GREAT, but still good, after OSU failed to score seven points and forge a 21-21 tie.

Things looked really good when the Badgers converted a third and five and then drove to the Ohio State 20. A field goal? Piece of cake, with Zach Hintze on the job after his 62-yard field goal against Purdue a few weeks earlier. Being at the OSU 20, Wisconsin was in range for a kick just under 40 yards. No problem. The Badgers were going to get at least a seven-point lead and restore a sense of order. Ohio State was going to have a tough climb after blowing that touchdown opportunity in the red zone a few moments earlier, following the botched Badger punt.

And then it happened. Then came the sequence which — more than any other — ruined Wisconsin’s night.

Holding. Sack. Missed 48-yard field goal. Yes, many other plays and sequences hurt the Badgers, but remember: Ohio State had just faltered. The Buckeyes squandered a chance to score a touchdown. We have all seen hundreds of games in our lifetimes in which a team making a comeback suddenly stubs its toes, and the team with the lead responds with a big drive to blunt the rally. Wisconsin was about to blunt Ohio State’s rally… until it wasn’t. When Wisconsin came away with nothing on that drive, to stop OSU’s run and score its first points of the second half, that’s when a sense of dread was impossible to ignore or hold at bay.

Sure enough, THEN the dam broke. Then Ohio State scored touchdowns on its next possessions for a 31-21 lead. Wisconsin never did score a point in the second half. Ballgame.

If you think the 3rd and 18 failure by the defense was a bigger play, that’s a fair point. It’s a perfectly valid argument. However, Ohio State was already leading at that time, and the Buckeyes were going to get another chance to take the lead or add to their lead later in the fourth quarter. The Wisconsin third-quarter drive which sputtered after reaching the OSU 20 occurred when the Badgers still had a lead and still had the expectation they could control the game’s tempo and contours.

Yes, you can say that the 3rd and 18 breakdown was a bigger moment, and I won’t spend time fighting that argument. However, for my money, a third-quarter drive which was about to restore Wisconsin’s upper hand — until it didn’t — was the real moment this Big Ten Championship Game slipped away.

Alas, a loss. That first half deserved a better outcome. Wisconsin simply couldn’t finish what it started against Ohio State.

Ohio State stays at No. 2 in final regular-season Amway Coaches Poll

The Ohio State Buckeyes held on to the No. 2 spot behind the LSU Tigers in the final regular-season Amway Coaches Poll of 2019.

The Ohio State Buckeyes stayed at the No. 2 spot in the final Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports of the 2019 regular season.

The margin to No. 1 LSU increased a little this week. Last week, the Buckeyes received 17 first-place votes and trailed LSU by only 29 points. The voters were apparently more impressed with LSU’s domination of Georgia than with Ohio State’s comeback win over Wisconsin, as the Buckeyes received only 14 first-place votes this week, and trail LSU by 43 points. One of Ohio State’s first-place votes went to No. 3 Clemson, which picked up five first-place votes.

Despite the lopsided loss, Georgia only fell one spot, from No. 4 to No. 5. Oklahoma, the clear choice for No. 4 of the CFP selection committee as well, came in at fourth in the poll.

Wisconsin fell one spot, from No. 10 to No. 11, for its loss. That drop was only due to Pac 12 champion Oregon jumping all the way to No. 6. The Badgers stayed ahead of No. 12 Penn State, which bodes well for Wisconsin’s Rose Bowl dreams–especially if the selection committee does the same.

No teams fell out of the rankings this week, as Virginia managed to hold on to the No. 25 spot even after being demolished by Clemson.

The Big Ten leads the way with six ranked teams, followed by the SEC with five. The Pac 12 and American Athletic Conferences each had three ranked teams, while the ACC, Big 12, and Mountain West each had two. One Sun Belt team (No. 20 Appalachian State) and one Independent (No. 14 Notre Dame) were also ranked.

Jack Coan’s first half and final drive leave a lasting memory

Praising Jack Coan for his performance against Ohio State.

Jack Coan of the Wisconsin Badgers ended the 2019 college football regular season in a very different place, and in a very different way, compared to his worst moments in the second half of October.

Coan wasn’t particularly consistent. He wasn’t especially precise. He certainly couldn’t have been viewed as a dynamic, equation-changing quarterback in the latter half of October, when Wisconsin was ambushed by Illinois and couldn’t muster much of anything against Ohio State in Columbus. Was Coan going to recede into memory as a forgettable quarterback with modest talent and unremarkable performances in big games, or was he going to grow and not give up on his team, his season, or — most of all — himself?

Jack Coan clearly answered those questions against Minnesota, but just in case anyone doubted that he could play equally well (actually, even BETTER) against the big, bad Buckeyes of Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game, Coan offered his response: YES, I can and I will be better.

His first half on Saturday night in Lucas Oil Stadium was his best half of football as a Wisconsin Badger. He hit all the right notes. He made all the right decisions. He showed a new level of elusiveness and athleticism in the pocket. He made Ohio State look slow. How many quarterbacks do that?

Coan stood at the center of a brilliant first half. If Quintez Cephus had made a few more catches, Wisconsin might have scored even more than 21 first-half points against the Buckeyes. As it was, Coan threw down a standard of performance which gave his team a chance to win. Yes, Coan was a little less precise in the second half, but for the most part, the players around him stopped making the routine plays which had put UW ahead by 14 points. If a punt isn’t botched, if a field goal had been made, and if a 3rd and 18 had been stopped, this game would have come down to the wire. Coan didn’t get the chance to lead UW on a game-winning drive.

The final drive he actually led, though, was symbolic of his performance: resolute, tough, fearless.

If you are an older football fan, this next video will be familiar. If you are a younger fan, you should watch it because of its cinematic brilliance. NFL Films created such a large and towering mythology surrounding professional football as the Super Bowl became a cultural phenomenon in the 1970s. Videos like this next one show why.

Go to the 19:45 mark of this video. You will find these words when Roger Staubach and the Dallas Cowboys were desperately trying to come back against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII:

“As they drove down the field again, it was an appropriate occasion to summon up the old cliches which salute gallant losers who play on for pride and self-respect when all hope of victory has vanished. But NO. This was a team that truly believed it still could win.”

– John Facenda, NFL Films

“Battle of Champions” – Super Bowl XIII documentary

January 1979

That, folks, was Jack Coan on the final drive, heaving the ball into traffic because he had to, and couldn’t play it safe. That was Jack Coan on the final play of the game, running furiously toward the end zone, willing himself toward the goal line with all his might, trying to notch another touchdown which might have been the difference between the Badgers getting the Rose Bowl and falling short.

Jack Coan spilled his guts. He gave his body and soul to Wisconsin and his teammates. He played like a champion and showed the heart of a warrior.

Is this hyperbolic embellishment? It sounds like it… but when you think about the man who played very ordinary football against Illinois and Ohio State in October, and you then consider what Jack Coan has become — and how he comported himself these last two weeks against Minnesota and Ohio State — this transformation into a bold leader of the Wisconsin offense makes Coan a Badger we won’t forget. This 2019 season has had many heroes, but Coan’s ability to step up in the two biggest games of the season will not soon be forgotten by Wisconsin fans.

Jack Coan did not fade into the mists of obscurity. He gained a lasting place in the hearts of Badger fans everywhere.

Big Ten title slips away for Wisconsin after a brilliant start

Wisconsin – Ohio State reaction

The Wisconsin Badgers played a near-perfect defensive first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Oct. 26 in Columbus. Saturday night in Indianapolis, in the 2019 Big Ten Championship Game, the Badgers played a near-perfect half, period.

Whereas the Wisconsin defense played brilliantly in the first 30 minutes against Ohio State in late October, the whole Wisconsin TEAM played an excellent first 30 minutes in Lucas Oil Stadium. The Badgers’ first Big Ten title in seven years seemed very close and attainable. Up 21-7 at the intermission, Wisconsin had created a cushion to the extent that the Badgers didn’t need to be PERFECT in the second half. They needed to be good, and make the routine plays they had made in the first half.

Uh-oh. That’s where the Badgers lost hold of this game.

Yes, Ohio State dominated the second half in Indianapolis, much as it dominated the second half of the game in Columbus, but that first game was a game in which Ohio State never trailed. Wisconsin’s outlook was bleak at halftime. That gray day was always an uphill battle. Jack Coan didn’t have his fastball, and he wasn’t throwing strikes.

This game was not that game. Coan was outstanding in the first half, and while he lost a measure of accuracy midway through the second half, he kept making impressive throws until the very end of the game, when he was stopped by a hard hit at the Ohio State 3-yard line. Coan’s performance was good enough to beat Ohio State. Coan’s development late in the season was hugely impressive and a testament to the good work this coaching staff has done in 2019.

All Coan needed was some help, and some of those routine plays from his teammates on both sides of the ball. He didn’t get them.

In a game Ohio State ultimately won by 13 points, imagine a second half in which Wisconsin didn’t botch a punt; was able to make a field goal; and stopped Ohio State’s 3rd and 18 play on a 14-yard out route which easily should have been contained to force a Buckeye punt. We can go on and on with all the plays Wisconsin didn’t make in the second half, but let’s simply take those three.

Just three plays, folks. Three plays. If you take them away — no botched punt, a made field goal instead of a miss, and a 3rd-and-18 stop to force an OSU punt — that’s a 13-point shift. Wisconsin scores 24. Ohio State scores 24.

We’re still playing. Heck, we might have had the second overtime of the day, after Oklahoma beat Baylor in OT in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Would Wisconsin have beaten Ohio State in the event that those three plays had gone the other way? We don’t know… but that’s the point: Wisconsin would have had a chance to win, and that’s why this game — this Big Ten title — slipped away in Indianapolis.

Final 2019 College Football Bowl Projections

Finally, with all of the college football games (aside from Army-Navy) complete, we can look ahead to the bowl season. Teams will find out where they’re going bowling at some point on Sunday, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t try to tell you where …

Finally, with all of the college football games (aside from Army-Navy) complete, we can look ahead to the bowl season. Teams will find out where they’re going bowling at some point on Sunday, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t try to tell you where every team will be going. We’ve been patiently tracking rumors and conversations about who will be going where. After patiently dealing with all of the rules and regulations for each conference, here are my best guesses as to every bowl matchup.

Remember: Nowadays, bowl projections are more of an art than a science. Most conferences no longer allow the bowls to select teams in order, but instead provide “pools” of teams for certain tiers of bowls. The Group of 5 conferences essentially have no selection order preference. The conferences then work with the bowls to determine which team goes where. Anything can be the cause for this–geography, fan interests, matchup quality, whether the conference thinks its team is more likely to win, or any other reason. Therefore, at the end of this article, I will provide a list of which conference pools would be tied to which bowl. That way, you have as much information as possible when figuring out where each team could be headed.

79 teams are bowl-eligible this year, and there are 78 slots available in bowl games. Right now, I have Eastern Michigan being the unlucky team that will stay home, though it could definitely be Toledo or Kent State.

I will also update these for the next few hours Saturday night if any credible rumors come in.

College Football Playoff

Peach Bowl Sat, Dec 28, 4:00 PM LSU vs Oklahoma
Fiesta Bowl Sat, Dec 28, 8:00 PM Ohio State vs Clemson

This is simple enough. No. 1 plays No. 4, and No. 2 plays No. 3. The committee will ensure that the No. 1 team is not given a geographic disadvantage, so LSU will get the Peach Bowl against Oklahoma.

The times for these matchups are flexible and not yet set, but given that Ohio State vs Clemson will by far be the bigger draw, I expect that to be the game given prime time billing.

Next… NY6 and other Big Ten bowls

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Wisconsin tries to end the 7-year itch vs. Ohio State

Reflections on the meaning of a possible win for the Wisconsin Badgers versus the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game.

The Big Ten Championship Game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Ohio State isn’t really a Super Bowl, even though Lucas Oil Stadium is a domed venue and a place which has in fact hosted the Supe in the past. One can’t really call this game a Super Bowl because Ohio State can lose it and still make the College Football Playoff. A “Super Bowl-style” game can’t have that dimension.

What we CAN say about this Big Ten battle, however, is that it is a championship game. It isn’t a quarterfinal or a semifinal. It’s a final. It is a meeting of two champions — champions of divisions — for a trophy and regional bragging rights. Seems pretty important, right?

Here is a fact which the national press isn’t discussing very much this week, with Ohio State getting most of the national play before the playoff, in which it will surely participate: Wisconsin, for all the times it has made the Big Ten Championship Game, hasn’t won the Big Ten since 2012.

That statement might be surprising to some. Others might see Ohio State’s dominance under Urban Meyer and think that statement isn’t surprising at all. Regardless, this much is clear: Wisconsin is simultaneously a program which has made the most Big Ten title game appearances of any conference member (6), and a program which has gone seven years without winning the league.

Wisconsin inhabits a weird and complicated reality heading into this latest Big Ten title tilt with Ohio State: The Badgers have been undeniably and consistently successful. Their program is in a very good place. They just punched Minnesota in the teeth to win a division title and knock the Gophers out of the Rose Bowl. How sweet is THAT? They are making their third trip to Indianapolis in the past four seasons, their fourth in the last six. Yet, they haven’t been able to win in Indianapolis since 2012 against Bo Pelini.

They didn’t beat Penn State in 2016, in a game which got away from them. They didn’t beat J.T. Barrett and a vulnerable Ohio State team in 2017. The 2014 game against Ohio State? Let’s not talk about that one. You know what happened then. Wisconsin is still searching for an elusive conference title. Ohio State fans will quickly point out that if the 2012 Buckeyes had been eligible for postseason play, they would have replaced Wisconsin as Nebraska’s opponent in Lucas Oil Stadium.

This is a seven-year itch for Wisconsin. Can the Badgers scratch it tonight? It would mean the world — and then some — if they can. It would also mean a ticket to Pasadena on January 1. It’s go time for UW.

We must defend the honor of conference championships

Reflections before the Big Ten Championship Game between the Wisconsin Badgers and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

It is that time of year when a lot of people complain about the conference championship games not being College Football Playoff quarterfinals. I agree that if two teams (think Utah and Oklahoma) can settle a playoff debate on the field, they should play each other on this Conference Championship Saturday, instead of playing someone from their own conference. However, I firmly disagree with people who say that conference championships don’t mean much.

As the Wisconsin Badgers prepare to face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game, it is worth noting that the pride created by beating a Midwestern powerhouse and neighbor would be extremely satisfying for Wisconsin. The larger reality of sharing the same part of the United States with 13 other teams — and then being able to say you are the champion in that conference of 14 schools — seems like a big deal to me. The fact that the Big Ten asks its champion to play 10 games (nine in the 12-game set schedule, then No. 10 in Indianapolis if able to qualify for the Big Ten Championship Game) makes a conference championship very substantial. Playing 10 out of 13 games in a season, and being the best team in those 10 games, is a huge accomplishment.

In a league of Ohio State, and Michigan, and Penn State, and Minnesota, and Iowa, a Big Ten championship stands out as a huge feat of athletic prowess and coaching acumen. If Wisconsin can win this title — and go to the Rose Bowl as a result — it would be an enormous achievement for Paul Chryst, his staff, his players, and the whole program.

Look at the Oregon program which beat Utah to win the Pac-12 title and go to the Rose Bowl, possibly as Wisconsin’s opponent. The Ducks fell on hard times as soon as Marcus Mariota left for the NFL. Yeah, Oregon is not in the playoff, but returning to the Rose Bowl is a big freakin’ deal for the Ducks. It was very similar for Washington to make the Rose Bowl last season. The Huskies hadn’t been to Pasadena since the 2000 season. They waited 18 years to return! A conference championship made that possible.

Let’s defend the honor of conference championships… and hope that Wisconsin can win one against Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game tonight.

James Franklin Extended at Penn State: Who’d You Rather?

Since taking the Penn State job in 2014 he’s returned the Nittany Lions to glory, winning the Big Ten in 2016 before falling in the Rose Bowl to USC. What about Kelly?

News came down Friday that Penn State head football coach James Franklin has been extended through 2025, putting an end to rumors he’d end up at Florida State.

That got me wondering about where Brian Kelly ranks in terms of all college football coaches.

If Saban is the GOAT and Dabo Swinney is the next best thing going, how far down would you have to go in order to find Brian Kelly?

James Franklin took a program that was awful before and has again turned south since his departure into a pretty respectable team in his time at Vanderbilt.

Since taking the Penn State job in 2014 he’s returned the Nittany Lions to glory, winning the Big Ten in 2016 before falling in the Rose Bowl to USC.

He’s gone 55-23 overall since 2014 but 44-11 in his four years Penn State has played without any scholarship restrictions.

Residing in the Big Ten East is no simple life as Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan sit in your division and provide top-tier competition on an annual basis (OK, perhaps not Michigan State).

It gets me wondering though, which coach would you rather have if I were to give five years with each at the helm?

Brian Kelly took advantage of a generous schedule by year-three and had Notre Dame playing in (and getting blown out in) the national championship his third year on campus. Year-nine saw Kelly take Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff where eventual national champion Clemson routed them, 30-3.

Franklin has won at Penn State and in his first year without scholarship restrictions won the Big Ten. However, he hasn’t done so again and despite having a top-ten team this season, is yet to get back to that second Rose Bowl appearance.

I’m curious which coach you’d rather have going forward.

Brian Kelly appears to have an elite recruiting class taking shape for 2021, 11 years into his run.

Franklin again won ten games in one of college football’s best divisions and seems to have Penn State on a level they haven’t been at with any consistency since the nineties.

It’s a tough to make a choice and both coaches bring plenty of off-the-field drama with them.

But gun to my head, Kelly has shown an ability to hire quality assistants on the regular who often take head jobs elsewhere and find the next up-and-comer in the coaching ranks regularly.

That’s something Franklin is yet to show, as he has watched only Joe Moorhead leave, taking the Mississippi State job previous to 2018.

Although a longer tenure, Kelly has seen Chuck Martin, Matt LaFleur, Butch Jones, Bob Diaco and Autry Denson take head jobs elsewhere after being his assistants at various points the last decade or so.

The ability to hire quality assistants is so important to me and if Kelly keeps seeing assistants get head-jobs, it must mean he’s doing something right.

James Franklin is a very good college football coach and worthy of every dime he gets from Penn State.

But even if you complain about Brian Kelly on the regular, would you take Franklin over him given the chance?

At very worst that question is harder than you’d like to admit while truthfully, Kelly’s resume at Notre Dame is incredibly-difficult to compete with unless you’ve actually won a national championship.

Franklin’s extension at Penn State and the desire of other premier programs to hire him should make you appreciate Brian Kelly as a coach a bit more, even if you’re not entirely in love with him.

Ohio State vs. Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game: How and where to watch and listen

Do you want to watch the Big Ten Championship Game between Ohio State and Wisconsin but don’t know where to find it. We have what you need.

It’s time to go out and try to get some more hardware to put in the trophy case at the Woody.

If you feel like you’ve seen this movie before, you’re not alone. Ohio State blew the doors off Wisconsin the first time around, but the Badgers are now back for more after finding a way to win the Big Ten West.

The two now meet in Indianapolis for one of them to be crowned the Big Ten football champion of 2019. Ohio State is the heavy favorite, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy.

If you’re planning on watching the game (that’s why you’re here right?) but aren’t sure where or how to find it, we have all the information you need. We have the television network, time, where you can stream it, and even radio information if you plan on listening in to the smooth voice of Paul Keels.

Just click through to the next page and we have all the information you need.

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Next … television, radio, streaming, game time, and venue

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