Wisconsin outlasted Nebraska 24-17 in overtime last night to improve to 6-5 on the season and 4-4 in Big Ten play.
The win did a lot of things. It extended the Badgers’ win streak over the Cornhuskers to 10, it kept the Freedom Trophy in Madison (again) and, most importantly, it clinched bowl eligibility for the 22nd consecutive season.
Despite the ups and downs of the season, just like last year, the Badgers will go bowling. And that’s a big deal.
Many often yawn at the concept of a bowl game, or celebrating something when a team is 6-6 or 7-5. “But they make bowl games” is often viewed as an excuse for not playing for conference championships, a sentence often compared to complacency.
But that just isn’t the case. Especially with this Wisconsin team this season.
First, all of the offseason messaging from AD Chris McIntosh and head coach Luke Fickell revolved around championships. McIntosh is anything but complacent, seen clearly with the Fickell hire.
But second, there is real value in what the bowl will provide to this Wisconsin program. It is more of an opportunity for exposure, another month of practices and development for younger players and an important opportunity for Fickell to figure out what he needs, or doesn’t need, entering next season.
Then there’s the game, obviously. And all the hijinks that come with it.
Fickell and his staff have a lot of work to do to reverse what went wrong this season and set the program up for success moving forward, especially as the schedules get nearly impossible. Making a bowl game is at least a first building block, a potential step in a positive direction.
And yes, winning six games and making a bowl has become a given at Wisconsin. But there was a chance the program wouldn’t in 2020, and it did. And last year as well, but it did. That’s why last night’s win against Nebraska carries so much weight. We can now hopefully look back at this 2023 season as one that sprouted a successful run under Fickell. Without bowl eligibility, I would not make that argument.