The Case For Wisconsin as National Champion

[Wild Turkey]

Losing 3 games does not a good resume make.

I'm not claiming Auburn should be in what I'm illustrating is Wisconsin best NO one all season. When the final rankings are in they will have played only one Top 10 team and they lost it.

They beat no one of significance and I would bet the Ohio State game is the only one that would be in the top 15 measured by network rankings. So not only did they not beat anyone, no one was watching them beat the trash either.

 

[Wild Turkey]

Auburn has 3 losses. They're mediocre.

Exactly so is Wisconsin.

 

[TrustMeIamRight]

Says a sad Michigan fan. You guys have your all time win record, but weren't one of the Big Ten's five best teams this season.

And what you say is demonstrably false. Wisconsin was a TD away from the playoff this season, and they've been a score away from a NCG before. It's not that they didn't have the talent to beat Ohio State - they just needed Hornibrook to play more like last night and less like a turnover machine. They showed last night that they can beat teams with speed, too.

Clemson isn't a blue blood. Nor is FSU, really. They just built a program.

I honestly believe that if the B1G divisions stay as they are, Wisconsin will get a championship. They'll compete for the conference title every year.

Ouch, that really hurts. There is a reason Wisconsin is 15-51 against UM and 18-56 against OSU all time. You do not and will not get the type of recruits those type of teams will.

And if you think last night proved anything — you are a homer. Miami hasn’t won 10 games in 15 years and we’re coming off losses to Pitt by 10 and Clemson by 35. You beat Miami, not Clemson.

And if Wisconsin wants to build a program like Clemson and FSU — it is simple — move the entire campus out of the state of Wisconsin and put it somewhere 1000-1500 miles south and you will be all set.

 

[batchaps4me]

I sincerely hope that Alabama getting into the playoff had nothing to do with beating FSU. That's even worse than getting in because of the logo on their helmets.

I think it has a little to do with both, kind of. Alabama has a record of scheduling tough games and Coach Saban is a known quantity that puts a consistently superior team on the field. When you put you fate in the hands of others and are competing against that, you have to bring enough to be a clearly better pick. Wisconsin's schedule did not allow getting the benefit of the doubt over them, according to the committee.

The heads of some ADs. Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State and Maryland all tried.

Tips my hat to them all. Auburn is inconsistent at making the great OOC schedule but I am hoping that with playing Washington plus a new AD will correct that.

 

[The Derski]

I can assure you that no playoff team would have an ounce of fear about playing Wisconsin. You beat a team that had lost their last two games, including to a non bowl eligible Pitt team, and getting steamrolled 38-3 by Clemson and is coached by a guy with a long reputation of not being able to win big games.

Congrats.

I guess that settles it then. No one is scared of us.

Especially not the SportsHoopla UGA fan.

 

[4down20]

I can assure you that no playoff team would have an ounce of fear about playing Wisconsin. You beat a team that had lost their last two games, including to a non bowl eligible Pitt team, and getting steamrolled 38-3 by Clemson and is coached by a guy with a long reputation of not being able to win big games.

Congrats.

Exactly.

The only team from the Big10 that people wouldn't jump on the opportunity to play is Ohio St, and even among the other teams that might still be the choice with their weaker offense. Urban is most scary when he has a big body QB.

 

[The Oldtimer]

LMAO... did Wisconsin even beat a team that will finished ranked? Maybe one?

Your loss is fine, but your wins are shit.

What team did Bama beat that finished ranked, Miss State?

 

[4down20]

I guess that settles it then. No one is scared of us.

Especially not the SportsHoopla UGA fan.

Why should anyone be scared of Wisconsin?

I doubt you'd score 10 pts against Alabama, Clemson or Georgia.

And you damn sure couldn't outscore Oklahoma.

 

[4down20]

What team did Bama beat that finished ranked, Miss State?

LSU

 

[kburjr]

Wisconsin had 2 losses this year. Loss of prestige. Purdue and Illinois. Not winning each by at least 3 scores were our bad games. That said, there are no ifs. Alabama got chosen. We didn't. What is, is. No do overs.

 

[BigAppleBadger]

Ouch, that really hurts. There is a reason Wisconsin is 15-51 against UM and 18-56 against OSU all time. You do not and will not get the type of recruits those type of teams will.

And if you think last night proved anything — you are a homer. Miami hasn’t won 10 games in 15 years and we’re coming off losses to Pitt by 10 and Clemson by 35. You beat Miami, not Clemson.

And if Wisconsin wants to build a program like Clemson and FSU — it is simple — move the entire campus out of the state of Wisconsin and put it somewhere 1000-1500 miles south and you will be all set.

What's the difference between recruiting in Michigan and Wisconsin? Michigan has a bit more talent (more people), but you share the state with MSU.

The only difference is the name. But how many more years of Wisconsin finishing in the top 10 and Michigan failing to reach 10 wins (or beat Ohio State) do you think that can go on?

Look at Wisconsin over the past 25 years. Yeah, they were shit before Barry Alvarez came to town, but for recruits that was 10 years before they were born.

 

[The Derski]

Why should anyone be scared of Wisconsin?

I doubt you'd score 10 pts against Alabama, Clemson or Georgia.

And you damn sure couldn't outscore Oklahoma.

Cool beans bro. You keep doing you.

 

[kburjr]

The refs removed any doubt.

You need to step up your trolling game and not be so obvious.

 

[The Oldtimer]

LSU

You're right, but the final college football poll is not out yet.

 

[ericd7633]

Just out of curiousity, what about Wisconsin's performance seems to indicate we would have lost to Auburn, Miami, Virginia Tech, or NC State?

This seems to be my biggest beef. Again, I don't actually think Wisconsin deserves the title. But you seem to think that we should be adding certain amounts of points for good wins and deducting certain points for bad losses or something. And I think the question should be "based on their performance on the field, who do I think has shown to be the better team who would have had the better record had they played the same schedule."

When I look at Clemson, they are being rewarded for a bunch of okay wins. But Wisconsin would have beaten all of those "okay" teams that Clemson beat. Debatably, so would Penn State.

Wisconsin just beat Clemson's best win on their home field. I just hate this newfangled belief that the top-ranked team should be the one that manages to schedule enough okay teams to bolster their resume. The top team should be the best team based on performance on the field, not the one who managed to schedule the best*.

*This is especially true because there is not enough cross-conference play in the regular season to truly gauge the strength of various conferences. I think it's pretty clear that the B1G was underrated, as we're 6-1 versus the spread.

You went 1-1 against top 25 teams during the regular season, and didn't have to play a team with a pulse in a true road environment. Clemson was 4-0 with only one of them being a home game. And they beat those teams by an average of 16 ppg.

I'm not saying Wisconsin would have lost to those teams Clemson beat, but going 4-0 against top 25 competition, with a bad loss along the way, is better than being 1-1 against top 25 competition IMO. Wisconsin only has themselves to blame(poor OOC scheduling) and their division sucking(which obviously is out of its control).

 

[HuskerinBig10]

(1.) No Power Five Team lost fewer games than us
(2.) We put together our record in the best conference in America
(3.) Our loss is better than that of any team in the playoffs

Simply put, none of the playoff teams deserve this shit over us. We didn't lost to Syracuse or Iowa State. We didn't play in a conference with bowl losses. I may be a little intoxicated, but it's clear we deserve the title.

There are three teams ranked in the top 20 in total offense and total defense. One is Ohio State, the other two are Penn State and Alabama.

Wisconsin lost to Ohio State.
Wisconsin managed 298 yards against Ohio State,
Ohio State gained 449 yards against Wisconsin.

Wisconsin rushed for a total of 60 yards against Ohio State.
Alabama has the #1 ranked rush defense
Ohio State has the #6 ranked rush defense
Georgia has the #11 ranked rush defense
Clemson has the #12 ranked rush defense
Penn State has the #15 ranked rush defense

Northwestern has the #9 ranked rush defense and held Wisconsin to 109 yards rushing.

I doubt Wisconsin would have beaten Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, or Penn State.

 

[4down20]

Cool beans bro. You keep doing you.

See you in the playof....oh wait.

 

[kburjr]

See you in the playoff....oh wait.

3 of the 4 teams in the CFP will lose 1 more game. How many 1 loss teams will that leave? Congrats to the winner and by next year I will have forgotten who the other 3 were.

There are no great teams this year. Nothing to get misty eyed about.

 

[cwalke3408]

Are you fucking serious? You really want to play the whole "who was in more danger against their opponents this year" game with me?

You lost to Syracuse. You were tied in the fourth with Boston fucking College. NC State was within three points of you for much of the fourth quarter.

Yesterday was only the second time all year our opponent was closer than eight points against us in the fourth quarter.

There's no "what if" involved. We just beat your best win on their home field. Our loss was to a team better than any team you played all year. You lost to god damn Syracuse. SYRACUSE. And you want to talk shit about my team? We'll see what happens when you play a team as good as Ohio State tomorrow. Something tells me it won't be as pretty as a 27-21 loss.

You mean a team who be seating at home tomorrow, hope y’all enjoy. But please tell me more on why a team who has 1 win over an ranked team should be in the playoffs over the defending champs.

 

[The Oldtimer]

They had three top 25 wins vs Wisconsin’s one.

Wisconsin has beaten two ranked two this season, Miami and Northwestern. Bama has two wins against ranked teams, LSU and Miss State. Also the final poll isn't out yet.