Wisconsin Goes to Outback Bowl 2008, Facing Tennessee

Finishing up the season with a 9-3 record, the Wisconsin Badgers are headed to the Outback Bowl in Tampa, FL on Jan 1st 2008 to face the Tennessee Volunteers. I am projecting a Wisconsin win judging on how Wisconsin ended the regular season on a high with impressive outings by QB Tyler Donovan and TE Travis Beckum. The upset chance would live in the productivity of Wisconsin's running game spearheaded by last year's Freshman of the Year RB PJ Hill. The previous win against Michigan (the one which preceded their defeat to Ohio St) was a good reference point as it's a good match with 2 very good football teams. Yes, Michigan RB Mike Hart was out, but Wisconsin RB PJ Hill was sidelined too. Tennessee would rely much on the gameplay of QB Erik Ainge. It's hard to judge based on their SEC championship game against Arkansas as the Razorbacks defense was amazing that night.

Wisconsin Accepts Outback Bowl Bid, Heading to Tampa Florida

It was announced that on Thursday, the 8-3 Wisconsin Badgers officially accepted an invitation to play in the 2008 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. This would be a third straight bowl game in Florida as in the previous 2 seasons, the Badgers and I went to the Capital One Bowl (2006 and 2007) in Orlando. Wisconsin came out victorious in both Capital One Bowls, defeating Kenny Iron's Auburn in '06 and Darren McFadden's Arkansas in '07. I enjoyed both of my bowl game trips/vacations and is sad to say that I might not have the chance to be in the stands for this year's Outback Bowl. The opponent for the 2008 Outback Bowl is still undetermined and it may come from the SEC bunch of Tennessee, Florida, Auburn or Arkansas.

Whoever's invited, it promises a very good matchup as SEC has proven itself to be a very solid conference, unlike the Big Ten this year. For Wisconsin, after a National Championship hopeful previously touted BCS-ish season that started on a high but regressed to one battered with injury and 3 conference losses, a bowl game on the New Year’s Day is the simple reward for the team's persistent effort throughout the season. The 3 loses clearly costed a much hoped National Championship dream for all cheeseheads and Badgers faithfuls.

An untimely loss to Illinois followed by a dreadful loss to Penn State dug a huge hole for the Badgers late into the season. Then Wisconsin went down fighting against Ohio State before acknowledging that they are second to the Buckeyes and at the same time proved their worth with a convincing and solid win over Michigan at home which salvaged the season. There's much more to come from this Wisconsin core next season with talented starters like CB Jack Ikegwuonu, LB Johnathan Casillas,TE Travis Beckum and RB P.J. Hill returning. Stay tuned Badger fans. There are more to come.

Michigan Were Who We Thought They Were, Wisconsin Adds More Michigan Misery

Yes, it's almost a week since that Saturday clash between Wisconsin and Michigan at Camp Randall. Wisconsin rolled over the Wolverines in a convincing style with the great trinitic balance of sturdy defense, effective rushing and electric offensive passing game. The trio of Tyler Donovan, Paul Hubbard and Travis Beckum stood out on the field and made plays to show Michigan that they should not be thinking about the Big Ten title at the Horseshoe because they don't deserve it.

They were who we thought they were. The same damn Michigan team which became the laughing stock of the nation when they were humbled by Appalachian State 34-37, thus blowing their national title hopes into ashes and recondemned themselves by getting hammered by Oregon 0-34. Both loses came at their "mighty" Big House home ground. National title contender my foot! They don't deserve a Rose Bowl berth. It'd be sickening to see them be at the Rose Bowl at the expense of Ohio State's expense. A complete mockery of the system. Yes, Mike Hart deserves it, but it's Michigan and not Mike Hart we're talking about. Ohio State has been steady all season long before its rush defense got beat by Illinois. Michigan has been miserable. They lost the respect all by themselves.

The Wisconsin Badgers outplayed the Michigan Wolverines and exposed further their weakness heading into the game against Ohio State next Saturday which should see the Buckeyes take the Big Ten title and Rose Bowl berth and continue licking their wounds after kicking themselves out of the national title game in New Orleans. And Wisconsin would beat the one win Minnesota Gophers to finish the season on a high note. Go Badgers!

Since I Came Back to Madison, I Have Not....

1.) visited Jamba Juice to have a cup of their amazing smoothies and also to make use of my Buy One Get One Free coupon. Yes promotions like free stuffs, contests and coupons buy me into their business. I have nothing to lose, as long as I get a better than regular price. My ex housemate asked me the other day if I have been buying any hot deals off the internet. I said no. It's simple, I don't have a permanent place to stay which I pay rent and utilities for. So I am better off saving my money for something else, something like food and regular everyday expenses.

Life is absolutely different now with no school and no job involved, which means no sponsored allowance for me. Therefore, I have to take my spendings seriously while making an effort to make sure there is still some minimal income from the internet to cover up some portions of my expenses. Redeeming reward points and credit card cashbacks, writing reviews and doing surveys are just some of the options available. Redeeming a free flight to San Jose with my Southwest Rapid Rewards credits caps it off; saving my damn money for my future!

2.) been to the Wisconsin Badgers home football game at Camp Randall. Being an ardent fan and hardcore supporter of the Red, that's slightly surprising, even to myself. Tickets to the Iowa and Michigan State games were overpriced. I am guessing it was due to the fact that we WERE one of the top teams in the country, ranking as high as no.5 and riding on a nation best winning streak.

The attention given to us by the media regarding the nation best winning streak back then was a sign of something bad to come. The game vs. Illinois was on national TV, not because it was a intra-top 10 battle, not because it was a huge rivalry. It was because of the possibility of an upset. People wanna see top ranked teams fall, people wanna see big upsets. We got exposed. I somehow feel that we are left with no choice of being drawn into the disadvantageous publicity since we had no control over the media.

The coaches did their job by addressing the media with every possible encouraging comments and remarks, hoping not to dent the players' confidence and belief in their own capabilities. However, in the end, it was the media who won. The media is biased as they always are, because the media is run by humans. And humans are opinionated. We got dragged into the ugly wins and giving up big plays thing, which then was amplified by the media and made into national coverage. Once we got kicked off the no.5 spot, followed by the no. 19 spot, no one gives a shit.

Yes, that's the point, none of them gives a shit about us. Why is that USC only dropped to no. 10 despite losing to a 41 point underdog opponent in Standford, and playing at home while we, being the 3 point underdog going into the game against Illinois, playing in the opponent's ground. I mean, come one, when you pit Illinois against Stanford, you know who is gonna win. So why does USC deserve to the up there when they lost to the weaker team among the two upsetters? BECAUSE THEY WANT USC IN A BCS BOWL GAME! Damn.

Honorable mentions:
3.) Used my Red Lobster gift cards.
4.) Exercised much.
5.) Attended a hockey or volleyball game.
6.) Gotten a job offer.

Don't Vote Bret Bielema for Coach of the Year, For Now

After the pathetic 7-38 loss to Penn State today, I am going to stop voting for coach Bret Bielema for the Coach of the Year award. After being knocked off the no.5 spot thanks to the losing effort to Illinois, today's extremely poor performance is just another blow to all Badger fans. Sitting dangerously at no.19, Wisconsin knows damn well that losing to Penn State would have them kicked out of the rankings and also bid their Big Ten conference title hope goodbye considering that they have Michigan and Ohio State coming up in their schedule. Fumbling the ball on the very 1st play of the game at your own 16 yard line is simply inexcusable. When you know your team is without 2 of your biggest offensive threats in WR's Paul Hubbard and Luke Swan, RB PJ Hill should know better that he is the main channel for Wisconsin. And giving away the ball on your 1st touch neither highlights your leadership nor determination to produce results. It's called stabbing yourself in the foot. Ball security is the no.1 priority man! Already without RB Lance Smith's explosive pace as the bail out, the running game was not established, which brought the issue to the passing game. The WR's, Gilreath and Jefferson (both freshmen), did all they could, but all they could was not good enough for Big Ten football. Gilreath caused an interception for not grabbing down the ball thrown by QB Tyler Donovan. Ball came off his hands when he was open and picked up by Penn State's defense. The defense was not picking up the slack from last week, blowing covers and missing tackles and doing what they did best, giving up big plays. The defense is not stepping up, they are not correcting their mistakes which caused them to drop 14 spots in the national rankings. Here's the blunt statement, the defense is not up for it. Not in Big Ten, what more to say to chase for a BCS bowl spot in the post season. The offense would have to rely on inexperienced receivers and sub-par average yard per play of PJ Hill. TE Travis Beckum remains to be the main threat in the passing game, but he's the TE and he wasn't the main target in the loss to Penn State. I guess the coach chose to spread the ball to everyone instead of making TE Travis Beckum to haul down more than 10 catches per game. Hey, here's the deal, you're out of experienced starting receivers. Make TE Travis Beckum catch more than 10 passes because he has a pair of secure hands and the best athletic ability to haul down big play passes. If not, you shall wait for your defense to kick some senses into themselves and your receivers to run better routs and catch the ball when they're open and your RB breaking tackles and make big plays. By the time they all did that, you might be looking at a 8-4 season. Guess which bowl you're gonna end up in?

Wisconsin WR Luke Swan Out For the Season with Torn Hamstring

From walk-on to a starter to one of the premier wide receivers in the Big Ten. Wisconsin's #1 Luke Swan has seen it all. Never did he think that his career with Wisconsin football would end with a 17-yard reception which caused a torn hamstring after landing awkwardly after being sandwiched by 2 defenders. In six games this season, Swan had 25 catches for 451 yards and was the Badgers' top receiver. He is QB Tyler Donovan's favorite receiver and has often hauled down crucial passes to convert 3rd downs for Wisconsin.

Nicknamed the Fennimore Flash, Luke Swan is a smart wide receiver who knows how to create space to make plays, according to head coach Bret Bielema. Bret had noted earlier in the season that he thought Swan would be one of the guys who had a chance to be in an NFL team's preseason training camp. Swan's 170 yards receiving against Washington State was 11th best in school history. Swan joined the team as a walk-on in 2003.

With Saturday's defeat to a lucky Illinois team, Wisconsin's chance of taking the elusive Big Ten title has taken a huge dent. ESPN analysts have noted down Wisconsin to finish 3rd in Big Ten and a possible berth in the Outback Bowl.

Click on the following link to vote Bret Bielema for the Coach of the Year award. You can vote once per day.

Wisconsin's Jamal Cooper Suspended Indefinitely for Academic Reason

The Wisconsin football team has had its share of suspensions and troubles with their players in the past. From battery charges (Lance Smith, Booker Stanley) to theft (Jack's XBOX 360 case) to academic reasons (various). Some have stayed, some have been kicked out of the team. This time, it's senior DE Jamal Cooper.
On Friday, the University of Wisconsin football team has suspended indefinitely troubled senior defensive end Jamal Cooper, further weakening one of the thinnest positions on the team. It's the third suspension in a little more than a year for Cooper, who was suspended for "conduct detrimental to the team."
Background Check:
Jamal Cooper is a native of St. Louis, Mo., played in 12 games last season, recording four sacks — tied for third on the team — and 6.5 tackles for loss. He was listed as the starter at left defensive end on the two-deep roster UW released earlier this week.
Most of Cooper's problems have been with academics. He was held out at the start of spring practices by Bielema due to academic reasons, before being reinstated for the final 10 practices. "For us to be able to do what we need to do to have success in the classroom, you need to go to class, you need to be able to do certain things that our academic people say," Bielema said at the time. "Everybody's held to the same standard." The previous spring, Bielema suspended Cooper for UW's 2006 opener against Bowling Green. But Cooper was allowed to play by Bielema after improving in summer school classes. Cooper tore an ACL in 2005, which forced him to miss the remainder of the season after starting the first three games.

Wisconsin RB Lance Smith has been reinstated to the Badgers. Last month RB Lance Smith was suspended last month when he allegedly pushed his girlfriend and was charged with battery and disorderly conduct. He was the Badgers second-leading rusher last season and had five touchdowns. Smith srerves as backup to starting RB P.J Hill.

Partial Source: The Wisconsin State Journal

RB Lance Smith Suspended From Wisconsin Football Team for Cab Fare Dispute

Sophomore running back Lance Smith has been suspended from the Wisconsin football team.

Barry Alvarez, the Athlectic Director of UW, said Smith violated the athletic department's student-athlete discipline policy but he did not offer any details, citing privacy laws.

Madison police spokesman Joel DeSpain said Smith got into a dispute with his girlfriend after midnight Saturday over how much money she owed him for cab fare. he said $10, she claimed she owed him $5.
Said dispute careened from apartment from which girlfriend was not permitted to leave -- @ gas station his girlfriend was to make change from a twenty and was shoved to the ground by Smith, who took the twenty and her also shoes.
(Lance Smith stole his girlfriend's shoes?)

Smith is Wisconsin's 2nd running back behind Freshman of the Year PJ Hill. He's been suspended indefinitely until investigation completed. No charges had been filed as of Wednesday afternoon.

Smith will be suspended from practice and competition until the case is sorted out.

*******************
******Update******
*******************
Lance Smith has been reinstated to the team.