The Bowl Season Blahs

As a few of you may have noticed, there's been no discussion on this fine, upstanding website of the University of Wisconsin football team's date with destiny and the Florida State Seminoles, in the Champs Sports Bowl on December 27. Why is that? Well, to be honest, and to channel Top Gun, I have totally lost that lovin' feeling. Of course I'm still a fan. And, of course, I'll watch the game. But, sheesh, I kind of just wish this season was over already.

The moral loss to Cal Poly-SLO really drove it home--- this team is not good. In fact, they kind of hurt to watch. It's like being a dog waiting to get whacked with a newspaper-- you're constantly ready to wince in pain. Further, the lack of improvement this season from the team has been really disturbing, and has made me concerned about the future of the program in general. As far as the bowl game goes, I'm quite worried that Florida State, even a Florida State that is nowhere near what it used to be, is going to hammer them. I fear a result similar to the Penn State and Iowa games this season, or the Mike Bobo/David Pollack-led beatdown by Georgia a few years back. Now, I sure hope that I'm wrong. And I'm glad the Badgers made a bowl game, if just for the extra practice time. But I just can't muster any enthusiasm for the season's ultimate game.

And thinking about the Big Ten's bowl season as a whole is even more depressing. Take a look at the conference's match-ups. The Badgers and a likely beat-down will start things off. Then we have Northwestern, who will get absolutely exposed by Missouri's offense in the Alamo Bowl. Next up is Minnesota against Kansas in the Insight Bowl on New Year's Eve. Hmmm, anyone else think that KU's excellent quarterback Todd Reesing might totally bomb Minnie's atrocious defense?

The morning after, New Year's Day, we have two more likely losses, with Michigan State playing Georgia (given Sparty's overrated one dimensional offense, that is not going to be pretty) in the Capital One Bowl, and a peaking USC team looking to make a statement against Penn State in the Rose Bowl. (To be fair, think this game could be close. PSU is a very good team. But I just don't see them doing much offensively against USC's ridiculous defense.) These two losses will likely overshadow the Big Ten's lone bright spot--- an improving Iowa team should be able to take down South Carolina that morning in the Outback Bowl.

Then, four days later, the capper--- Ohio State playing a pissed off Texas in the Fiesta Bowl. How did a two loss OSU get into the BCS again? Never mind. The Longhorns are going to depants the Buckeyes on prime time national television. The whole world is going to see their sissy-boy panties rippling in the Arizona evening breeze. It'll be a fitting end to a forgettable season of Big Ten football.