Earlier this week I failed to uphold my bloggerly duties and post a review of the Wisconsin v. Ohio State game. There are several things that had halted me from doing that. First and foremost it landed on the Saturday night before Halloween, one of the better holidays for an adult passed the legal age of consumption. Nearly the entire house party I was at cluttered around a television to watch the Badger game. Unfortunately for the second week in a row Big Red decided to build up our hopes, then in the true Halloween spirit the Badgers bludgeoned those hopes to death because it took off its top and made out with the quarterback in a tent. I digress, the reason I post on Monday is because I like to watch the game a second time to give the Chicity Sports fans that type of professional inside analysis they are used to from me (see: the horror film reference a few lines up). But I could not, Sunday it was impossible to open my eyes without getting sick and by the time Monday rolled around the thought of watching Buckeye fans celebrate actually made me more nauseous than the aforementioned hangover. The current losing ways of the Wisconsin Badgers may turn around this weekend though as they host the Boilermakers of Purdue at Camp Randall.
I should not really say that so confidently, I was confident that Bucky would beat Ohio State and we saw where that got me. The fact remains that the Purdue Boilermakers are not the football team the Spartans or Buckeyes are. Purdue is ranked 76th in the nation in total offense and 52nd in total defense. And even though they are 4-4 overall (2-2 in B1G plays, and 4-4 ATS) this is one of those games that the Badgers should win but absolutely can not look passed, which is my biggest concern.
Any time the Badgers play a game like this I can guarantee two things, I will be unnecessarily nervous before kickoff, and Paul Chryst will come into the game with the most batshit playbook possible. Tight end reverses, sweeps where every lineman pulls, flea-flickers, all the stops are out. I think against Indiana I watched Pederson on a route that was just him running in circles. Part of me was surprised that in the waning seconds of the OSU game that Chryst did not call the Annexation of Puerto Rico. But do not worry, when Bucky scores a few times he switches to nothing but dives up the gut. This is exactly how every winnable game goes for the Badgers, they will end the first quarter leading 10-0 and then win 52-7 (and is also the reason I like the Badgers -26.5). I believe his play calling is the reason Wisconsin lost the Rose Bowl. I hate watching it because when you are average 5-10 yards on the ground every time you run the ball up the middle there is no place for dicey trick plays that usually result in a loss of yards. Although, the opposite side of that coin were the MSU and OSU games in which Chryst realized that the game would be won with ball control and called fantastic games. I am hoping Bucky comes out Saturday and does nothing but pound the rock, because let us remember, they still have a shot at a B1G title.
It is an outside one, I will give you that. But as Lloyd Christmas would say, ‘so you’re saying there’s a chance.’ Joe Pa and Penn State are two games ahead of the Badgers in the B1G Leaders Divison and have not exactly been lighting the world on fire. The Nittany Lions beat Indiana (16-10), Iowa (13-3) and barely beat Illinois (10-7) on an atrocious pass interference call. They finish the season against Nebraska, at THE Ohio State University and at Bucky. All three of those are highly losable and it is exactly what the Badgers need if they want to play in the Rose Bowl. But, they have to beat the Boilermakers first. Purdue? More like Purdon’t… eh, amiright? (looks around for cheap highfives).
Sarah ‘the girl who sits in the cube next to me’s take: (Badgers play against Purdue this weekend) ‘This is football, right?’ (Yes) ‘Where are they playing?’ (it is at Camp Randall) ‘?’ (… in Madison) ‘I don’t know I’m feeling Purdue this week.’ (Could this have anything to do with the fact that you live in the same state, and Indiana bias maybe?) ‘No, I’m more of a Notre Dame fan.’ (Do you think the Badgers losing is due to the declining number of Russell Wilson?) ‘Who?’ (Nevermind, do you think the line is too high at 26.5?) ‘Sure… and I still don’t know what that means.’