Coach Bret Bielema was given a contract extension after his impressive 7-5 season last year through 2013. Now, after going 10-3 (9-3 before slamming the bejesus out of Miami) he gets two more years, through 2015.

I would love to know what he has done to warrant getting such a cushion. Was it just me, or was Bret Bielema on the hot seat to start the year? If it was my way, I would have fired him after the Michigan debacle, but alas Barry Alvarez takes car of his own hand-picked successor (and he was right, program stability is best for recruiting). And that is fine. Very fine in fact. After i stormed out of the hell hole that the wolverines call home (I refuse to state the name) and somehow survived the next 3 games (its convenient living within a walking distance of five liquor stores….phew), I regained my composure. That’s what sneaking by a mediocre Illinois team will do for my shaky psyche. As if blowing my chance to see the first rose bowl since the Era of the Great Dayne wasn’t enough, Bielema decided to use his superior coaching skills to not prepare his team against Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl (after sweaking by Cal Poly in OT at home to end the season). I just wanted to let you know what he did to earn the first extension through 2013. 7-5.

What really intrigues me is what he did this year to earn an extra two years. To the average fan, one might see a 9-3 regular season record and think, wow, this coach really turned it around. Many pundits didn’t even predict the Badgers to have enough wins to make a bowl game (see Mark May who said that our schedule had 4 winnable games). Then the fan would see a victory over Miami to bring us to 10-3 and say, “Wow this coach really turned this entire team around from a gosh-awful year into a team to be reckoned with! John Clay and Scott Tolzien? Could this team be any better?” To me, this is a fan who didn’t watch the team this season and has not followed this team over the years (John Clay is the real deal FYI).

The casual fan does not realize that this is a team that easily COULD HAVE gone to the Rose Bowl or another BCS bows. Technically in the standings, we finished 5-3 in the conference, and 5th overall (just another bad loss on the resume). Lets take a quick trip down memory lane to the three losses this season:

For those watching the OSU game, I am confident you know who blew that game –> talking about you Scott Tolzien (however did play well for most of the season and very well in the bowl game). Nice two touchdown passes….to the other team. The defense shut down Terrell Pryor and the ‘vaunted’ OSU offense when they were on the field. Philip Welch continued his best Ray Finkle impression by missing yet another crucial field goal. He still owes me 30 bucks for not covering the spread. Laces out, Philip Welch. Laces out.

The Iowa game is the loss that really gets under my skin. We lost at home. To Iowa. Unacceptable unless the whole team comes down with the swine flu (even then its only a good excuse when you beat Fresno State in OT at home). No way that game should ever be lost. At home. Never. Enough said. Iowa was overrated. Still is.

When looking at the game at Northwestern, there is so much that went wrong. The defense didn’t show up, the offense fizzled and John Clay had one mental slip (fumble to end the game on a great dive trying for the first down). The game should never have come down to that drive; we should have won it way before. Once again Philip Welch was a stud (sarcasm). This program should be past the point where we should lose @NW. Pat Fitzgerald did a great job this year, but that NW team did not have more talent than the 2009 Badger squad.

If the badgers only lose @OSU (which is not easy anyway you slice it) we go 10-1. That send us to the BCS if not the Rose Bowl (probably not because of the tiebreaker with OSU though). When you put some careful thought into this decision to give Bielema another 2 year contract extension, you can clearly see that this is not a coach that is deserving, yet.

Its not that I want Bielema fired (as I said I did post-Michigan game 2008), but I think it is wrong to support mediocrity. When (and if) Coach Bielema takes the Badgers (and wins, I might add), then throw the money and years at him. Then I have no problem for the University giving him a raise to pay him like a top tier coach. But right now he is not. He finally won his first big game (not including his first year when he beat Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl, a season in which we should have gone to the BCS minus a LOSS at Michigan) against Miami. Now he needs to turn that momentum into great recruiting and wins in the next year.

This is a make or break year for the Badgers program. According to ESPN.com, the Badgers are going to be ranked in the top-10 to start the year. Last time I saw the Badgers in the top ten, they didn’t last very long. And that team was coached by Bielema. I have been watching Badger football for almost as long as I have been alive. I never get too excited too early, but if things don’t go our way, I hope the hotels offer refunds because I am going to want my money back.

I hope Bielema has a good year, because if things start to go south early again, the University of Wisconsin – Madison is going to be picking up the tab.

As a Badger fan, I’m really at a loss.

For two straight games Wisconsin has played probably their worst basketball of the year in the first half, and yet they’ve come away with two victories.

After being down by as much as 14 against Penn State on Sunday, Wisconsin miraculously managed to send the game to overtime and pulled out another perplexing victory. Perplexing because these two undeserved wins have come at home, and honestly, the Badgers couldn’t look much worse as they head into maybe their stiffest test of the year.

This certainly doesn’t look like the same team of only two weeks ago.

I understand that losing Jon Leuer really hurts this team. I know that. Losing your second-leading scorer and only true inside presence is huge.

But just the fact that Wisconsin has come out flatter than the Great Plains is what is really confusing and, in a way, depressing me. Wisconsin is still a pretty good team and playing in the Kohl Center is supposed to virtually guarantee a Badger win, but that simply hasn’t been the case without Leuer.

Luckily for the Badgers, their two opponents, Michigan and Penn State, are average at best and they were able to recover in the second halves to steal the games.

However, that is not going to be the case when they head to West Lafayette on Thursday to take on Purdue. If they get out to the start they did against Michigan and Penn State, the game will be over by halftime.

Despite a recent rough patch, Purdue is still one of the best teams in the country and there’s not going to be 17,000-plus willing the Badgers to a win in the second half.

And this time, Wisconsin isn’t going to have the luxury of playing against a vastly-undersized team like they did against the Nittany Lions. Sure, Keaton Nankivil was able to tally 17 points on Sunday, but he certainly wasn’t facing the kind of competition he’ll face against the Boilermakers.

Both Robbie Hummel (6’8″) and JuJuan Johnson (6’10″) will look to work it inside and the Badgers simply don’t have an answer. Nankivil will have to be on his game both offensively and defensively if Wisconsin is going to have any shot at an upset win.

That said, despite my criticisms in an earlier article, Wisconsin’s guards did play well against Penn State. Although their first-half numbers were still lower than desired, their second-half play more than made up for it and was the sole reason Wisconsin managed to pull out a victory. Jordan Taylor was simply amazing down the stretch, scoring 18 of Wisconsin’s last 24 points in regulation and overtime.

They’ll have to be on their game for 40 minutes against Purdue though, not just a half.

Wisconsin shot only 40 percent from the field in the first half against Penn State and only 32 percent against Michigan. Although Wisconsin is usually good defensively, the Badgers can’t expect to compete against Purdue on defense alone. They’ll need to score. Purdue is simply too good on offense.

As a team, Purdue is averaging 76 points a game with three players (E’Twaun Moore, Hummel, and Johnson) averaging in double figures. Unless Wisconsin plays their best defensive game of the year, this game is not going to be in the 50s.

That’s why Wisconsin needs to get out to a quick start.

Even with Hughes and Taylor having monster second halves in the last two games, it was barely enough to get the Badgers past two mediocre teams. On the road, against a much better team, Wisconsin will not be able recover from a poor first half.

With their performance in the 2009-10 bowl season, the Big Ten has proven it’s definitely turning a corner when it comes to playing “faster and more talented” nonconference teams. Oregon, Georgia Tech, LSU, and Miami all fell to Big Ten “plodders” and were for the most part dominated in those games. That said, 2010 presents some real challenges for Big Ten teams in nonconference play. Here’s a look at some of the premier matchups next year.

Week 1: Illinois vs. Missouri

Played in St. Louis, the Illinois-Missouri border battle has turned into one of the more entertaining nonconference matchups for the Big Ten. The rivalry started in 1896, but it only became a yearly one in 2007 and was first played in St. Louis in 2002. Known as the “Arch Rivalry,” Mizzou has dominated in St. Louis, winning the last five matchups, including 37-9 in 2009. Illinois had a down year in 2009 and will look to rebuild in 2010, but will face a stiff test in the opener.

Week 1: Michigan vs. Connecticut

The Wolverines will christen newly renovated Michigan Stadium with a visit from the newly renovated Connecticut Huskies football program. The Huskies have risen quickly after becoming an FBS program in 2000. Michigan on the other hand has fallen far since Lloyd Carr’s departure, going 3-9 and 5-7 in two seasons under Rich Rodriguez.

Week 1: Northwestern at Vanderbilt

A battle of the two private universities in primarily public university conferences. After many long years of football failure, both programs are on the rise, especially Northwestern’s. Although it probably won’t go a long way in deciding either team’s success in 2010, it should be an interesting game to watch.

Week 1: Purdue at Notre Dame

Brian Kelly certainly doesn’t get the chance to ease into his first year at Notre Dame, opening the year against his neighbors down I-65. A closely contested rivalry, Notre Dame-Purdue seems to go down to the wire every year. In 2009′s game, Notre Dame barely squeaked by a Purdue team that finished seventh in the Big Ten, 24-21. Neither team will be outstanding in 2010, but this should be an entertaining game nonetheless.

Week 2: Michigan at Notre Dame

Brian Kelly vs. Rich Rodriguez. Two coaches probably under the most pressure in the nation. The Wolverines came back to get the win against Notre Dame in 2009, but this one’s in South Bend. Always a great game, but with the decline of both programs over the last few years, does it really matter anymore?

Week 2: Ohio State vs. Miami (FL)

2010 will be the first time these two teams have met since Ohio State’s 31-24 victory in the 2003 national championship. Jacory Harris and the Hurricanes will come into Columbus hoping to return to their 2002 form after almost a decade of mediocrity. Although Miami is definitely on the rise, the Buckeyes have never really fallen. Terrelle Pryor and Ohio State will again be hoping for a Big Ten title, but 2010 will hold an even larger goal for the Bucks: a national title.

Week 2: Penn State at Alabama

One of the biggest nonconference matchups of 2010, this game pits two of the most storied college football programs in the nation. Both PSU and ‘Bama are virtually at the top of their respective games, though the Lions won’t have quarterback Daryll Clark for this one. This is the first of a home-and-home series as the Tide will head to Beaver Stadium in 2011.

Week 3: Iowa at Arizona

After defeating Arizona 27-17 in Iowa City in 2009, the Hawkeyes head to Arizona in 2010 for the second game of the two schools’ home-and-home series. Both teams are coming off of successful 2009 seasons and if those campaigns are any indication, this should be a defensive battle.

Week 3: Michigan State vs. Notre Dame

By this time, the Irish could already be 0-2, so who knows if this will even be an attractive matchup. It’s Notre Dame though…

Week 3: Minnesota vs.  USC

Both teams are coming off disappointing seasons although they have somewhat different standards for disappointment. Minnesota finished 2009 6-7 after a loss to Iowa State in the Insight Bowl. Reasonable cause for disappointment. USC finished 9-4 after a win against Boston College in the Emerald Bowl. After a decade of absolute domination, I guess finishing with anything less than a Rose Bowl is disapointment in the Trojans’ eyes. This is really only a premier matchup simply because of the fact USC is coming to Minneapolis. The game itself really shouldn’t be that fun to watch if you’re a Big Ten fan.

Week 3: Wisconsin vs. Arizona State

2010 is a year in which Wisconsin should be expecting great success. Given their returning players and relatively easy schedule, Wisconsin should at least be aiming for a Rose Bowl invite. Easily the toughest matchup of their nonconference schedule, Arizona State is coming off a rough 2009 campaign, finishing the year 4-7 including only 2-7 in the Pac-10. However, it should be a good indicator of how strong Wisconsin really is as they go into Big Ten play.

As the Big Ten season started just before the new year, a lot of people wrote off the conference as overrated, boring, and just tough to watch. But now, more than two weeks into the conference season, it appears that Big Ten basketball is back. Sure, the games are low-scoring, but that is because the bruising, half-court style of play yields low point outputs.

Purdue, Michigan State, Northwestern and Ohio State all began the conference season ranked in the top 25. Now, Michigan State is still riding high, but Purdue, Northwestern and Ohio State lost multiple games to conference foes to fall hard in the past few weeks. Wisconsin, on the other hand, has emerged from the shadows to second place in the conference after giving Purdue their first loss of the season.

Both Michigan and Minnesota were written off as disappointments as the conference season started, but each have had victories against Ohio State early on to help boost their resumes. However, after beating both Penn State and OSU, Minnesota turned around and lost in overtime to Indiana. Michigan has lost to both Indiana and Northwestern, but has beaten Ohio State, Indiana (played them twice), and then won a strangely-scheduled non-conference game yesterday against UConn.

Penn State has found themselves in the cellar of the conference after going 8-3 to start the season. They are 0-5 since then, with a huge collapse against Michigan and very close losses at Illinois and Iowa. Speaking of Illinois, they appeared doomed for a season of underachievement after their overtime loss to Gonzaga in Chicago, but have since turned it around nicely, starting the conference season 4-1, with that lone loss coming this weekend to Michigan State.

Overall, the conference is incredibly tight. Three straight victories/losses at any point in the conference season will yield a noticeable shift in the conference standings, and it is completely possible for any team to defeat anybody else as the season continues.

After more than a month-long hiatus, College FootBlog is back and ready for this year’s bowl season.  On December 29th, the ACC’s Miami Hurricanes (9-3) will take on the Big Ten’s Wisconsin Badgers (9-3) in the Champs Sports Bowl.  In this match up, the ‘Canes will look to show the college football world that they were overlooked for a New Year’s Day bowl, while the Badgers will try to redeem themselves after getting blown out by Florida State in their bowl game last season.

College FootBlog will break down this match up, analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each team, and will conclude with a score prediction. 

Jacory Harris will lead Miami's passing attack in the Champs Sports Bowl (google images)

Strengths:  With sophomore Jacory Harris as the trigger man, the Hurricane’s passing attack has put up some big numbers in 2009.  After splitting time with Robert Marve last season, Harris has really developed since taking over as the full-time QB.

His corps of receivers has helped as well.  Junior wideout Leonard Hankerson leads the group with 773 yards and six touchdowns on the season, and if Laron Byrd can come up with 69 yards and Travis Benjamin can come up with ten yards, the ‘Canes would finish the season with three WR’s with at least 500 yards on the year.

Key Concern:  Despite having a ton of speed and athleticism, Miami has been very inconsistent on defense.  The ‘Canes rank 25th in yards per game on defense, they have given up some points.  In fact, the ‘Canes have given up over thirty points four times this season.

The bright side for Miami in this match up is their ability to stop the run, led by linebacker Colin McCarthy.

Wisconsin

Strengths:  As sophomore running back John Clay goes, so does the Badgers’ offense.  The bruising 248-pound back enters this bowl game just four yards shy of 1,400 and has rushed for 16 TD’s on the year.  Clay has enjoyed anothergreat year, following the traditional stellar offensive line that consistently produces NFL talent.   

At 248 pounds, John Clay is quite a load out of the Wisconsin backfield (google images)

Key Concerns:

  At nearly 220 yards passing allowed per game, the Badgers have not exactly been stingy this year, especially considering the Big Ten is not known for throwing the football around.

Wisconsin ranks 66th nationally against the pass, and despite shutting down pass-happy Hawaii and limiting them to ten points and 214 total yards, the Badger defensive backs will face much more speed than they have seen so far this season.

The Badgers will need a big day from their secondary if they want to stay in this game.

Wisconsin Offense vs. Miami Defense

Although Miami has seen a couple of dominant running teams this season in Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, they have not faced an offensive line like this.  Look for the ‘Canes to stack the box and force quarterback Scott Tolzien to beat them. 

Still, Clay will easily eclipse the 1,400 yard mark on the season, and he should make a real run at 1,500.  Slight EDGE:  Wisconsin

Miami Offense vs. Wisconsin Defense

As previously mentioned, the Wisconsin secondary should have their hands full with the speed and the talent that the ‘Canes possess at wide receiver.  The silver lining for the Badgers could be that Miami’s senior offensive tackle Jason Fox is out for this game. 

The Badgers will have to get pressure on Jacory Harris, or it will be a very long day.  Mix in Graig Cooper’s receiving ability out of the backfield, and Miami could score and score quickly.  EDGE:  Miami

Special Teams

The big difference here could be the return men.  Wisconsin’s David Gilreath is a dangerous returner on kick offs and punts.  Miami counters will very dangerous tandem of Travis Benjamin and Graig Cooper.   Both kickers, Miami’s Matt Bosher and Wiconsin’s Phillip Welch have been solid this season as well.  Slight EDGE:  Miami

Prediction

The Big Ten had another let down of a season in ’09, but the ACC didn’t exactly light things up this year, either.  Wisconsin was supposed to have the big advantage last year against Florida State with their ability to run the football.  Things did not go so well for the Badgers, as the Seminoles rolled to a 42-13 win.

Like last year’s match up, the Badgers will likely have a difficult time keeping up with Miami’s speed on offense.  Wisconsin has shown that they can be vulnerable to the pass, and they could be facing the best passing offense they have gone against in a couple years.  Look for Miami to roll.  Score Prediction:  Miami 34, Wisconsin 17

Miami

The math on this just doesn’t add up. The Big 10, which actually consists of 11 schools,  is looking at expanding to 12 schools. So the Big 10 (10+2=12) would be Big 12, right? Putting the math aside, this conference move could really change the landscape of college football. The proposal on the table is for the Big 10 to add a new school, making it a 12 team conference. This change would make it so that the Big 10 would separate into two divisions, sending one team to compete in a conference championship.

The first issue with this proposal the Big 10 has never risen above, is their complete lack of winning bowl games. Year after year, the Big 10 has fallen flat on their face in the Rose Bowl, and just about every bowl they’ve attended. Some analysts and even coaches feel, the short fall in the post season comes from having a small conference with a short schedule. This short schedule leaves the Big 10 teams with almost two whole months between their last season game and a major bowl game. This gap makes it extremely challenging for coaches and players to be not only mentally, but physically on top of their game to compete at a bowl level.

The Big 10 is making a strategic move with this option of a 12 team conference because any school who has a conference championship will have an advantage at the bowl level, and for their overall rankings. This move would also allow a strong team in a non BCS school to join the Big 10 and be eligible for a BCS bowl. Regardless of how you spin it, adding the 12th school would be a win-win move! If the Big 10 becomes the Big 12, they might start competing at a higher level with the other conferences and lite a fire to an already struggling conference!