After a surprising 9-3 regular season to send out Barry Alvarez on a successful note, the Badgers acquired an invitation to the Capital One Bowl, one of the best non-BCS bowls. The joy may have waned a little when they discovered that their opponent would be No. 7 Auburn (9-2), one of the more underrated teams in the nation, but Alvarez remained unfazed.
'It's going to be a difficult task,' Alvarez said. '[But] this is what it's all about, pitting yourself against outstanding competition.'
'It's pretty impressive to go to a January bowl,' junior running back Brian Calhoun said. 'It will be just another test for us to prove that we can play with some of the better teams.'
If this bowl matchup looks vaguely familiar, well, it should because it's the identical battle from the 2003 Music City Bowl. The two teams fought back and forth over the first three quarters until Auburn took charge in the fourth and came out with a 28-14 victory
However, both teams have changed remarkably since then, as new talent has emerged while stars have departed. Gone are such NFL names as Cadillac Williams, Ronnie Brown and Lee Evans, but players such as junior running backs Brian Calhoun and Kenny Irons have surfaced. Auburn seems to have the edge currently, as they are favored by 10.5 points coming in, but Wisconsin does not mind the underdog role.
'We love the role of the underdog,' junior offensive lineman Joe Thomas said. 'We've played it from the start this year, everybody was always picking against us.'
Auburn's strength lies mainly in its defense, as it only allow 14.7 points per game, good for sixth in the nation. While they may not have any big-name stars on defense, the unit has stifled offenses all season and led to victories over No. 9 Georgia and No. 8 Alabama their last two games of the season. Eight different players have interceptions and they allow 189.7 passing yards and 104.4 rushing yards per game.
The high-powered Wisconsin offense will try get the running game going early. The Badgers are rarely effective if Calhoun is not getting carries and yards, but that will not be easy against the Tiger run defense. Perhaps the biggest key to victory will be which John Stocco shows up to play. Will it be the quarterback who picked apart Northwestern, or will it be the gun-shy play caller that was just sacked nine times in Penn State?
The most intriguing matchup will be the Wisconsin run defense against the powerful Tiger running game. Irons has been strong all year with 1,205 yards and 13 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Badger defensive line is extremely banged up and has been shaky even when healthy all season. Joe Thomas might even need to pull a little double duty as UW is running out of defensive lineman to put on the field.
Whatever the result may be, the contest should be an exciting Big Ten-SEC showdown. The game, which takes place in Orlando Jan. 2, will commence at noon and will be televised on ABC.
