The first few weeks of November can be a difficult time. Most of the leaves have fallen, and the trees stand gray and bare. The cold wind blows away any lingering memories of summer.
That hangover from Halloween has finally ended, but now three exams and two papers approach on the horizon.
Yet while some might be brooding because their landlord has refused to crank the heat passed 65 degrees, I have a warm, fuzzy feeling inside of me.
And it's not because I went hog-wild at Yummy Buffet.
No, I'm thinking of palm trees, roller coasters, bicycle rides with aliens and ice cream bars shaped like the head of a world famous mouse. That's right. I've got Orlando on my mind and for good reason.
Saturday's showdown between Penn State and Wisconsin should not be considered another ordinary game on the Big Ten schedule. Instead, it should be called the first annual ""Mickey Bowl"" or ""E.T. Bowl"" or ""Shamu Bowl,"" depending on which theme park you prefer, because the winner will roll into central Florida Jan. 1 to play in the Capital One Bowl.
I assure you I did not snort any pixie dust before making this prediction.
A win over Penn State would give the Badgers a record of 9-1. Wisconsin could lose to Iowa and have a meltdown of epic proportions against Buffalo, and they would still finish 9-3 overall with a firm grasp on third place in the conference.
Even if UW wins out after downing the Nittany Lions, earning a bid in a BCS bowl game will be difficult. Six BCS spots go to conference champions, leaving only four openings for at-large teams.
The loser of the Michigan-Ohio State game will snag one at-large bid and a slew of talented teams stand ahead of the Badgers in the current BCS standings.
Oh and by the way, the majority of these teams did not pick off non-conference pansies like UW did.
A Penn State victory would make Joe Pa's crew 5-2 in conference play. The Nittany Lions close out their season with home games against the Temple Owls and the Michigan State Spartans.
The Owls ended their 20-game losing streak with a 28-14 victory over Bowling Green last weekend.
Nevertheless, watching Temple remains comparable to seeing the aging Beach Boys perform at your local casino. Sure, they'll show up, but the end result is not going to be pretty.
The Spartans seem to enjoy giving opponents a 35-point lead before actually waking up to play their games. This unique strategy worked to perfection in a 41-38 come-from-behind victory against Northwestern, but MSU could not muster the same results in last week's 46-21 loss to Indiana.
The bottom line is that PSU will finish 6-2 in conference and 9-3 overall if they beat Wisconsin.
While the Badgers and Nittany Lions will fight for a trip to Orlando, they also will play for financial supremacy. The payouts for the Capital One and Outback Bowls, the likely destination of the Big Ten's fourth place team, differ by a few million dollars.
While some lucky teams will play their bowl games in Detroit, Boise and Toronto—yes Toronto—I foresee the Badgers landing in sunny Orlando shortly after Christmas.
So, if the November gloom has got you down, just look ahead to New Year's Eve. I hear Bucky is throwing a wild party at Mickey's House and we're all invited.
