For the fifth-straight season, the Wisconsin football team will head to Florida for its bowl game, and for the third time in the last four years, the bowl will take place in Orlando.
However, unlike in past years, the
Badgers will not be playing in the Capital One or Outback Bowl against a member of the Southeastern Conference. This season, Wisconsin (7-5) will take on the Florida State Seminoles (8-4) in the Champs Sports Bowl.
Although the scenery may not be too different from past bowl games, the opposition will be, something that Wisconsin is excited for.
Some guys enjoy certain things with certain cities,"" head coach Bret Bielema said. ""But with this group and the way they refocused after the four-game stretch, to be able to right the ship and be where they are today, I think they wanted a quality opponent, and Florida State more than fits the bill for that.""
The Champs Sports Bowl game will mark the first meeting between the two schools, and the Badgers have not played an Atlantic Coast Conference team in a bowl game since defeating Duke in the 1995 Hall of Fame Bowl.
The face of Florida State for the last 31 years has been head coach Bobby Bowden. Bowden has guided the Seminoles to two national championships and 12 conference titles and is currently ranked second behind Penn State head coach Joe Paterno on the list of all-time career victories.
Playing against both coaches in one season, something that hasn't been done since Virginia played the Seminoles and Nittany Lions in 2002, has been a powerful motivator for the Badgers, especially Bielema.
""I'm sure that I am going to get entertained for a week down there, just the personality he has. Ever since the first time I've really been in this coaching profession he reminds me of a guy I played for, Hayden Fry,"" Bielema said.
Going against a ""mastermind"" like Bowden is inspiring to the players as well.
""Sometimes in life you get to go against a legend, and we get to do it twice in one year,"" sophomore safety Jay Valai
said.
For Valai, the inspiration to play well and defeat FSU runs deeper, as he will play against his former high school teammate, Florida State sophomore quarterback Christian Ponder.
""[He was] one of my best friends growing up, so it's going to be fun, I know that I can't wait,"" Valai said while sighing. ""Ponder, Ponder, Ponder, Ponder, it's going to be exciting.""
Giving an insider scouting report, Valai mentioned Ponder's ability to not only pass well (1,807 yards and 12 touchdowns), but run the ball (404 yards, four touchdowns) efficiently, too.
However, Valai reminded teammates not to panic over the Seminoles' dual-threat quarterback. ""He's human, so he can fall down like everyone else,"" Valai said.
Defensively, Florida State will present a tough matchup for Wisconsin. Junior defensive end Everette Brown has a team-high 12.5 sacks. In the secondary, Rhodes Scholar and junior safety Myron Rolle ranks second on the team with 57 tackles. FSU ranks 13th in both passing yards and rushing yards per game and give up an average of 20.8 points per contest.
""They're fast. I think they have a great defense,"" junior quarterback Dustin Sherer said. ""We just got to go out there and play Wisconsin football, do our thing and take care of our business.""
