Column: Ranking college football's best coaches in the midseason Shad Poll
By Rushad Machhi | Nov. 10, 2014Guess who’s back, back again? The Shad Poll’s back, tell a friend!
Guess who’s back, back again? The Shad Poll’s back, tell a friend!
After two close losses to No. 2 North Dakota, Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves accurately summed up the weekend in one line.
The No. 4 Badgers (13-1 Big Ten, 22-2 overall) added two more wins to their record after defeating Michigan (6-8, 11-13) and Michigan State (6-7, 13-12) on the road this past weekend.
With their season on the line, Wisconsin was unable to record its first win in Big Ten play all year. In the first round of the Big Ten tournament, the Badgers (0-8-1 Big Ten, 3-12-3 overall) fell to Rutgers (2-6-1, 6-11-1) by a score of 5-2.
They say defense wins championships.
Showing no signs of looking ahead to next week’s divisional showdown with Nebraska, No. 25 Wisconsin rolled to a 34-16 victory over Purdue Saturday in West Lafayette, Indiana.
This would be the calm before the storm in the Big Ten, as division supremacy will reveal itself in the next two weeks, Ohio State vs. Michigan State and Nebraska vs. Wisconsin.
1. Impenetrable defense
The expectations for Purdue under second-year head coach Darell Hazell weren’t high after winning just one game last season, but it is fair to say the team is disappointed with their 3-6 start. They have played better than their record indicates.
This is the eighth edition of the Heisman Watch, a weekly feature tracking the candidates for college football’s most prestigious award. For last week’s rankings, click here.
The Badgers had just scored, going up 27-0, and a desperate Rutgers looked to drive down the field and stay in a game that was getting out of hand. On the first play, quarterback Gary Nova dropped back and was dropped by redshirt sophomore Vince Biegel, who jumped up, celebrating yet another sack, with his mullet flowing in the wind. Biegel is one of many freshmen and sophomores making plays for the Wisconsin defense.
No. 4 Alabama at No. 14 LSU
No. 2 seed Wisconsin defeated Illinois 2-0 Wednesday in the first round of the Big Ten tournament in West Lafayette, Indiana.
When the Badgers first looked over their schedule for the year, one series caught their attention right away: their rematch against rival North Dakota.
After last season’s run to the Final Four, senior forward Frank Kaminsky and the No. 3 Wisconsin Badgers enter this year with lofty expectations.
While the notion of biking hundreds of miles, even for a good cause, may faze even the most dedicated athlete, the seniors in Sigma Phi Epsilon do this every year. The motive? To raise money for the American Family Children’s Hospital.
Following a thorough 37-0 bashing of Rutgers last week, Wisconsin will take on Big Ten West opponent Purdue Saturday in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The regular season came to a close for the Badgers in what became an all too familiar trend this year—with a loss. Wisconsin (0-7-1 Big Ten, 3-11-3 overall) dropped its final game 2-0 at No. 16 Northwestern (4-1-3, 9-3-5).
As you’re reading this, the chance of the Wisconsin Nebraska football game being played at 7:00 p.m. is about 1 percent. For argument’s sake, I’d say a 2:30 start is 50% and 11:00 is 49%.