Mark Schlabach on ESPN.com has his college bowl predictions for next season up. (SERIOUSLY?!)
And he's got the Badgers in the Rose Bowl.
| 2008-09 Bowl Projections | |
| Bowl (Matchup) | Projection |
| FedEx BCS National Championship Game (BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2) | Georgia vs. Ohio State |
| Tostitos Fiesta (BCS vs. BCS) | Oklahoma vs. BYU |
| Allstate Sugar (BCS vs. BCS) | Auburn vs. Texas Tech |
| FedEx Orange (BCS vs. BCS) | West Virginia vs. Clemson |
| Rose Bowl presented by Citi (BCS vs. BCS) | USC vs. Wisconsin |
| GMAC (C-USA vs. MAC) | Tulsa vs. Central Michigan |
| International (Big East vs. MAC) | Louisville vs. Miami (Ohio) |
| AutoZone Liberty (C-USA vs. SEC) | Houston vs. Ole Miss |
| AT&T Cotton (Big 12 vs. SEC) | Texas vs. LSU |
| Konica Minolta Gator (ACC vs. Big 12/Big East/Notre Dame) | Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame |
| Capital One (SEC vs. Big Ten) | Florida vs. Illinois |
| Outback (Big Ten vs. SEC) | Penn State vs. Tennessee |
| Chick-fil-A (SEC vs. ACC) | Alabama vs. Virginia Tech |
| Insight (Big 12 vs. Big Ten) | Nebraska vs. Purdue |
| Gaylord Hotels Music City (ACC vs. SEC) | Miamivs. South Carolina |
| Brut Sun (Pac-10 vs. Big 12/Big East/Notre Dame) | Oregon State vs. Texas A&M |
| Bell Helicopter Armed Forces (Mountain West vs. C-USA) | TCU vs. Southern Miss |
| Pacific Life Holiday (Pac-10 vs. Big 12) | Arizona State vs. Missouri |
| Texas (Big 12 vs. C-USA) | Colorado vs. UCF |
| Roady's Humanitarian (WAC vs. ACC) | Boise State vs. Maryland |
| Valero Alamo (Big Ten vs. Big 12) | Michigan State vs. Kansas |
| Papajohns.com (Big East vs. SEC) | Rutgers vs. Kentucky |
| PetroSun Independence (SEC vs. Big 12) | Mississippi State vs. Oklahoma State |
| Emerald (Pac-10 vs. ACC) | California vs. Boston College |
| Champs Sports (ACC vs. Big Ten) | Florida State vs. Michigan |
| Meineke Car Care (Big East vs. ACC) | Pittsburgh vs. North Carolina |
| Motor City (MAC vs. Big Ten) | Ball State vs. Iowa |
| Sheraton Hawaii (WAC vs. Pac-10) | Nevada vs. UCLA |
| San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia (Mountain West vs. Pac-10) | Air Force vs. Arizona |
| R + L Carriers New Orleans (C-USA vs. Sun Belt) | East Carolina vs. Florida Atlantic |
| Congressional (ACC vs. Navy) | Kent State vs. Navy |
| Pioneer Las Vegas (Mountain West vs. Pac-10) | Utah vs. Oregon |
| St. Petersburg (Big East vs. C-USA) | USF vs. Memphis |
| New Mexico (WAC vs. Mountain West) | Fresno State vs. New Mexico |
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Also, we're celebrating 10 years of BCS bowls. There are a lot of Top Ten lists on ESPN to commemorate.
They named their top ten coaches of the BCS era. Barry Alvarez comes in at #9:
The man who resurrected Wisconsin's floundering program became the first Big 10 coach to win back-to-back Rose Bowl games. The Badgers played in the Rose Bowl in each of the first two seasons under the BCS format, beating No. 5 UCLA 38-31 in 1999 and Stanford 17-9 in 2000. Alvarez inherited a program that had only five winning seasons in 27 years. In his third season in 1993, he led Wisconsin to a 21-16 win over UCLA in the 1994 Rose Bowl, the Badgers' first New Year's Day bowl victory.
They also have the top ten BCS Bowl Performances and Ron Dayne vs UCLA in the 1999 Rose Bowl comes in at #3:
While "The Great Dayne's" NFL career has mostly sputtered, he was one of college football's all-time greats -- his 6,397 career rushing yards is an NCAA Division I-A record. His performance against UCLA -- 27 carries for 246 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-31 victory -- set the stage for his winning the 1999 Heisman Trophy. His rushing total remains the most accumulated in a BCS bowl game. The following season, he rushed for 200 yards in another Rose Bowl victory over Stanford and won another game MVP award, which means Dayne owns two of the top three rushing totals in BCS bowl games history (the 200 yards being tied for third with Vince Young).
That same 1999 Rose Bowl was also named the #9 best BCS bowl game:
In the first year the Rose Bowl was a part of the BCS, Wisconsin jumped on the broad shoulders of bruising running back Ron Dayne and upset the high-scoring Bruins. The Badgers (11-1) were a 10-point underdog and reveled in saying, "We told you so" as they celebrated with the sun setting behind the San Gabriel Mountains. Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez said too many people undersold his Badgers all season long. Dayne romped for 246 rushing yards and tied a modern-day Rose Bowl record with four touchdowns. All told, eight Rose Bowl records were set or tied in the game. UCLA, which looked to be in line to play for the national championship until being upset by Miami on Dec. 5, pulled within 31-28 in the third quarter on Jermaine Lewis' 10-yard touchdown run. But Wisconsin stretched it back out to 38-28 with 14:08 to play in the fourth quarter on Jamar Fletcher's 46-yard interception return for a touchdown. UCLA quarterback Cade McNown was trying to hit tailback DeShaun Foster deep down the sideline when Fletcher made the defensive play of the game for the Badgers. Fletcher also snuffed out a fake punt by the Bruins midway through the fourth quarter.
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Wisconsin is at #16 in the preseason Top 25
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Quarterback Conundrums: Wisconsin
Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
As the start of training camp nears, several Big 10 teams are dealing with uncertainty at the most important position on the field. Here's the first installment of Quarterback Conundrums, a look at an upcoming competition under center. First up is Wisconsin, which finished spring practice much like it started, with few answers at quarterback.
The candidates
Allan Evridge (6-2, 212, Sr.): The transfer from Kansas State appeared in seven games last fall for the Badgers, completing 5 of 12 passes for 66 yards. He started six games as a redshirt freshman at Kansas State in 2005, passing for 1,365 yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions. He competed for the starting job last fall and lost out to Tyler Donovan. Has good mobility. And, he's a lefty.
Dustin Sherer (6-4, 213, Jr.): He has three collegiate pass attempts, one of which was intercepted in 2006. His playing time last fall was confined to taking the final snap of a win against Indiana. He has good size but lacks polish at times. Had a strong finish to spring ball.
Scott Tolzien (6-3, 200, So.): Tolzien has even less game experience than Sherer, sitting out all of last season after redshirting in 2006. But he performed well toward the end of spring practice and should challenge the other two in camp. The cerebral quarterback could steady an offense that needs more of a game manager than a playmaker.
Who they're replacing
Tyler Donovan: In his only season as the starter, Donovan had 2,607 passing yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Ranked third in the Big Ten in pass efficiency (134 rating). Led Badgers to a 9-3 regular season record and an Outback Bowl berth.
Spring skinny
All three contenders had their moments in spring ball, but none created the separation offensive coordinator Paul Chryst wanted to see. Evridge moved the offense well in the spring game, but the drives he led resulted in only three points. Sherer led the unit to three scores and had two passes dropped in the end zone. Tolzien gained steam toward the end of spring ball but tossed two interceptions in the spring game.
Summer storylines
- Wisconsin's sick bay was full after spring ball, but it didn't appear to include Sherer. Then the junior was spotted on State Street in Madison on crutches. Coach Bret Bielema didn't say much about the sighting, but any lingering injury could shake up the competition.
- The longer Evridge goes without securing the job, the more likely it could slip through his fingers. Evridge is the most experienced candidate by far, and as a fifth-year senior, this is his final shot. He must eliminate the occasional brain cramp and provide the steady leadership Wisconsin needs.
- Chryst will pick the best candidate, but he might be looking to the future as well. Evridge would be another one-year starter at QB, while Sherer or Tolzien could build continuity at the position for 2009.
- The Badgers boast the deepest rushing attack in the Big Ten with four capable backs (P.J. Hill, Lance Smith, Zach Brown and exciting redshirt freshman John Clay), so they will be a run-first, run-second team in 2008. Wisconsin is never over-reliant on its quarterback and needs someone who can limit mistakes and make plays from time to time.
Prediction
This is still Evridge's job to lose. He has the right mix of arm strength and versatility, and he's been in the fire before, albeit in 2005. If Sherer is limited in camp, his chances of starting the opener against Akron look slim. Tolzien is a smart player who seems to fit the mold of previous Wisconsin quarterbacks, but he doesn't seem quite ready yet.
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