Who Will Win the Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl, and National Championship Games?

We are just days away from the college football playoffs semi-finals, and it looks like the powers that be in the NCAA are pretty happy with what's on tap. Will a dominant winner emerge in the upcoming football games? Let's see what's coming up for the new year.

Game #1, Peach Bowl, #4 Oklahoma vs. #1 Clemson

This will be a super fast paced game. Baker Mayfield, the former Texas Tech Red Raider, who transferred to Oklahoma, is having himself a monster season. Through 12 games, Mayfield has 3,389 yards passing, 35 touchdowns, and just five interceptions to go along with a quarterback rating of 178.9. His ace receiver is senior Sterling Shepard. So far this season, Shepard has 79 catches for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns. He will need to have a big game if Oklahoma is going to pull off a win. On the other side you have the best team in the country, and the lone unbeaten, the Clemson Tigers. Their quarterback, Deshaun Watson, has 4,399 yards from scrimmage and 41 touchdowns so far this season. He has turned the ball over 11 times, but he is only a sophomore, and this is his first season as a starter. Protecting the football will be vital in a game like this. I expect this to be an up and down contest with Clemson winning 45-38.

Game #2, Orange Bowl, #3 Michigan State vs. #2 Alabama

The first game will be a shootout. This game will be a war. The first game will be a track meet up and down the field. In this game, these two teams are going to beat the crap out of each other for 60 minutes and whoever is still standing wins. For Michigan State, it is all about senior quarterback Connor Cook, who could potentially be a top ten draft choice next year. He will need to find a way to make enough plays against this vaunted defense to make a difference. On the other side, you have Heisman Trophy winning running back Derrick Henry for the Crimson Tide. Henry will have to find enough holes against this tough Spartan defense to make a difference. Bottom line, stats don't matter in this one, and this is going to be a flat out war. Final score, Michigan State wins 19-16 on a walk-off field goal.

National Championship Game, Clemson vs. Michigan State

The unstoppable force vs. the immovable object. With both teams locked down on stopping the other one's quarterback, it will be up to the running backs to decide this one. You would think this would favor Clemson, right? Wrong. I am going to go out on a limb here, and say that L.J. Scott has the game of his life, running for nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns as Michigan State stuns the world, beating Clemson 31-27 and winning the national championship.

Best NCAA Football Conference Championship Games in 2015

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We have officially reached one of the sacred days of the sports calendar every year - College Football's “Conference Championship Saturday”. Here is my preview of the notable games.

Temple vs Houston (2015 American Athletic Conference Championship) - Greg Ward, a duel threat quarterback, is having a monster 2015 season, and is a borderline Hesiman Trophy candidate. Temple comes in here the higher ranked team though, ranked 25^th in the polls. Greg Ward has another big game and Houston wins 55-31.

Texas @ Baylor - The Big 12 doesn't have a conference championship game, so their schedule spills over into this weekend. Baylor is unable to win the Big 12 because of their loss to Oklahoma, so now it is a matter of pride for them, and playing in as good of a bowl game as they can. This is an important game for recruiting in Texas, and it doesn't help Baylor that they are down to their third string quarterback. Texas pulls off the stunner here 38-31.

Florida vs Alabama (SEC Championship) - Florida won a mediocre SEC East, and Alabama navigated their way through the nightmare SEC West to get to this game. This should be an easy win for the Crimson Tide, 34-13.

Stanford vs USC (PAC-12 Championship) - Stanford knocked Notre Dame out of the college football playoff race last weekend with a last second field goal. USC back-doored their way in here following Utah's late season meltdown. This will be a good pro-style game with Stanford winning 31-24.

Michigan State vs Iowa (Big 10 Championship) - This game has MAJOR college football playoff implications. The winner is in, essentially, the loser is out. This will be a physically brutal game, with a lot of hard hitting. Iowa wins 23-16.

North Carolina vs Clemson (ACC Championship) - The Tar Heels have rattled off 11 impressive wins in a row following that opening night disaster against South Carolina. Clemson is the number one ranked team in the nation. This should be this best game of the day, with Clemson winning 48-41.

NCAA Football Top 25 in Week Four | Badgers Miss the Cut

 1. TCU- Need to start playing some defense soon or they are going to lose some games in conference play.

 2. Michigan State- "Sparty" has the signature win of 2015 so far, at home over Oregon.

 3. Georgia- In my opinion, this has been the most impressive team so far.

 4. Mississippi- They took advantage of five turnovers last Saturday en route to a 43-37 win in Alabama. The Crimson Tide still have no quarterback.

 5. Clemson- Hanging in there, but not looking too impressive out of the gate.

 6. LSU- Awesome start to the season for Leonard Fournette.

 7. Florida State- This defense has looked good so far. But can the offense score enough points?

 8. Utah- Look out for this Utah team, seriously. Their special teams are insane.

 9. Arizona- So far, so good for the Wildcats in 2015.

10. Oklahoma- Baker Mayfield is off to a terrific start at his new school.

11. Ohio State- Yes, this is a big drop for them, but honestly, this team has looked just plain AWFUL. As soon as they play a quarterback with a pulse they are going to lose. Michigan State is going to absolutely destroy these Buckeyes in November at the rate Ohio State is playing at right now.

12. Alabama- The Crimson Tide still doesn’t have a quarterback and could be in for a few more losses this season unless one steps up quick.

13. UCLA- I have been impressed with the play of freshman quarterback Josh Rosen so far.

14. California- Jared Goff is a beast and is turning himself into a number one overall draft choice.

15. Oklahoma State- I still remember that famous day Mike Gundy blew up at that reporter. Since that day, this program has taken off.

16. Baylor- The Bears have looked below average, well below average so far, which is why I drop them.

17. Northwestern- This Wildcat team has put together a pair of solid wins so far- against Stanford and against Duke this last weekend.

18. Texas A&M- Well so far, the two quarterback system is working in College Station. Not sure how long because this usually never works for a full season.

19. Missouri- This team has looked really bad so far, which is why they've been passed up by so many in this poll.

20. Oregon- I knew this team wasn't that good to begin the season.

21. Iowa- This season has been classic Hawkeye football. That is a good sign going forward.

22. Notre Dame- The Irish are walking a fine line between being good, and being lucky so far in 2015.

23. Texas Tech- The Red Raiders are scoring a lot of points, as usual, and as usual, playing very little defense also.

24. Kansas State- Wonder how long Bill Synder can keep going in his return to coaching.

25. Temple- The Owls are off to a very nice 3-0 start.

Badgers 2013 Bowl Opportunities | Should Wisconsin Find A New Quarterback?

The Wisconsin Badgers are going to finish the 2013 college football regular season at 9-3, and 6-2 in Big Ten Conference Play. The Badgers are now headed for the Capital One Bowl following the events of the Auburn-Alabama game this weekend, as Vern Lundquist called it, “an answered prayer”. The Alabama loss puts Ohio State into the national championship game if they beat Michigan State this Saturday. If Michigan State does indeed win that game, the BCS selection committee would probably bring Ohio State into the BCS as an at large team, therefore placing Wisconsin into the Capital One Bowl regardless. Yes the Badgers run of three straight Big Ten Championships is over, but overall a successful season.

Well if the Badgers had a successful season, they why are we talking about them needing to make a change at quarterback? The success this season for Wisconsin had nothing to do with Joel Stave. Rather the 9-3 record is due to the play of running backs Melvin Gordon and James White, as well as the fact that this defense was sixth in the nation in points per game at 14.8. Stave had nothing to do with it. In fact, Stave at times hampered Wisconsin. 

Does Wisconsin Replace Quarterback Stave?

I understand the Badgers are not exactly known for great quarterback play, but their quarterbacks have always been good caretakers of the football and of time of possession. Stave’s play in 2013 started out okay, but got gradually worse as the season went on, and this last Saturday, in the 31-24 loss against Penn State, Stave was just plain awful. He finished the game 29-53 with 339 yards and three interceptions. Don’t let the passing yards fool you, he played terrible.

I don’t think they will make a change before the bowl game. There is no reason to play Curt Phillips in the bowl game and it wouldn’t be a good idea to give any of the freshmen the start. They have gone this far with Stave, might as well let him finish the job. There are a lot of people who think that just because a player isn’t going to be in the team’s plan next season, he should be benched. I say let him finish the job he signed up for. But come the offseason, it may be time to look at other options. Right now, outside of Stave, and senior Curt Phillips, the Badgers have a lot of unknowns on the roster. Two freshmen who certainly look the part, Thad Armstrong and Bart Houston come to mind. Conner Senger, a freshman from Milwaukee that I have personally interviewed, is undersized but is a good football player. Another option would be a sophomore named Tanner McEvoy.

Bottom line, whether it is Joel Stave, or someone else, the Badgers need better play out of the quarterback play out of the quarterback position then what Stave gave them this season.  

Badgers First Two Games Were Not A Test | Wisconsin Has Huge Obstacles Ahead

The Wisconsin Badgers have started the 2013 season with back-to-back shutouts, defeating UMASS 45-0 in week one and Tennessee Tech 48-0 in week two, becoming the first Badgers team in over half a century to post back-to-back shutouts. Yawn.
Not much of a news story there, as these were both Championship Subdivision opponents. I understand that seven such teams beat Bowl Subdivision teams in week one, but none of those Bowl Subdivision teams were as good as the Badgers are, and no, I don’t count Oregon State as a good team.
2012 was basically a free ride to a Big Ten Championship for Wisconsin, as they literally had almost no opposition to get there. That isn’t the case in 2013. There are a number of teams who could get in their way of another trip to Pasadena. The biggest road block is Ohio State. The Buckeyes currently sit ranked third in the polls. Ohio State couldn’t stop the Badgers from winning the Big Ten championship because they simply were not eligible due to their postseason ban. The postseason ban is over now, and the Buckeyes are a strong favorite to win the Big Ten.
Also standing in Wisconsin’s way is Michigan, whose offense ran over a good Notre Dame defense on Saturday, dropping 41 on the Irish. Question with Michigan is the same question that has plagued them the last couple of years, can they defend enough? Another team in the Badgers’ way is Northwestern. The Wildcats have been slowly improving year to year for the last decade, and I believe one of these years they are going to sneak up and snatch the Big Ten title when nobody’s paying attention. Northwestern has always been led by strong quarterback play, and this year is no different as Kain Colter might be the second best quarterback in the Big Ten behind Ohio State’s Braxton Miller.
Another team that would like to have a say in this process in Nebraska, and I guarantee you they have not forgotten about the way Wisconsin embarrassed them last December in the Big Ten Championship game. If Nebraska and Wisconsin meet again, I believe the game will go much, much, differently. At the end of the day, I think the completion for Wisconsin is too strong for the Badgers to win the Big Ten yet again.

Bucky Bets On Phillips | Do They Have Any Other Choice?

The Badgers must have felt as if they had seen this play out before.  Time was running out, the Badgers were in the lead, but it all faded away in the final moments. This time, the Spartans won it in overtime.  That didn't make it any easier to take. Wisconsin had the lead, and had pinned Michigan State back around their own 25.  Michigan found a way to get down the field, and scored the tying touchdown.  The Badgers didn't manage the clock, and the game went to overtime.

Wisconsin scored a field goal with their first possession.  Would that hold up?  The Spartans answered with a 12 yard touchdown pass that capped of a solid drive.  Game over, Badgers lose. Wisconsin is now 3-2 in the Big Ten conference. Stave is out for the season.  Bucky fans are now wondering if the team can manage to pick up the pieces. They face an uphill battle to say the least.

Curt Phillips Takes Over As Quarterback

Curt Phillips now takes over as QB. Sure, he was a high school star, but weren't most Big Ten starters? On top of that, Phillips has gone under the knife three times, and played in very few games.  Still, there is hope. Phillips can move.  O'Brien failed to do the same in the pro-style offense that Wisconsin is known for. Phillips will get a chance to ease into things, as he's facing a team that gives up huge rushing yards.  With that in mind, the Badgers run game could certainly set up Phillips for some easy passes.  The Badgers are running out of options. It's got to work.

Badgers don't play Michigan State in 2015 & 2016

Just when the rivalry between the University of Wisconsin and Michigan State football teams was getting really good comes the news that it's about to go on a hiatus.

The Big Ten Conference announced on Monday the conference schedules for 2015 and 2016.

The highlight for the Badgers is the return of Michigan following a four-year break. But the downside is the absence of the Spartans from 2013 to 2016.

The Badgers and Spartans have played three highly entertaining games the last two years and met in the inaugural Big Ten championship game last season.

Michigan State handed UW its only regular-season loss in 2010, winning 34-24 in East Lansing, Mich. The Spartans won the 2011 regular-season meeting, also at home, 37-31, on a Hail Mary pass on the game's final play.

The Badgers prevailed 42-39 in the wild title game, securing the win with the help of a roughing-the-kicker penalty on a punt late in the game.

The two teams are expected to be the favorites in their respective divisions during the upcoming season and will face each other at Camp Randall Stadium on Oct. 27. But the next four years, the only way they would play each other is in the conference title game.

Iowa, a traditional rival, leaves the UW schedule again in 2015-16, after returning in 2013 and 2014. That means the Badgers and Hawkeyes will not play each other in the regular season in four of the first six years of divisional play in the Big Ten.

Let's hope when they do meet Bucky comes out on top.

Badgers ready for Primetime

Excuse Peter Konz if he has things on his mind besides CollegeGameDay, trash-talk, revenge or Bowl Championship Series rankings this week.

The redshirt junior center remembers plenty about the Badgers' trip to East Lansing, Mich., a year ago, things said on the field, missed opportunities and, most of all, the final score. Still, the Neenah native said his team does not have revenge on its mind as it prepares for a rematch with the Spartans Saturday night under the lights.

"I don't play the game for revenge," the humorous center said with a smile. "I love the game, I play the game for love."

There is a lot to love about the prospect of a nationally televised showdown between No. 4 Wisconsin (2-0 Big Ten, 6-0 overall) and No. 15 Michigan State (2-0, 5-1).

"You love to go against the people that are supposed to be first-rounders or the teams with the number one defense," Konz said.

No coincidence, MSU has both, or at least almost.

The Spartans boast the No. 2 defense in the country. The defense also tops the Big Ten, allowing just 186.2 yards per game to its opponents. It held Michigan's explosive offense and dynamic quarterback Denard Robinson in check last week en route to a 28-14 victory.  

Michigan State's athletic, destructive front-seven is anchored by junior defensive tackle Jerel Worthy. The 310 pound wrecking ball is in line for some serious hardware and equal interest from theNational Football League once the season is over. Before it even began, Worthy made it known what he thought of UW's addition of senior quarterback Russell Wilson; over the summer he tweeted, "It still don't matter cause they gotta come in spartan stadium. Homecoming he will see how the big ten gets down."

The talk picked up again soon after the Spartans defeated Michigan, but it has been mostly uni-directional, flowing from east to west. The focus in Madison seems to be on preparing for the first true road test this season. A year ago, UW appeared rattled early on against MSU.

"That crowd during the day threw us off the tracks a little bit," junior guard Travis Frederick said, noting the atmosphere will be even more intense for a night game.

"It's a rowdy crowd and a physical defense and it definitely had an impact [last year]," sophomore running back James White added.

Lets hope Bucky can get a win a Michigan State.  GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Head coach Bret Bielema discussed some of the key players in Saturday's win over Austin Peay, as well as the Badgers' upcoming game and Big Ten opener at Michigan State.

Bielema began the press conference by stating his excitement for getting into Big Ten play.  He then went on to focus on some of the key players in Saturday's record 70-3 victory over Austin Peay, as well as the team's preparation for rival Michigan State.

Freshman running back James White was the offensive MVP in the team's victory this week, carrying the ball 11 times for 145 yards and scoring a remarkable four touchdowns.  White joins Ron Dayne as the second freshman in Badger history to score four rushing touchdowns in one game.  White was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his performance.

"[It was] fun to see him grow and get those touchdowns. That was really neat for his confidence," Bielema said.

On defense, Bielema named junior defensive back Aaron Henry team MVP. Henry racked up four tackles and a career-high three pass breakups in the win on Saturday.

"[Henry has] played his most two complete games back to back," Bielema said.

Bielema said he is also very excited about where his team is from a health standpoint.

"Since fall camp started, this is the healthiest we have been ...We were able to rest a few guys in the second half Saturday, which was critical because there were a number of guys that we didn't know if they were going to be able to actually play in the game," Bielema said. "For us to be able to get those things done on Saturday without them being out there was very, very big in our preparation for this week."

The Badgers must have a strong focus this week in preparation for Michigan State.

"We know that going up there is a tremendous challenge.  I think they are rolling pretty good as a 4-0 football team," Bielema said.

This year, the Spartans have shown a very strong running game, racking up over 900 yards already.  They also have a very efficient quarterback, Kirk Cousins, who has completed 67 percent of his passes thus far.

It is not just Michigan State's offense that worries Bielema though, it is their defense as well.  

"To me, they might feature the best defensive player from last year's film, and he is playing at high level this year, Greg Jones.  He is a guy that is just really, really special to watch," Bielema said.

The Senior All-American linebacker was named the Big Ten Defensive Co-Player of the Week after recording the first two interceptions of his career, along with four tackles and a forced fumble, in the Spartans' 45-7 win over Northern Colorado on Saturday.

The Badgers will have their work cut out for them going to Michigan State on Saturday, with the Spartans holding a 14-7 advantage in games played in East Lansing, and hope to improve upon the 2-2 record they have under Bret Bielema in conference openers.

Lets hope the Badgers can win at Michigan State. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Badgers Shine at Camp Randall Classic

Wisconsin junior defenseman Brendan Smith entered Saturday’s Culver’s Camp Randall Hockey Classic leading the team with three game winning goals, but his fourth is going to be tough to top.
Smith converted on two power play goals in the final five minutes, including the winner with 1:22 left, to lead the Badgers past Michigan 3-2 in front of 55,031 people—the second highest game attendance in college hockey history.
Both of the goals came after Wisconsin made an adjustment on their power play set, allowing Smith to find some breathing room at the top of the slot and get in position to snap off two blistering one-timers that beat junior Wolverine goaltender Bryan Hogan.
“I have to give credit to the power play, Michael Davies threaded that pass through the lane so perfectly,” Smith said. “The first one was more of a ‘close your eyes and shoot.’ The second one I had a little bit of a lane and got a hold of it a little bit more.”
The Badgers jumped out to an early lead when sophomore forward Jordy Murray collected a bouncing puck right in front of the net and had plenty of space to finish at the 3:04 mark. Michigan tied the game with just over a minute to play in the first and seemed to carry momentum in to the second period as the teams tried to get used to the elements and the ice.
“I felt like a freshman again out there,” said senior center and captain Blake Geoffrion. “I had the butterflies going and everything.”
Neither team developed much rhythm in the second period, which featured a lot of back-and-forth possessions and neutral zone play. Freshman forward Kevin Lynch put Michigan ahead with just under nine minutes to play in the third period, and threatened to send the crowd home cold and disappointed.
However, with the help of some football tradition in the form of ‘Jump Around’ and the late-game heroics of Smith, a night that started at 21 degrees ended with a much warmer feeling for UW fans and players alike.
“We were cold, but I think the goose bumps were because of how loud it was,” said senior center and captain Ben Street.
The game also served as an energy boost and a bounce-back after last Saturday’s performance against Minnesota-Duluth. A week after taking 13 penalties against the Bulldogs, the Badgers committed just two and got great work on the penalty kill by tenacious senior forwards Aaron Bendickson and Andy Bohmbach. On the other side of the puck, the Badgers went 2-4 on the power play a week after finishing 0-5 on Saturday and 1-10 for the series.
Many of the players talked about how playing outside took them back to the old days of playing out on the neighborhood rinks. In front of a huge crowd that produced an absolutely electric atmosphere, the late-game heroics that always seem to work their way into childhood competition became a reality for Smith.
“When a young player is out on the backdoor rink, all they think about is winning the Stanley Cup.” Smith said. “This is pretty damn close.”

It was great to see the Badgers pull it out for such a special game. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!

#16 Wisconsin Vs. #5 Michigan State

When Duke came to the Kohl Center in December, Wisconsin basketball players downplayed the game as a fun non-conference opponent to help prepare UW for conference play.
The Badgers then knocked off the Blue Devils with an intensity normally reserved for March.
When Purdue traveled to Madison three weeks ago head coach Bo Ryan passed the game off as another tough Big Ten game.
UW proceeded to play with a fire fans hadn’t seen since, well, the Duke game.
With No. 5 Michigan State (19-3, 9-0 Big Ten) coming to Wisconsin (16-5, 6-3) Tuesday, UW players and Ryan are once again making light of a game with huge Big Ten and possible NCAA Tournament ramifications.
While the cliché responses are easy to understand, it is a lot more difficult to believe them.
“Every game is big,” UW junior Keaton Nankivil said. “We don’t look at it differently. This is a chance to play against a very good team at home… so it is a good chance to prove ourselves on the home floor.”
I hope the Badgers hand Michigan State their lunch. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!