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.

First Week of 2015 Big Ten Football Highlights

Week one of the college football season is already in the books, and for the Big Ten, is was an opening week of mixed results. Let’s take a look at how the Big Ten came out of week one.

The Jim Harbaugh era at Michigan got off to a rough start. Quarterback Jake Rudoch struggled all day throwing the football, finishing with three interceptions. Michigan also struggled to run the ball as De'Veon Smith was the leading rusher, finishing the game with 17 carries for just 47 yards. The TCU-Minnesota game turned out to be a lot closer than most people thought. The Gophers actually had the ball with a chance to win the game late, but got nowhere on their final drive. Michigan State's start to the 2015 season was actually a lot better. Sparty took care of business against a tough Western Michigan team 37-24. Quarterback Connor Cook, who is in the mix to be the first selection overall in the 2016 NFL draft, had a decent day, finishing 15-31 for 256 yards and two touchdowns.

On Saturday, Northwestern pulled the biggest upset of the week for the Big Ten when they defeated Stanford 16-6. Stanford's offense struggled all day and quarterback Kevin Hogan finished with just 155 yards passing. 2015 could not have started worse for Christian Hackenberg, who at the moment, is the leader in the clubhouse to be drafted first overall, Penn State was stunned by the Temple Owls 27-10, and Hackenberg finished with the game 11-25 for 103 yards and one interception. Hackenberg's QBR on the day, I'm not kidding you, was 3.2. Of course it can't all be blamed on Hackenberg. The man was sacked 11 times.

Nebraska felt by far the most heartbreaking loss of the day. With mere seconds to go, they led BYU 28-27 and appeared to be headed for a tough, well fought week one win. Then backup quarterback Tanner Magnum, replacing Tayson Hill, rolled out to his right, threw up a hail Mary, and Mitch Matthews came down with the game winner in the front of the end zone as time expired. Indiana and Southern Illinois played the game of the day. Indiana won 48-47, and it was a wild one. After take the lead 48-41, Indiana allowed Southern Illinois to go down the field and scored a touchdown with just moments left. However Southern Illinois elected to go for two, and failed to convert. In the night cap, Alabama faced off against Wisconsin in Dallas. The game was close most of the way, and then the Crimson Tide pulled away late to win the game 35-17.

Rutgers, Illinois, Maryland, and Iowa all took care of business. 

Badgers 2013 Football Schedule Game By Game Breakdown

The Badgers currently stand as the back-to-back Big Ten Champions, but that doesn’t mean they were that good. Well, in 2011 they were, and that was primarily due to the fact that Russell Wilson was their quarterback, and that was a situation that worked out perfectly for them. But here’s the problem going forward. That sort of situation isn’t real. It only comes along once in a generation, meaning that will never happen again to the Badgers. In 2012, yes they did win the Big Ten championship, but you have to remember this, the division they are in, the two programs which were supposed to be their two biggest obstacles to the Big Ten Championship game, Ohio State and Penn State, were not eligible for postseason play. This year, Ohio State is eligible for postseason play. So what is in store for the Badgers in 2013? Their schedule might give us an idea.

After starting out with two yawners against UMass and Tennessee Tech, the Badgers travel to Arizona State. The game against the Sun Devils will not be an easy task, and there is no guarantee the Badgers walk out of there with a win. After that they come home for Purdue, and the Boilermakers are never to be taken lightly.

Badgers Big Ten Opponents In 2013

Then the big one, and at this point is when the Badgers schedule begins to get “meaty”. Ohio State is off of their postseason ban and hungry to reclaim their place at the top of the Big Ten. I don’t think the Badgers win that game. After that Northwestern, and the Wildcats are a program that just slowly, but steadily, keeps getting a little bit better. They do get a break against Illinois and maybe a break against Iowa, if they are careful and pay attention to detail. At that point the schedule gets a little tough again. BYU comes to town, and this is one of the few teams in the country that could beat up the Badgers are their own game. The BYU game is followed with Indiana coming to town, and this is a program that is getting serious about football quick. They follow that up with a trip to Minneapolis to take on the Gophers, and this is going to be a key season in the rebuilding efforts of Jerry Kill and the Gophers. The Badgers then finish the 2012 season with Penn State coming to town, a game the should win.

So what do I think specifically about the Badgers being able to win a third Big Ten title in as many years? Well, you will have to check back later on this summer to find out.

Wisconsin's Rushing Defense Proves to be the Best

As much as the dynamic game of football has evolved since its creation, one simple strategy has remained a constant on every level of play: run the ball to control the game.
While running back John Clay continues to make a case for Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, the Wisconsin defense understands perfectly well how vital it is to put opposing running backs on lockdown.
The Badgers have claimed the top rushing defensive unit in the Big Ten and much of the team’s success this season can be attributed to having not allowed any conference opponents to reach 100 yards of rushing offense in a game.
“We’re very proud of that. It’s something we feel like is a measure of toughness in a game,” defensive coordinator Dave Doeren said. “Our guys take a lot of pride in being accountable for each other and it shows that they’re measuring up to it.”
With the final Big Ten game against Northwestern approaching, Wisconsin could become the first team to prevent all of its Big Ten opponents from reaching 100 rushing yards in one season since Ohio State did so in 1988.
It would sure be nice to have the Badgers finish 10-2 and win thier bowl game. It would help recruting in the off season to potentially get them back to a BCS bowl. GO BUCKY!!!!!!!!!!