Gimme a Jay!

The Badgers' 0-2 start to the Big Ten season has me feeling like three other seasons in recent memory: 1996, 1999 and 2000.

In 1996, Wisconsin dropped narrow decisions to Penn State, Ohio State, and Northwestern, and ended up with a middling 8-5 record.

In 1999, after falling to Cincinnati and Michigan, the Badgers won out and went 10-2.

In 2000, close losses to Northwestern and Michigan set the stage for an unsatisfying 9-4 season.

It's not a stretch to say that tomorrow's game against Penn State will determine which way the 2008 season will go. Lose, and the confidence is shot, making games against even the likes of Indiana and Minnesota something less than sure wins. Win, and the confidence level is high going into tough games against Illinois and Michigan State.

The difference, in my eye, is whether or not a new game-changing playmaker emerges. Brooks Bollinger made all the difference in '99. I remember sitting in the press box in Columbus as the Badgers stormed back from an early deficit against Ohio State for a blowout win. It was clear he had given this team its mojo back.

Who could that guy be this year? I give you two candidates: John Clay and Jay Valai. You may have heard of Clay; I won't write any more about him now.

But think about Valai. He was a force against Ohio State, knocking guys out left and right with huge hits. He might be a little guy, but it appears like he's our biggest hitter, maybe the biggest hitter we've had since Jason Doering. We need his hits to result in turnovers, and need those turnovers to result in six points. We need a mojo infusion.

Jay is also apparently quite charismatic, which makes him a good candidate to assume more of a leadership role, one which I think is currently lacking. (As I write this, the 2008 football poster featuring our 16 seniors is staring at me disapprovingly from the opposite wall of my office. Sorry guys, I'm disappointed with the leadership shown thus far.)

What, you say, about the game-changing, playmaking freshman running back on the 1996 team? That team had more holes and less depth than this year's squad.

As for the Penn State game, most people are seeing this as a win for the other guys. Hard to argue. The win over Illinois was impressive, but it's a little hard to see this as a top-5 team when they appear to lack All-American players. Don't get me wrong, Daryll Clark, Evan Roster, Derrick Williams, Aaron Maybin, Anthony Scirrotto ... there's not shortage of good players there. But the only player on that roster who seems like a star to me is Maurice Evans, who has been suspended much of this season. A real sum-of-its-parts team.

Still, that's more good players than we have at this moment, and a greater sum.

Penn State 33, Wisconsin 20

By the way, did you notice that I came within a point of picking the score of the Ohio State game correctly last week? Hopefully I'm more wrong this week.