Game by game

At first blush, this year's schedule seems like a favorable one for the Badgers. Mixed emotions on that. On one hand, they appear to be down this year, and an easier schedule will soften the blow. On the other hand -- wouldn't it be nice if this was a great Badger team that was able to ride a soft schedule to a BCS bowl? Ain't gonna happen.

Here's my take on the game-by-game progression of this season, without trying to fit any preconceived overall finishing record.

Northern Illinois, win. NIU's not terrible, but if we can't pull this one out, you probably won't be reading much new on this blog from day to day.

Fresno State, win. Should be a good test, but one we should pass. Fair or not, we handled them at their place last year in The Biggest Game In Fresno State History, and they lost some key guys from that team.

Wofford, win. Pretty good team, hopefully not as good as Cal Poly. Did I just write that? Sheesh.

Michigan State, win. Sparty isn't beating itself any more -- we played that role to a T in Lansing last year -- but although they're the logical choice to finish third in the Big Ten this year, they don't seem like world beaters to me.

at Minnesota, loss. We seem to be just about equal this year, and home field will tip this one in Goldy's favor. Trust me, I will not be watching Brew run across the field to grab the Axe.

at Ohio State, loss. They're just too good. Would like to see some guys make some plays and gain some confidence in this one, even in a loss.

Iowa, loss. They're just better than us this year, even though I don't think they're a BCS-caliber team.

Purdue, win. These guys are terrible, too bad what Joe Tiller built fell apart. Good opponent to face after three straight losses.

at Indiana, win. Could there be a less exciting place to play football in Division 1?

Michigan, win. They'll be a little bit better this year, but not much. Unless they keep practicing 40 hours a week, we should take this one.

at Northwestern, loss. As much as I have disliked this team over the past decade-plus, I have great admiration for Pat Fitzgerald and the job he is doing there. As far as young head coaches go, he is without peer.

at Hawaii, win. God, I hope a bowl berth isn't riding on this one.

The wins I'm least sure of are Michigan State and Michigan, we could easily drop either of those. If this team is better than expected, Minnesota, Iowa, and Northwestern could be wins. If this team is worse than expected, and happens to drop a non-conference game, even Purdue and Indiana look dicey.

So that's 8-4. Let's say that lands us in the Alamo Bowl, against Kansas. They beat us and we finish 8-5.

Would you be happy with that?