Before going into my Packers game rant that Jimmy was looking for, here's a short one modeled after the Seth Myers-Amy Poehler Weekend Update segment: Really?
So Wisconsin loses, on the road, by five to a team that was favored to win by 3.5, a team that is ranked 18th in this week's poll, and the Badgers fall 14 spots to #19. Really? It's not like we lost to Stanford at home.
Mind you, this is in the AP poll, and we all know how sharp sportswriters are. ;) We're #15 in the USA Today and Harris polls. And, as I discussed several weeks ago, there's a very good chance that we are, indeed, only the 19th best team in the country. But for rankings' sake, that loss did not warrant that far of a drop. It's a reflection of just how badly voters wanted to drop UW.
Again, none of this matters in the grand scheme of things - if we win things will take care of themselves, Big Ten- and BCS-wise, but you really wish the voters would put more thought and consistency into it.
Overall, I'm getting a kick out of the poll and all the non-traditional teams in it: Kentucky, South Carolina, Hawaii, Cincinnati, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri. It's good for the sport.
Monday, October 8, 2007
#19 - really?
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7 comments:
I also thought that the drop was a little severe, especially considering that some others didn't fare quite as badly as UW.
It's also sad to note that Luke Swan is now done for the year with the leg injury from Saturday. Word on Buckyville is that the hammy completely detached from the bone and he'll need surgery to correct. Sad way for his career to end as he worked his ass off to become one of the better receivers in the Big 10. It's going to be amazing to see true frosh starting at WR, assuming that Jefferson and Gilreath get the start. Gives them some good experience for next year, though, with Toon and Daven Jones hopefully ready to contribute after redshirts.
South Florida as well. Their former offensive coordinator Rod Smith - was a local guy that we covered in Harrisonburg. He left before this season to go to WVU (played for Rodriguez in college)...nice move, eh?
Yeah, not sure why the voters didn't drop USC more. They have not looked impressive at all in recent weeks and Nebraska's sharp fall should have made that win look less impressive. That UW-Citadel game - although we all know that the final score was misleading - had voters getting ready to drop UW the second it could.
But like you said, if UW keeps winning, they'll end up in the right spot.
When is Hubbard coming back?
I think No. 15 is about right. UW has zero quality victories this season. I had this in my By The Numbers today -- the teams the Badgers have beaten this season went 0-5 Saturday, with Michigan State's loss to Northwestern being the worst.
It'll be at least another couple weeks before Hubbard is back, according to Bielema.
And the redshirt is off Daven Jones. He's played some special teams this season. Not sure if he'll enter the mix at WR.
I hadn't seen Jones in there, and for some reason I thought he had gotten hurt towards the tail end of camp. Somebody is going to have to step up at receiver, whether it's Jones or guys like Harris or Anderson. I'm assuming MRE is just done with all the injuries he's suffered.
And ouch, by the way, on the 0-5 deal with teams UW has beaten.
Comments on the comments:
-How could I forget about South Florida? They were so high I missed them! Great story there. Also getting a kick out of Boston College being ranked so high ... it's good for the game.
We've read so much about Daven Jones - #1 receiver in Ohio a couple years ago, his ordeal getting to Madison and getting eligible - that I'm really antsy to see him get on the field and produce. Have a feeling we won't see much this year.
Not counting on Harris, Anderson, or MRE making an impact. Isn't Anderson redshirting? MRE got in there against Illinois, was part of a fake reverse (his specialty). I expect to see more of Beckum at wideout, given the depth at TE behind him - that wouldn't be too bad, Becks and Jeff are two big targets. Same with Hubb when he gets back.
Very bad for Swan, though, good story with a bad ending.
Am I the only one that would like to see Evridge get some playing time? I realize that Donovan has played well (though I have to think that the way he hung Swan out to dry repeatedly over the middle finally caught up with them), but don't you want the guy who's starting next year getting some time?
Pretty much the whole offense comes back next year (I could see Beckum declaring for the draft, but his return wouldn't shock me). Swan and Hubbard are gone and Coleman will need to be replaced, but the rest is back. Why not give Evridge some time with what will basically be his offense next year?
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