No Canes in Barry's Future

The JS reports that Alvarez will not pursue the Miami vacancy. He was a candidate in 2000 and is friendly with chancellor Donna Shalala. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano is the favorite in the crowded field.

Too Early to Talk BCS 2007?

An article in today's WSJ examines how the Badgers will stack up for consideration in next season's Bowl Championship Series.

Regardless of how the Badgers fare in the Capitol One Bowl, they should be recognized as a pre-season Top 15 team. By starting this season unranked, the Badgers had to make up too much ground in order to move into the Top 10 in the BCS rankings. The low pre-season ranking was a product of a new coach and new faces on the offensive side of the ball.

The other knock against this year's Badgers was their "soft" schedule. With an opening game against Washington St. and a trip to Columbus, the Badger's schedule won't be so easy to dismiss next year. But perhaps the biggest positive is that Michigan must travel to Camp Randall where the Badgers should be able to exact some revenge for their only loss this year.

Fortune 500

With a win today, Bo Ryan will be the 15th D1 coach to reach 500 victories.

The 58-year-old coach is 499-152 entering the Badgers' game against Missouri State in the South Padre Island Invitational in South Padre, Texas. While Ryan may trail 14 other coaches in career victories, Ryan's .767 winning percentage is higher than any active member of the 500 club.

Today's game vs. Missouri State will be no given. The Bears return four starters and seven of its top nine scorers from last season's team that was near the top of the highly competitive Missouri Valley Conference. The Bears are lead by senior Blake Ahern, who has led the nation in free-throw shooting in each of the last three seasons.

The Badgers will be looking to avenge a first round NCAA tournament loss to the Bears in 1999, when Missouri St. held the Badgers to 32 points, which was the fewest points in an NCAA tournment game since the inception of the shot clock.

Bucky for President

Buckingham U. Badger needs your support in the Capitol One mascot sweepstakes. With a 5-5 record he needs to defeat NC State's Mr. Wuf this week to advance to the second round.

Cheese League

True, UWM will likely be without a date to the Dance come March, but Bucky and Marquette are poised to once again place Wisconsin on the basketball map. The December 9th showdown at the Bradley Center looms large, especially on the heels of the Golden Eagles' victory over the Dukies last evening. Should the series revert to form, Bucky is in trouble as the home team has come to dominate. I'm hoping a sea of red invades the rafters of the Fortress on Fourth.

The close game against Delaware St. last night is not as concerning as it first appeared. The Hornets held the ball for the first 15 seconds of each shot clock, keeping them close in a reveral of Dean Smith's infamous four corner philosophy. The team is favored to win their league despite their deceptive 1-4 record. Tucker took over in one 3.5 minute stretch, and Brian Butch showed improvement with a double-double. Any word on the absence of Stiemsma?

Coach of the Year

Coach Bielema was honored today as Big Ten Coach of the Year. Alvarez won the award twice ('93 and '98), and Bielema proved himself worthy of the confidence that Barry bestowed upon him at the outset of the '05 season.

PJ Hill, Joe Thomas, and Jack Ikegwuonu were named 1st Team All-Big Ten by the media in the case of Hill, both the media and coaches for Thomas, and the coaches for Ike. Rogers, Shaunnessey, and Melhoff were second team selections, and a host of players earned honorable mention status. Beckum did earn 2nd team with the media. Who was a better TE in the league than #9? Hill was the unanimous selection as freshman of the year.

Joe Thomas is one of three finalists for the Outland Trophy for the top lineman in the land. If he wins the award on 12/7 he would be the first Badger to claim the honor, surpassing Gibby and MacIntosh, past semifinalists.

Capitol One It Is...

Bucky accepts a second date to the Capitol One Bowl in as many seasons. Despite the BCS BS, Bielema and the Badgers should be pleased with a season that exceeded everyone's expectations. I thought 8-4 and an Alamo Bowl bid would be a satisfying season, so a New Year's Day game against a top SEC team is a great triumph for the program. If not for the incredible seasons of both OSU and Michigan, we would be booking a trip for Pasadena and comparing this year to 1998 and 1999. Hats off to Bielema and the boys, and ON WISCONSIN!

Is There Any Hope for the BCS?

Coach Bielema apparently thinks so. The Badgers cling to feint hopes of surpassing Michigan in the BCS standings and gaining a slot in the BCS. This would be incredibly unfair given Michigan's 27-13 win in September, but their 47-21 trouncing of Notre Dame one week earlier is cause for even more injustice. My understanding is that a rematch in the Rose Bowl is likely. Seems like Bucky would be a more worthy opponent, but the BCS gods make this impossible. Down with this despicable system!

Monday Morning QB/ PG

I didn't see the game on Saturday, but Bucky apparently played the first half like an Alvaraez-coached team that didn't always take care of business against lesser teams. Thankfully the boys got their act together in the final minutes of the first half and cruised to an easy win.

While Bielema proved himself as a stellar game coach and presided over a team that faced adversity and improved almost every week, he now must prove as adept as his predecessor at preparing his team for a bowl contest against a formidable opponent (Florida, Auburn, or LSU). Six weeks to lick our wounds won't hurt either...

It appears as if Bucky's a lock for the BCS top eight entering bowl season, especially with ND-USC facing off this weekend. I'm going to have a hard time watching the Golden Domers play in a premium bowl while the Badgers reprise their trip to Orlando. A loss on Saturday will send them (ND) to a second-tier bowl, right?

The basketball team's bashing of Southern to the tune of 92-39 was one for the ages, missing the mark for the largest margin of victory by two points. Can't wait to see how they stack up against the Seminoles next Tuesday, Marquette on 12/9, and Pitt the following week.

Big Ten Wonk

A fellow blog by the Big Ten Wonk provides a detailed preview of the Wisconsin basketball team.

It's a long preview, with a number of stats and quotes and such, but the bottom line is the Wonk says UW must shoot better (as he points out Kammron Taylor and Joe Krabbenhoft were among the worst two-point field-goal shooters in the Big Ten last year).