Keep 'em in the Closet

With Bucky's depth chart set for the opener against WASU, and the early season polls and preseason predictions chewed and digested, its time to turn to lighter, but nonetheless important fare. Drivl took a shot at D1's worst mascots, and two BT teams found spots in the bottom 25, Purdue Pete and Brutus Buckeye. Brutus ranked #11 and was described as "...a turd nugget that has a chunk of corn embedded in it. He should be called a Butteye." Purdue Pete drew an unfavorable comparison from the movie "Mask."

What follow is my own list of BT mascots, ranked from top to bottom.

1. Buckingham U. Badger: I'm a homer, but Bucky is original, lovable, and universally admired.

2. Goldie Gopher: Not a fan of ground squirrels, but rodents rule in a top-heavy league.

3. Sparty: He kicked Athens' ass, and although a bit too Disney, the fear of God he instills in other mascots places him in the top tier.

4. Brutus Buckeye: the poisonous nut scores high on authenticity, but needs regular visits to the weight room.

5. Chief Illiniwek: I know, he's extinct, but the Chief, college's first mascot...I mean symbol...lives in the hearts of those few faithful who wait for basketball season on fall Saturdays at Memorial Stadium.

6. Wildie: Adds to Mildcat reputation of athletic dept. Couldn't the geniuses among their student body craft a more creative name?

7. Herky: Ask Iowa fans to define Hawkeye, and they stand with their mouths agape, sometimes referencing the Last of the Mohicans. Herky doesn't help clarify matters either.

8. Purdue Pete: Not officially the university mascot. That would be a train. Pete's connection to the locomotive appears spurious, and his costume is nothing more than a plastic head and a sledge hammer.

9. The Lion: Looks like an old (predating Joe Pa) dorm rug that survived (barely) an around-the-world party.

10. Hoosier: See my earlier post about the origins of the nickname. Sad blowup dolls are emblematic of the perennially pathetic showings of their teams and fans on Saturdays in Bloomington.

11. NA: Michigan fails to even make an effort an making a caricature of the only animal more ferocious than the Badger.

Linky Dinky Dos

I don't want to write too much, so here are just a bunch of links for everyone to enjoy:

First off, Jimbo wants us all to know how long until the season begins.
Who is joining us on Regent for a beer?

If you are into the Brewers/Cubs Check out The Wisconsin Sports Bar Blog
Sure their stuff tends to read like a bad Skip Bayless column (or in the case of Ched Head, the writing on the wall of a truck stop urinal) but they love the Badgers.

Like Wisconsin folks who like the Cubs, hate the Badgers, and root for those bastards at Marquete, check out the hysterical Yellow Chair Sports

YouTube is a great spot for highlights- like this video of a Michigan recruit who is called the White Reggie Bush. Hope he tears an ACL hurdling a defender.

How 'bout some YouTube love for the Badgers- how bout a home video of Freddie Owens' shot to beat Tulsa with Matt LePay's audio dubbed in. Seriously, check it out here

Joe Lunardi did a very early Bracketology back in June. He has the Badgers as the 4th Big 10 team, but as an 8 seed.

Finally, Bruce Weber announced today that sharp shooter, and circle of death "winner" Jamar Smith will not be on the team next year, but will have the chance to come back in 2008.
I know every program has DUI issues, but it is shocking that Weber took this long to cop out on this issue.

Let me get this straight, Smith drinks, drives, almost kills a teammate, and then leaves said teammate for dead and he'll be back next year? Is that right, Bruce? What exactly does a Fighting Illini have to do to get kicked off the team?? There are times for second chances, and then there are times when a teammate leaves another teammate for dead. Weber should have given Smith the same respect Smith gave for Brian Carlwell- none at all.

Red Shirts...

For Oglesby and Toon. Another sign that the program is on the cusp of sustained success. Blue chippers in the bullpen...

Starting at LT...

Gabe Carmimi, redshirt freshman and former Monona Grove standout. He beat out Danny Kaye (of New Berlin Eisenhower...still a hated crosstown rival for me) and Jake Bscherer. I like the fact that Coach B is comfortable going with talented youth over experience. Let's hope that this carries over to the QB position as Sherby predicts, with Allen Evridge emerging as the beauty pageant winner tomorrow.

What About Wisconsin?

ESPN's Mark Schlabach did an in depth analysis of D1 programs over the last ten years, comparing pre-season rankings with final finishes, ultimately yielding a net score to reflect the degree to which a team was over/underrated. FSU emerged as the most overrated team, and to my surprise, the Domers were completely absent from the top ten. OSU (T-5) and Michigan (8) were members of the overrated ranks. Bucky ranked 5th amongst the underappreciated programs, also accompanies by Iowa (T-8). Opening opponent Washington St. was the most underrated program, and last year's Capital One Bowl foe Arkansas ranked just ahead of the Badgers.

Bucky's standing in this study should come as no surprise. Coach B's stellar rookie season falls in line with a lineage of overachieving and underappreciated Alvarez teams (think 1998 RB champs). Wisconsin is the latest challenger to the BT's Big Two, threatening their hold on the conference hardware and proving that superior coaching and a devoted fan base can help offset the immense resources and blue chip talent herded by the Buckeyes and Wolverines every season.

It's hard to sing the blues this season with a stellar #7 ranking in both polls and a widely predicted BCS bowl finish, but we do have a bone to pick with the Wolverines come November. Until then, congrats to the winningest program in the BT over the last three years...

Who cares about football, we're a basketball school?

Ok, so maybe that is not entirely true, but it is a direct quote from yours truly several years ago.

With this disappointing ending of last season still haunting out subconscious I would like to turn everyone's attention to what most of the idiots in the national press will deem a rebuilding season.

That's right kids, the 2007-2008 men's basketball schedule is out.

The schedule excites and disappoints me at the same time. Let's review:


Excitement: The Badgers travel to Duke for the Big 10/ACC "challenge"

Disappoint: 3 very very weak home non-conference matchups vs. IPFW, Savannah St, and Florida A&M will really hurt the RPI.

Excitement: The toughest non-conference matchup could be a home tilt versus the hated Golden Eagles

Disappoint: Colorado at home could have been a much better matchup. I'm not opposed to playing bad teams from big conferences, but we already have one game against a Big 12 squad in Texas. How about trying to get a game versus the Pac 10?

Excitement: No Trip to the Breslin is needed

Disappoint: Th Bucks will not be coming to Madison

Excitement: Georgia at home!

Disappoint: Another snooze fest versus UWGB

Excitement: The Badgers will play UWM in Milwaukee

Disappoint: Egdewood as an exhibition? Seriously? Whatever happened to Gallos de Palella?

Excitement: Closing the season up the Purple Line in Evanston

Disappoint: Closing the season in the torture chamber that is Welsh-Ryan arena


So there you have it. In 12 non-conf games I have the Badgers at 10-2. With losses on the road at Duke and Texas. Both games can be winnable.

In 18 Big 10 games I see Wisconsin going 8-1 at home, with a loss to MSU. On the road I see the Badgers struggling, losing to Michigan, Purdue, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio State- with wins over Iowa, NU, and PSU. That would be a 11-7 record in conference, good for 4th or 5th and a solid 21-9 record overall going into the Conseco.

If the Badgers could then go 1-1 in Indy and finish at 22-10 they would certainly be a lock for the Big Dance. However, their best wins would be Marquette, Georgia, Illinois, and Purdue- all home games. The lack of a big road scalp would probably keep the Badgers from climbing above a 6 seed. My guess, would be a 7 seed. Not too bad for a rebuilding year.

Coaches who are expecting a rebuilding year certainly try and dial back the tough non-conference games. With MU, Duke, Texas, and Georgia on the schedule, the Badgers certainly have a good selection of top level opponents. The also have 2 good next level opponents in Colorado and UWM on the schedule. However, I think the Badgers have scheduled too much crap- Wofford??? What do they have to do with anything? Valpo stinks and IPFW will not bring a big RPI to the table. I wish this team would look to the football squad and try and schedule a MAC team every year. In addition, bringing in a middle or lower-level Mizzou Valley opponent would give the Badgers a great shot at a win against a team from a good conference that would bring a solid RPI with them.

Only playing one game against MSU and OSU is certainly a double edged sword. Less than 20 wins is now completely unacceptable. However, it will give the Badgers less opportunities for big wins and will give the committee an excuse to downgrade the Badgers.

Ok, now back to football