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BY MATT LEPAY
Voice of the Badgers
MADISON, Wis. — For a college football fan, I would imagine one of the more challenging aspects of bowl season is re-connecting with your favorite team. By the time the Badgers tee it up with Western Michigan, both sides will be one month removed from their most recent games.
In the meantime, the college hoops season is rolling into conference play. The Packers are making another run at a potential playoff spot. And with the holiday season winding down, no doubt many of us are making our annual commitment to eating healthier and working out more. Good luck with that.
Fortunately, game day for the Cotton Bowl is approaching. While the number of Wisconsin fans making the trip to North Texas could be fairly light, the Badgers appear plenty eager for this matchup.
A common question during bowl season regards a team's motivation level. Is it happy to be there? Is it merely an exhibition game, or is it more? Certainly, with a handful of players in other programs opting out of non-New Year's Six bowls, the question becomes more common.
In the Badgers' case, following the disappointment of the Big Ten Championship Game, the extra time was necessary. One, it gives some injured players a fighting chance to get back on the field. Two, even for a team that is so good at having a business-like approach, the Penn State game was a gut-punch. It is fair to suggest the sting lasted a bit longer than the other two setbacks.
It makes sense. A conference title was in their grasp, but credit the Nittany Lions for putting together an impressive comeback.
So now the Badgers turn the page. From the several players I have spoken with in the last two weeks, this team can't wait to play one more game. This group is ticked off. A defense that has been so good for so long wants another game against a good opponent. It will have one against a balanced Western Michigan offense that protects the ball better than anyone, while it scores more than 43 points a game.
The Badgers offense that moved the ball so well against Penn State but failed to reach the end zone in the second half is eager to face a defense that ranks in the Top 20 in points allowed. It also has helped create a nation's best plus-19 turnover margin.
It is one final test for a group that has come a long way since early October. Playing well on Tuesday against an unbeaten team would be a sweet way to conclude the season.
You need not be a college football historian to know games such as this are very dangerous for Power Five programs. Just ask Florida State, which lost by two touchdowns to Houston in last season's Peach Bowl. Just ask Arizona, which fell to Boise State in the previous year's Fiesta Bowl.
In many ways, Boise State set the standard for the so-called underdog in big boy bowl games. Ten years ago, the Broncos knocked off Oklahoma in a wild overtime finish at the Fiesta Bowl. Yes, the Sooners were favored, but Boise was the higher ranked team in the BCS poll.
In other words, they were good, even if many people were unaware.
For the upcoming Cotton Bowl, the Badgers are ranked ahead of WMU, but both are Top 15 material. These Broncos, like the Broncos of Boise State 10 years ago, are unbeaten.
Monday afternoon in Arlington, Texas, the Badgers will try to do what Oklahoma could not — hang a loss on a team looking for a perfect season. Also, they will look to send out the seniors as the winningest class in UW history.
You see? There is no shortage of motivation for this bowl game.
Happy New Year.
