Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

Badgers open as 2.5 favorites. I'm kinda surprised by that. I thought Minnie would be the favorites here.

if Wisconsin doesn't have a play where the TE runs straight down the field, it should by next Saturday.  this has been open for every team playing against the gophers all year
they will be tough defensively against most other plays but that one gets a big chunk every time someone runs it

What is wrong with his pants??  

How can you row a boat with that attire?

Badgers appealing the targeting suspension against Herbig, hoping to get him for the full game rather than just the second half.

Watched that play (and others involving Thompson running the ball): suspending a player for even the half he was playing, let alone a second half, is hard to stomach. Surely that play isn't the reason that rule exists. On on the flip side, by the letter of the law, that player was "defenseless" and Herbig made contact (though not sharp contact) with his head. I've seen quarterbacks take advantage of the suspicion that they were about to run out of bounds, and I don't think Thompson was doing to take advantage of the rules there, but the defending player is in an awfully tough spot regardless.

I doubt the suspension gets lifted (although for a star player in a championship/bowl game, I bet it would be), but the rule needs to be reconsidered, and a little discretion needs to be added in.

Not having their best defender for a half is a big deal in this upcoming game.

He tried to avoid the contact. Hopefully that is worth something.

Love the Axe game, one of my absolute favorite trophies in the sport.  

As I see it, this should be quite a close game.  This is slightly outdated as it is not updated for this weeks rankings but here are their results in B1G games:

They are both 4-4.  

Minnesota lost to the four best teams they played.  Only the Iowa loss was close and even that is just because Iowa can't score.  They beat the four worst teams they played.  Only the Nebraska win was close.  The thing is that after MSU's loss to IU I think UW is squarely in between the four bad teams that Minnesota has defeated and the four good teams that Minnesota lost to.  

Wisconsin lost to four of the five best teams they played and beat Purdue because they just never lose to Purdue.  The loss to MSU is inexplicable but it was in OT and on the road so I guess "crap happens".  They beat the three worst teams they played but that one point win over Nebraska is hardly inspiring.  Same thing here, it looks like MN is between the good teams that UW lost to and the bad teams that UW beat.  

Common opponents:

• Iowa:  favors MN by 11
• Illinois:  favors MN by 12
• Purdue:  favors UW by 21
• MSU:  favors MN by 27
• Nebraska:  favors MN by 6
• Northwestern:  favors UW by 7

Herbig's appeal denied. Will sit the first half. That's a big bonus for Minnesota, and a correspondingly huge loss for the Badgers.

The rule says:
ARTICLE 4. No player shall target and make forcible contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow or shoulder. This foul requires that there be at least one indicator of targeting. When in question, it is a foul. ...

Note 1: "Targeting" means that a player takes aim at an opponent for purposes of attacking with forcible contact that goes beyond making a legal tackle or a legal block or playing the ball.  Some indications of targeting (emphasis NCAA's) include but are not limited to:

• Launch-a player leaving his feet to attack an opponent by an upward and forward thrust of the body to make forcible contact in the head or neck area
• A crouch followed by an upward and forward thrust to attack with forcible contact at the head or neck area, even though one or both feet are still on the ground
• Leading with helmet, shoulder, forearm, fist, hand or elbow to attack with forcible contact at the head or neck area

Note 2: Defenseless player (Rule 2-27-14). When in question, a player is defenseless. Examples of defenseless players include but are not limited to:

• A quarterback any time after a change of possession a ball carrier who has obviously given himself up and is sliding feet first"

Italics are mine (except where noted).

Forcible contact certainly implies a force requirement as well as an intent requirement. "[T]hat goes beyond making a legal tackle" incorporates intent. And "obviously given himself up" also incorporates intent.

So...

(1) Was Herbig's hit "forcible contact?"
(2) Did Herbig "take aim" "attacking" "beyond making a legal tackle?"
(3) Did Herbig lead with his shoulder "to attack with forcible contact at the head or neck area?"
(4) When Herbig started his tackle, had Thompson already "obviously given himself up?"

I agree that the appeal was always likely to lose, but not because it wasn't a legit appeal under the ambiguities of the rule.