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The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: 847badgerfan on November 05, 2017, 07:09:54 AM

Title: #20 Iowa (3-4, 6-4) at #8 Wisconsin (7-0, 10-0) Post game
Post by: 847badgerfan on November 05, 2017, 07:09:54 AM
I did not put the rankings for each team in the title - I'll wait until the committee comes up with new rankings that drop Wisconsin from #9 to maybe #15 because they only won 45-17 yesterday...


Anyway, this is going to be one helluva game. Iowa looks to be playing really good football and if you look at their losses they are not getting beat up badly at all. The only iffy one if losing to NU, but it was on the road, it was in OT and NU is Jekyll and Hyde...


The home team has lost the last 3 games. Wisconsin is at home. Iowa just throttled Ohio State. Wisconsin just throttled Indiana. Those are not the same in any stretch.

I have to study up on this before making a prediction, and I also need to see the injury reports. Right now it looks pretty ugly for Big Red in that regard as their best WR went down yesterday and was seen crying on the sidelines. Ruh roh.
Title: Re: Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: Badger1969 on November 06, 2017, 09:46:23 AM
This was my pick for Wisconsin's first loss back in the beginning of the season.   Always a big rivalry game every year.  The last few years there has been no home field advantage.  The big question marks for the game are Wisconsin's injury report this week? Can Iowa survive the emotional high from last weeks win or suffer the over confidence of Ohio State?

 :smiley_confused1:  
Title: Re: Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: Brutus Buckeye on November 06, 2017, 10:24:19 AM
Iowa's pretty good. I think they can pull off the upset. 
Title: Re: Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: Temp430 on November 06, 2017, 10:30:00 AM
No idea what to expect from this game.  I do not expect Wisconsin to turn the ball over four times.  If Wisconsin plays a classic clock and ball control Wisconsin game I think they win in a close one.
Title: Re: Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: 847badgerfan on November 06, 2017, 10:41:02 AM
Not looking good right now for UW.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/926956231339757568/xi2mSAfo?format=jpg&name=600x314)

On the same day unbeaten Wisconsin welcomed back several key players who had been held out because of injuries, the fourth-ranked Badgers lost two starters.

One of the injuries appears to be severe.

Wide receiver Quintez Cephus, who entered the day leading UW in catches (28), receiving yards (477) and touchdown catches (five), suffered a right-leg injury early in the third quarter of UW’s 45-17 victory Saturday at Indiana.
Title: Re: Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: fezzador on November 06, 2017, 11:26:27 AM
This is a huge game for both teams.  Wisconsin is favored, and rightfully so, but they haven't played anyone with a pulse yet.  I'm not convinced Iowa counts as a team with a pulse, but they did pull off arguably the biggest stunner of the season by waxing a really, really good Ohio State team.  If Wisconsin beats Iowa, they're not going to lose until at least the B1G championship game.  If Iowa beats Wisconsin, it's also highly likely they win out until at least the postseason.  They may need a little help, but they're not entirely out of the NY6 picture.

It's a shame that Wisconsin hasn't had the opportunity to prove itself - it's a very, very good team - maybe even great.  They don't have the talent of a PSU or OSU, but they are a fundamentally-sound team that doesn't shoot itself in the foot very much.  Iowa is a bit of a "poor man's version" of UW, but it's really not that far off.  The Hawks are playing cleaner ball right now, and the defense is playing about as well as can be asked from it.  The offense finally worked against a supremely talented defense Saturday, but the question is, will it explode for the second straight week?  I'm thinking probably not - it comes back down to Earth a bit this weekend as the stars aligned in Iowa's favor last Saturday - but I also think it will be at least competent.  I think 25-30 points isn't out of the question (and that should be enough to win), as long as the defense continues to perform at a high level, and Nate Stanley keeps Chucking it (pun intended).  It took 9 games, but it looks like the Hawks figured out that the run game is most effective complementing the pass, and not the other way around.

All that said, while my head says Wisconsin wins (and perhaps handily), Iowa does have a couple of things going in its favor.  Most, if not all, the pressure is on the Badgers.  Secondly, the road team has had considerable success as of late.  It's been several years since the home team won.
Title: Re: Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: 847badgerfan on November 06, 2017, 11:40:20 AM
I think UW has a better defense than Ohio State, but I'm really not sure.

Going into Saturday, IU averaged something like 80 plays per game. They had 21 in Q1 against UW, but only 34 for the rest of the game.

They held IU to 40 yards on the ground and 265 total. That's 75 and 100 below their average in yardage per game. Not bad, to do that on the road.
Title: Re: Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: fezzador on November 06, 2017, 11:50:29 AM
Yes, statistically Wisconsin does have a better defense than Ohio State (approx 270 ypg vs approx 325), both of which are better than Iowa (about 370).  The real discrepancy is PPG though.  Wisconsin gives up about 13, Iowa gives up about 18, and OSU gives up about 22.

But I don't know how well that translates because both Iowa and Ohio State have played better teams than Wisconsin - if UW played either UI or OSU's schedule, they may well be undefeated, but I'd wager their defensive numbers would suffer some.
Title: Re: Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: 847badgerfan on November 06, 2017, 11:59:11 AM
It's very difficult to compare much of anything.

Iowa will be the best defense UW will have faced so far this season, I think, although NU's is pretty good.
Title: Re: Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: 847badgerfan on November 06, 2017, 12:16:46 PM
Cephus and Orr are officially listed as OUT for this weekend. Cephus probably for the season the way it sounds. Starting S Dixon is questionable, along with a few others.

Next man in.
Title: Re: Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: PortlandSpartan on November 06, 2017, 12:19:41 PM
I like UW at home, but expect a battle.
Title: Re: Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: fezzador on November 06, 2017, 12:20:12 PM
This game is going to boil down to three things:  Time of possession, field position, and turnovers (and to a lesser extent, penalties).

Both teams are looking to eat clock, and Wisconsin seems to be a bit better at it this season.  I'm guessing that Iowa will again use short/medium passes to set up the run and convert on third downs (or avoid them altogether).  One of Iowa's biggest areas of concern is the punting game, as they don't have a real weapon that can flip the field - if they are forced to punt from inside their own 20, they tend to give the opposing offense a short field.  While TDs are tough to come by even with short fields, Iowa's defense will eventually tire and FG attempts start turning into touchdowns.  Iowa has also had turnover issues earlier in the season, but they have been considerably tighter with the ball the past few games.  Iowa has the advantage where Stanley is more of a focal point on offense (as evidenced by an impressive 22/4 TD-to-INT ratio) but while Hornibrook is more of a "game manager", he's actually the more accurate passer overall (though Stanley has thrown ~70 more passes on the season).
Title: Re: Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: 847badgerfan on November 06, 2017, 12:33:42 PM
It will be interesting to see how Stanley reacts, going up against the home-state school. There should be no animosity/revenge, as Chryst tried like hell to get him to stay home once he got hired, but it was too late.

This is by far his biggest road test to date, methinks.

I really wish he would have stayed home. Didn't his parent(s) go to Iowa? Pretty sure I read that somewhere and that it was a big factor in his decision.
Title: Re: Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: 847badgerfan on November 07, 2017, 07:12:00 AM
From the Wisconsin State Journal... Grrrr...

***************************************

Joe LaBuda will be at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday afternoon, watching two ranked teams and wishing being a fan was a little less complicated.

LaBuda, the longtime coach at Menomonie High School, will be cheering for the University of Wisconsin football team. He’ll also be cheering for one of his former players, Iowa sophomore quarterback Nate Stanley.

“It’s going to be weird,” LaBuda said of watching the No. 6 Badgers (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten Conference) play the No. 25 Hawkeyes (6-3, 3-3). “I’ll probably be hoping for Nate to do well but hoping for the Badgers to win. It’s a hard thing.”

It’d be so much easier for his former coach if Stanley were playing for his homestate team, which leads to a question LaBuda has heard over and over the past two seasons: Why is Stanley at Iowa and not UW.

The answer is rather simple, according to LaBuda.

“The only reason he’s not a Badger,” LaBuda said, “is Gary Andersen.”

LaBuda said he did everything he could to try to get Andersen and his staff interested in Stanley. But Andersen, UW’s coach during the 2013 and ’14 seasons, wanted a dual-threat quarterback who could run a spread attack out of the shotgun formation.

According to LaBuda, Stanley felt ignored when he attended a UW summer camp.

“He felt like when he was at Wisconsin, he was just kind of thrown in with 400 kids and nobody paid attention to him hardly,” LaBuda said. “It was very obvious that there wasn’t much interest.”

One coach who was very interested in Stanley was Paul Chryst. In fact, Stanley’s first scholarship offer came from Chryst, who was at Pittsburgh at the time.
Chryst liked what he saw on film and offered Stanley following his sophomore season at Menomonie. At 6-foot-5 with great arm strength, Stanley was a perfect fit for the pro-style system Chryst runs.

Michigan State and Stanford also showed interest in Stanley, a three-sport star at Menomonie. But Stanley was eager to end the recruiting process quickly and orally committed to Iowa in November of 2014, shortly after his junior season ended.

Less than a month later, Andersen left for Oregon State and UW hired Chryst to replace him. Chryst tried making another run at Stanley, but Stanley remained committed to the Hawkeyes.

“Paul worked hard on him,” said LaBuda, who has led Menomonie to five WIAA state titles. “But Paul also understood that he had given a commitment to Iowa and I think he respected Nate for that. He did everything he possibly could. It was a timing thing.”
Title: Re: Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: bayareabadger on November 07, 2017, 08:19:28 PM
Yes, statistically Wisconsin does have a better defense than Ohio State (approx 270 ypg vs approx 325), both of which are better than Iowa (about 370).  The real discrepancy is PPG though.  Wisconsin gives up about 13, Iowa gives up about 18, and OSU gives up about 22.

But I don't know how well that translates because both Iowa and Ohio State have played better teams than Wisconsin - if UW played either UI or OSU's schedule, they may well be undefeated, but I'd wager their defensive numbers would suffer some.

Ehh, those stats are prone to warping by pace. Based on at least one opponent-adjusted number, UW's is notably better. Then again, Iowa's offense wasn't all that good and ... well. 
Title: Re: Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: bayareabadger on November 07, 2017, 08:23:18 PM
This is a huge game for both teams.  Wisconsin is favored, and rightfully so, but they haven't played anyone with a pulse yet.  I'm not convinced Iowa counts as a team with a pulse, but they did pull off arguably the biggest stunner of the season by waxing a really, really good Ohio State team.  If Wisconsin beats Iowa, they're not going to lose until at least the B1G championship game.  If Iowa beats Wisconsin, it's also highly likely they win out until at least the postseason.  They may need a little help, but they're not entirely out of the NY6 picture.
Hey now, NW is 6-3. Those losses are one bad (Duke), two good (UW, PSU). They've also knocked off this mighty Iowa team and all-but killed MSU's playoff chances. Don't care about UW's credit, but at least give those nerds their due. 
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at #8 Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: 847badgerfan on November 08, 2017, 06:49:57 AM
I did note that NU is now ranked #25 by the playoff committee.
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at #8 Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: FearlessF on November 08, 2017, 10:57:31 AM
I like UW at home, but expect a battle.
yes sir
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at #8 Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: ELA on November 08, 2017, 11:45:07 AM
I did note that NU is now ranked #25 by the playoff committee.
That was a touch curious.  They addressed that this morning on SiriusXM, if the set up is to counter an argument about Wisconsin's schedule by sticking some opponents in.  The computers say the Big Ten should have 6 teams ranked, but that it should be Michigan, not Northwestern.  Granted computers have Northwestern #27, so it's not way off, and they have two wins (MSU and Iowa) better than UM's best win (Purdue).  But I'm shocked Michigan is still out.  They also don't have anything resembling a bad loss, while Northwestern's loss (in blowout fashion) to Duke looks really bad.
Considering NW beat MSU, I'm not complaining.  Not saying they aren't one of the best 25, just that I'm not sure their resume merits it yet.
Title: Re: Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: Hawkinole on November 09, 2017, 01:07:29 AM
I like UW at home, but expect a battle.
The road team won the last six games in this series. I went to Barry Alvarez's final home game. Iowa won. These teams really don't care whose stadium the game is played in. They like sending the home team fans home dejected.
Quote
It will be interesting to see how Stanley reacts, going up against the home-state school. There should be no animosity/revenge, as Chryst tried like hell to get him to stay home once he got hired, but it was too late.

This is by far his biggest road test to date, methinks.

I really wish he would have stayed home. Didn't his parent(s) go to Iowa? Pretty sure I read that somewhere and that it was a big factor in his decision.
Nate Stanley's father was from Illinois; Mother from Wellsburg, Iowa. Parents attended Wartburg College in Waverly Iowa where they met. Go Mom!

Paul Chryst recruited him to Pitt. Anderson didn't want him. Grew up an hour away from a Gopher Hole. They  weren't interested. Well Iowa showed first interest, and when Wisconsin made their final plea after  Chryst was hired at Wisconsin, Nate Stanely said his word, is his word. Sorry, Paul. http://www.twincities.com/2017/10/25/gophers-werent-interested-in-menomonies-nate-stanley-hell-start-against-them-saturday/ (http://www.twincities.com/2017/10/25/gophers-werent-interested-in-menomonies-nate-stanley-hell-start-against-them-saturday/)
 (http://www.twincities.com/2017/10/25/gophers-werent-interested-in-menomonies-nate-stanley-hell-start-against-them-saturday/)
Stanley also enjoyed the Iowa football camp. And, I think the boy has done well for himself at Iowa. It was a very good decision for him, judging by last week's results. The question that should be asked is where were Harbaugh and Meyer? Safe to say, not in Menomine on a Friday night, or any other night.
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at #8 Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: ELA on November 09, 2017, 09:13:46 AM
The week before what was supposed to be Wisconsin's stiffest test prior to Indianapolis, comes...perhaps Wisconsin's stiffest test prior to Indianapolis.  The Hawkeyes are being viewed in a whole different light after mopping the floor with Ohio State a week ago.  While Iowa is 6-3, all 3 losses have come to ranked teams, two on the road, and in overtime (Northwestern), on the last play of the game (Penn State), and by 7 (Michigan State).  What remains to be seen though is if Iowa can take that Kinnick magic on the road with them.  Getting big wins in Iowa City has never been the obstacle, it's getting them on the road.  Two years ago the Hawkeyes came into Camp Randall and beat #19 Wisconsin to take the Heartland Trophy, and begin to get attention in a season that saw them reach the Big Ten title game, and as high as #3 in the national polls.  Aside from Jack Cichy in the preseason, Wisconsin hasn't suffered the type of marquee injury that changes perceptions, but seemingly each week a new guy or two gets added, to the point now that the list is the most unfriendly in the conference, and now they've added perhaps the biggest name since Cichy to that list in WR Quintez Cephus, the team's leading receiver, and 7th in the Big Ten in receiving yardage.  Only Rutgers passes at a lower frequency than Wisconsin, so it's not like losing Jonathan Taylor, but he's the one guy that could consistently stretch the field with Jazz Peavy already out.  A.J. Taylor stepped up already in Cephus' absence late against Indiana last week, with 3 catches for a career high 63 yards, and even got a carry.  But going from Cephus to Taylor costs them about 3 inches, with the 5'10" Taylor.  As for the other Taylor, Jonathan, he has gone from making the Silver Football race interesting, to probably being the leader, after Barkley has disappeared from Penn State's offense, and Barrett had himself a massive clunker last weekend.  He's leading the conference in rushing by about 40 ypg over Karan Higdon.  To have any shot Iowa needs the Nathan Stanley from last week to return.  The overall numbers for Wisconsin's pass defense look ok, at 191.3 ypg allowed, actually leading the conference at 5.6 ypa allowed.  Take a closer look at opposition though.  Against Clayton Thorson, Tanner Lee and Richard Lagow, the Badgers are surrendering 235.6 ypg; while Elijah Sindelar, Max Bortenschlager and Jeff George Jr. combined to average 129.3 ypg.  I think Nathan Stanley certainly belongs more in that first group.  The trouble is, he hasn't performed there week in and week out.
WISCONSIN 28, IOWA 16
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at #8 Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: bayareabadger on November 09, 2017, 09:18:46 AM
The road team won the last six games in this series. I went to Barry Alvarez's final home game. Iowa won. These teams really don't care whose stadium the game is played in. They like sending the home team fans home dejected.

I'm not trying to be rude or hateful, but man do I dislike that you brought up that game. God that sucked. 
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at #8 Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: FearlessF on November 09, 2017, 10:23:20 AM
road team winning the last 6 is impressive, but ya really can't expect that streak to last at Camp Randall
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at #8 Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: ELA on November 09, 2017, 11:22:24 AM
Confirmed Cephus is done for the year.
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at #8 Wisconsin (5-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: 847badgerfan on November 09, 2017, 11:32:32 AM
Confirmed Cephus is done for the year.
Yep, very sad for the kid. He has overcome so much this year, including losing his father to murder during Spring Ball.

You have to wonder how much a kid can take and not break.
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at #8 Wisconsin (6-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: 847badgerfan on November 09, 2017, 09:12:22 PM
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DOOtrmPXkAAk_JX.jpg)
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-3, 6-3) at #8 Wisconsin (6-0, 9-0) Game Week
Post by: FearlessF on November 09, 2017, 09:33:19 PM
class
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-4, 6-4) at #8 Wisconsin (7-0, 10-0) Post game
Post by: 847badgerfan on November 12, 2017, 11:23:09 AM
Iowa got 14 points on pick-6 plays. If UW wants to do well moving forward, that can't happen. The Iowa offense scored.. zero and had 60 or so total YARDS in the game. But Iowa was in the game in the 3rd quarter.

UW had 6 turnovers on the day, and they won. Again, if UW wants to do well moving forward, that can't happen.
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-4, 6-4) at #8 Wisconsin (7-0, 10-0) Post game
Post by: Hawkinole on November 13, 2017, 02:57:52 AM
Could have been a really good game from this perspective but aside from 3-interceptions, it was just another expensive ticket.

(https://www.cfb51.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv350%2Fmroeder75%2F64c82aeb-2346-436a-96b9-e8f8ca79f0e1.jpg&hash=2d6f2f29fc8fb3c82fd4032203f4ce46)
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-4, 6-4) at #8 Wisconsin (7-0, 10-0) Post game
Post by: 847badgerfan on November 13, 2017, 09:40:00 AM
I hope you had a nice time in Madison despite the outcome for your team.
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-4, 6-4) at #8 Wisconsin (7-0, 10-0) Post game
Post by: TresselownsUM on November 13, 2017, 10:24:05 AM
Iowa got 14 points on pick-6 plays. If UW wants to do well moving forward, that can't happen.

No offense to the kid, but I just can't see UW winning a Nat title with Hornibrook at QB. He's a decent player, but weak arm, turnover prone, can't stretch the field.

If they get into a game against a team that can stuff their run I think they're in big trouble.

If I'm UW I don't want Clemson or Miami in a playoff game. Their defensive fronts are legit. I think they'd fair well against OU, Bama just got pushed around a bit against Miss St so they might be ok there.
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-4, 6-4) at #8 Wisconsin (7-0, 10-0) Post game
Post by: 847badgerfan on November 13, 2017, 10:31:33 AM
I don't think you'll see too many more out route passes moving forward. He just doesn't have the arm strength for that throw - especially to his right. The patterns might be there, but more to open up the middle, where Horni excels. He's also money in the red zone.

Can he win an MNC?

I dunno.

Has a team full of 3* and walk-on kids ever won an MNC?
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-4, 6-4) at #8 Wisconsin (7-0, 10-0) Post game
Post by: FearlessF on November 13, 2017, 10:36:50 AM
1984 BYU
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-4, 6-4) at #8 Wisconsin (7-0, 10-0) Post game
Post by: 847badgerfan on November 13, 2017, 10:41:00 AM
1984 BYU
Farce.
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-4, 6-4) at #8 Wisconsin (7-0, 10-0) Post game
Post by: TresselownsUM on November 13, 2017, 11:35:40 AM
Has a team full of 3* and walk-on kids ever won an MNC?

well, your 10-0, I would think the majority of the fanbase is thinking about it.

there's been some teams that have gotten close at least. I would guess Washington from last year is not loaded with 4 and 5 star talent. This Miami Hurricane team this year probably isn't. Oklahoma St has been close, they probably aren't. TCU I'm sure isn't they were ranked 5th a couple of years ago. Michigan St was in the playoff with a bunch of 3 stars. So, I guess no one has maybe won it recently, but there's definitely teams that are close.

After Alabama, Ohio St and Clemson, there's probably a next tier of 5-10 teams like OU, USC, Notre Dame etc

Then you have a bunch of teams after that, your TCU's, Oky Sts, Oregon's, Wisconsins, Michigan Sts that are certainly capable.

It's certainly doable, but you are gonna have to be pretty sound in most phases of the game. you can probably win with a couple of issues, like an average QB but then the defense and special teams probably need to be excellent. If Ohio St can win with Craig Krenzel, I guess there's hope for Hornibrook. But Krenzel was more of a RB, game manager. If Hornibrook can limit mistakes, and be a guy that throw for 12-for-18 for 150 yards, no picks, it might be doable
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-4, 6-4) at #8 Wisconsin (7-0, 10-0) Post game
Post by: FearlessF on November 13, 2017, 12:58:19 PM
were the Badgers on that pre-season list of the 6 or 7 teams capable of winning the big trophy?

past 4-5 season recruiting ranking

Heck no
Title: Re: #20 Iowa (3-4, 6-4) at #8 Wisconsin (7-0, 10-0) Post game
Post by: Hawkinole on November 14, 2017, 12:13:58 AM
I hope you had a nice time in Madison despite the outcome for your team.

It was alright. Just quick-in, and quick-out. Didn't get to see my old high school buddies of which there were 3 at the game.

 Ate lunch at Toppers Pizza about 2-blocks from Camp Randall. Surprisingly good pizza. We were trying to get to the Big Ten Pub or whatever that is called, and there was a line one-half block long 40-minutes to game time when we finally arrived there, and Toppers was quick. A long line there to the bathroom but no line to the great food.

We weren't mistreated. We sat in the hoity-toity area as you can see from the photo I posted. We weren't treated like neighbors, which we are, but we just weren't treated, and that was fine. I think our stub hub sellers must pay $1,000 donation or more a year, to buy those tickets. And we had no wind or cold where we sat. Seats were great.

I was a bit surprised Iowa's offense was so soundly shutdown by Wisconsin's defense -- not because Wisconsin isn't known for defense, and not because their defense is bad, but because I thought Iowa figured out what it was doing wrong all season against Ohio St. But no, Iowa just went back to the old way of calling plays (run, run, pass, 3 and out), and the old way of execution on offense. My impression was Wisconsin would have a tough time beating Alabama, but there are a lot of other teams they can defeat.