Hail to the Badgers

The two big-time football programs in Wisconsin have had very interesting seasons.

While both achieved a more than respectable number of wins; neither seemed to find a signature victory to define their year.

Bucky's boys only lost three times - to Alabama, Iowa, and Northwestern.  Two of three are in the College Football Playoff.

None of their wins received the same kind of attention.

That can change tonight when Wisconsin plays the University of Southern California.  The USC Trojans are one of the ultimate power programs in college football.  Even in a down year for them, a Holiday Bowl win gives the Badgers a very nice hook on which to hang their hats.

I'm excited about the game and the challenge it represents.

Badger fans were expecting a trip to the B1G Championship game, but finished 3rd in the West division.  9 wins don't excite the fan base like they did previously.

What is exciting for the Badgers is the future which starts tonight.  Coach Paul Chryst is finishing his first year at the helm having righted the ship following a couple of rocky years.

Last year, Athletic Director and former coach Barry Alvarez led the team to a great win over Auburn after Coach Gary Anderson left Wisconsin to take a job out west.

For whatever reason, Anderson and the Badgers weren't a good fit.  Chryst, a Wisconsin kid who played for UW and then served as an assistant coach, seems to consider Madison a destination job.

Tonight's late start (9:30 CST) will either put the 2015 season to bed or send fans to bed with dreaming of the seasons to come.