A Second (not as fearless) Forecast

The Wisconsin Badgers got off to a good start, but then they played the rest of the second half, and dreams of glory for Bucky went up in a cloud of tailgate smoke.

Melvin Gordon ran for a whole bunch of yards, but not more than a couple after a 60 yard run to open the second half.  He's the Badger candidate for the Heisman Trophy, but the winners generally come from successful teams, so Wisconsin will have to get things rolling here starting Saturday.

Just to help things return to normal in Cheese Country, the Badgers play tough teams, but teams they should beat in Western Illinois, Bowling Green, and South Florida.

In the B1G Ten season, Bucky plays at Northwestern before hosting Illinois and Maryland.  Back on the road to new B1G team Rutgers and a stop in West La Fayette before one game in Camp Randall with Nebraska, at Iowa, and hosting the Golden Gophers in the final regular season game.

Looking through the crystal ball is a little cloudy given all the tears still flowing after the weekend loss to the Bayou Tigers, but I can see a way the Badgers win out from here and return to Indianapolis for their 3rd trip to Indianapolis in the Conference Championship December 6.

Yet to be seen as of now is how the Badgers came out of the weekend's game in terms of injuries to two big players on the defensive line.  That part of the defense is rebuilding after losing several starters to graduation, so if Konrad Zagzeski and Warren Herring are lost for the season this season will look more like 9 and 3 instead of 11 - 1.

As a long-time fan the start of Badger football who can a run of mostly dreary seasons from the 1970s into the 1990s and the arrival of Barry Alvarez it is difficult for me to complain much about 9 - 3.

I'm hoping to get to a Badger game this year, ironically I attended more Badger football living in Indiana, never missing a Wisconsin visit to Bloomington or Purdue than I've seen as a Wisconsin resident.

Either way, the sentiment is the same - Go Bucky!