After Saturday’s 51-10 drubbing, Wisconsin owes Hawaii a big mahalo.

You see, taking a trip to paradise in the first week of December could have been a risky proposition for head coach Bret Bielema and the Wisconsin football team.

After all, who can focus on playing football when you leave the Wisconsin cold for a place where it’s 80 degrees every day and your hotel room comes with a beautiful ocean view?

Yet, with two weeks to prepare for a Hawaii team that won four in a row — including a 24-17 victory over a Navy team that nearly knocked off No. 8 Ohio State — the Badgers arrived on Oahu early and went into Aloha Stadium and embarrassed the Warriors.

The lopsided result is even more impressive when you consider Hawaii needed the win far more than a Wisconsin squad that would have gone to the Champs Sports Bowl regardless of the outcome.

But the win is still very important to the Badgers.

What it proves is that Bielema’s squad can go to a beautiful, warm weather destination and stay focused on the task at hand when kickoff rolls around.

This point is by no means lost on the players, either.

“We know what it’s like to come out early to places, have a couple of days of fun time to yourself and still be able to lock it in,” defensive end J.J. Watt told reporters after the game. “To come out here with a 51-10 win over Hawaii is great for our team.”

Last time the Badgers played somewhere even remotely similar in climate to Hawaii was last year’s embarrassment… er, bowl game in Orlando against the Florida State Seminoles. On Dec. 27, 2008, Wisconsin played a game so terrible it likely won’t be forgotten for years to come, especially when discussing Bielema’s merits as head coach.

As if the home state advantage weren’t enough for the Seminoles, the Badgers all but gave them the 42-13 victory, coming out flat and letting things get out of hand as the turnovers started piling up.

One year and two days later, Bielema and the Badgers will be in a similar position: facing another Florida school — Miami — in a bowl game that wasn’t exactly their first choice. Fortunately for UW, a few differences should make a difference.

First, the bowl bid itself is not as bad as it was a year ago.

After being fifth in the Big Ten bowl rotation a year ago, the Champs Sports Bowl moved up to fourth for the 2009-10 bowl season. The bump up means the fine folks at Florida Citrus Sports get a 9-3 Wisconsin team tied for fourth in the Big Ten standings rather than a 7-5 Badger squad tied for sixth in the conference.

Second, the Badgers’ opponent got a significant upgrade.

Sure, the Seminoles beat down UW in last year’s bowl game, but FSU didn’t exactly come into the game with a lot of hype as the 8-4 winner of a weak ACC Atlantic Division.

Instead of a pair of unranked teams like last year’s matchup, the 2009 version of the Champs Sports Bowl will be a matchup of No. 24 Wisconsin and No. 14 Miami.

Third, the Badgers simply are not as bad as they were a year ago.

When UW limped into the Champs Sports Bowl in 2008, they had no business even being invited to Orlando. The Badgers wouldn’t have even been bowl eligible if Minnesota hadn’t choked away a 21-7 halftime lead and Cal Poly’s Andrew Gardner hadn’t pulled a Philip Welch and missed three extra points.

This year, Wisconsin boasts a strong defense that has held its last nine opponents under 100 yards rushing (a program record) and has shown an ability to shut down opponents’ passing attacks, albeit an inconsistent ability to do so.

Offensively, the Badgers lead the Big Ten in scoring offense at 32.8 points per game, due in large part to the performance of Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year John Clay and UW’s ability to rush for more than 200 yards per game.

Finally, and most importantly, Wisconsin should be better prepared than a year ago.

Say what you will about Bielema’s coaching abilities, but his decision to schedule a season-ending road game at Hawaii on Dec. 5 may be his best coaching move yet.

By doing so, the Badgers will have only 23 days off between their regular season finale and the Champs Sports Bowl. Last year, UW ended its regular season on Nov. 22, giving them more than a month (34 days) off before facing FSU.

In making that final game in a tropical locale, Bielema also prepared his team for a similar atmosphere to the bowl game.

Extracurricular activities abound during bowl game trips and Bielema’s squad will need to be much more focused than in last year’s matchup with the Seminoles if they intend to finish the season on a winning note.

If the Badgers do record their tenth victory of the season, they’ll owe the Warriors another big mahalo.

If not, they can say aloha to another wasted season.

Jordan is a senior majoring in journalism and political science. Want to share your thoughts on the Badgers’ bowl destination or their chances in the Champs Sports Bowl? Send him an e-mail at [email protected].