When the Badgers took down Iowa and headed into the bye week, we all saw four games left on the schedule, four games UW needed to win to make a run at a BCS bowl.
But there was one game that stood out above the rest.
Michigan.
After wins over Purdue and Indiana, that critical matchup now looms.
The Wolverines are 7-3 on the year. They are coming off two straight wins. They’ve got one of the most explosive players in all of college football in dual-threat quarterback Denard Robinson and they play in front of more than 110,000 fans.
Oh yeah, and the Badgers haven’t won in Ann Arbor since 1994.
Now that’s exactly what they’ll have to do to keep their Big Ten title hopes alive.
Throughout Wisconsin’s long football history, the program only has six wins on the road against Michigan. Six.
In 2008, it looked like the Badgers were on their way to No.7… until the unthinkable happened.
After entering the locker room with a commanding 19-0 lead at halftime, the Badgers imploded. Michigan scored 27 second half points and took a 27-19 lead but the Badgers scored a touchdown with 13 seconds left.
They needed a two-point conversion to tie the game and they got it. Then everyone in the stadium realized there was a flag lying on the field.
Tight end Travis Beckum was lined up incorrectly and called for illegal formation. The Badgers missed their second two-point try. Game over.
I sat just yards away from the action, a couple rows back in the Michigan student section, and watched that all unfold.
Every Michigan fan I passed on the way out of the stadium made sure I remembered it, but they didn’t need to. That’s a game I’ll never forget and I’m not the only one.
“We all know what happened the last time we went to Michigan,” Bielema said after the beatdown of Indiana Saturday. “We let something happen up there that was embarrassing to me, embarrassing to our program and put us on a little bit of a tailspin for a while.”
It was one dreadful tailspin. That 2008 UW squad – a group Bielema said could have been his most talented team – went on to lose three straight after that defeat at the Big House.
That loss ruined the 2008 season and a loss in Ann Arbor Saturday would have the very same effect.
So Badger fans are justifiably nervous. History tells us how hard it’s been for Wisconsin to beat the Wolverines in their house. Don’t forget it was Michigan who gave UW its one and only loss in the 2006 season (a loss that kept UW from the BCS with an 11-1 record).
But despite all that history, all those haunting memories, the Badgers should control the game and walk away with a win against the Wolverines.
Here’s a side story to help explain.
My sister is a freshman at the University of Michigan and I like to think I’ve taught her a thing or two about football. Here is a piece of a conversation we recently had.
Me: Just so you know, if Michigan beats Wisconsin I’ll never forgive you (maybe a little harsh but this is a sibling rivalry we’re talking about).
Her: Just so you know, I think that will be impossible.
A surprising response and while a Michigan win is certainly possible, that statement isn’t that far-fetched.
Why? Because in case you haven’t noticed, UW is playing great football. Top-10 football. BCS-caliber football.
And Michigan? Well, like my sister pointed out, they’re just not that good.
Robinson is electric and he’s put up insanely good statistics. But he’s turnover prone, (two fumbles and two interceptions against Purdue last week) which caused a momentary benching, and he’s struggled to throw the ball against tough competition (three picks against MSU and 11-of-23 against PSU).
Come to think of it, the entire team has struggled against good opponents, losing to Michigan State, Iowa and Penn State. The Wolverines’ three conference wins came over Indiana, Illinois and Purdue. UM squeaked out a win over the Hoosiers, topped the Illini in an overtime shootout and fought off the Boilermakers for a tough road win.
The Badgers demolished Indiana while setting a record for points and beat Purdue with a three-touchdown margin.
But the Wolverines’ glaring weakness and the biggest reason for Badger optimism is UM’s defense.
It’s the last-place unit in the Big Ten, allowing over 433 yards a game. It’s atrocious.
Wisconsin should be able to run at will, like it has done each of the last two weeks. And if they force a couple turnovers, something Robinson is known for and something the Badgers have started to create, (seven forced in the last two games alone) UW should be fine.
And yeah, there is a lot of motivation for Wisconsin heading into this one.
“The guys that were there [in 2008], if that doesn’t have a place in your stomach there is something wrong with you,” Bielema said.
It’s got a place in a lot people’s stomachs coach and it’s going to take a win Saturday, with so much at stake, to completely digest that memory and make it go away.
Because Wisconsin is closing in on a Big Ten title.
Close enough to taste it.
Max is a senior majoring in journalism. Think the Badgers’ will finally get a win at the Big House? E-mail him at [email protected] or tweet @maxhenson
