Nashville will indeed be my final destination. After a calendar year of service to the sports section, the Music City Bowl will be my epitaph. A New Year’s Day bowl would’ve been preferred, but expectations materialize in Madison about as frequently as the Daily Cardinal covers games they write about. But that’s what has made the experience so great — the surprises and unpredictability that have followed the Badgers, and subsequently myself, throughout the year.

Many had written off Bo Ryan’s Badgers as fluke Big Ten Champions in 2002, but his team surprised the Midwest again, going 14-4 from January to Mid-March of 2003 with impressive victories over Michigan State, Indiana, and clinching a second consecutive conference championship with a 60-59 win over Illinois in Madison. Taking in much of the action from press row, the games were exciting, and trips to Philadelphia, Iowa City and Evanston provided memorable car rides and pit stops along the way.

It was a short trip to Chicago for Wisconsin in the Big Ten tournament the next weekend. The No. 1-seeded Badgers fell to the Buckeyes 58-50 in the quarterfinals in another disappointing tournament outing. The Badgers would move on to the NCAA tournament, but that was to be the end of the line for this beat reporter in 2003.

A couple days later, having a few beers at the Oakcrest with some friends, a series of phone calls had me scurrying to put a trip to Spokane together.

Jermaine Boyette and Weber State were picked as the Cinderella of the tournament by pundits who saw the Badgers as little more than a one-and-done team. But the Badgers prevailed, getting 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists from Kirk Penney to “sneak” into the second round with an 81-74 victory.

Two days later, the game appeared much gloomier. With Wisconsin garnering only six points from Kirk Penney and behind by 13 with 3:36 remaining, it did indeed look like the end of the road.

But the Badgers found some resiliency and garnered the greatest comeback in school history, scoring 16 of the game’s last 18 points, sealing a spot in the Sweet Sixteen with a Freddie Owens three pointer from the corner with one second remaining.

It was, by far, the highlight of Badger sports in 2003. A seemingly insurmountable comeback guided by the motivation of a coach who had confidence in his players to find a way to win. It was a benevolent Devin Harris, who could’ve taken a shot himself that dumped the long pass to Owens in the corner. That final stretch was the epitome of team basketball. Even though they would fall to Kentucky a week later, the game solidified the Badgers’ season as an overwhelming success.

The spring semester would end soon after, and summer was heavy with anticipation for what seemed to be the promise of a successful Badger football season. With the possibility of a potent offense and an experienced defense, Wisconsin looked like a genuine Big Ten contender.

Traveling from city to city for every game of their 2003 campaign, I was impressed with the Badgers’ resiliency in wins over West Virginia and Akron. Senior wide receiver Lee Evans left no room for doubt concerning his health making clutch catches for the Badgers, but things would come undone for Wisconsin when hosting UNLV on a rainy September morning. A disastrous affair in which junior tailback Anthony Davis injured his ankle and the Badgers were washed away under intense pressure, committing as many points as turnovers in a 23-5 loss.

Spirits were broken, and though the team would mount its best Big Ten record in four seasons, it was plagued by injuries to Brett Bell, Erasmus James, Jim Sorgi and the running back corps.

While playing many close games, the Badgers came up empty three times on final plays that could have steered the season in a much different direction.

But Evans saved the season, providing reason to show up and inspire hope in a team that looked clueless at times. His double move on Kevin Gamble against Ohio State gave backup quarterback Matt Schabert enough space to deliver a 79-yard touchdown reception to snap the Buckeye’s win streak with an upset victory. Pandemonium descended on Madison for the first time in my tenure, and I was just glad I got a chance to be there to document it all.

Dozens of games later, across four time zones, eleven cities and two coasts, it’s been a great year. I’m glad the Badgers have one last chance to take the field and that I have the opportunity to be there.