Badgers Undeserving of Bowl Bid

The final score read Wisconsin 36, Cal Poly 35 (OT). The win gave the Badgers a 7-5 record, which probably makes representatives from the Insight Bowl feel better about extending this team a bid to play (likely against Kansas) on New Year's Eve. The final score doesn't tell the story.

The story is this. Cal Poly gave the Badgers everything they could handle yesterday, and then some. In fact, had Andrew Gardner made just one of the two extra points he missed during regulation, the Badgers would have suffered an embarrassment as big as Michigan did a year ago when Appalachian State came to The Big House and beat the once mighty Wolverines.

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good I guess. Because yesterday, the Badgers weren't good. Not by a long shot. They were lucky. They couldn't handle the triple option offense Cal Poly brought into Camp Randall Stadium. The offense at times shot itself in the foot. In fact, the only time the offense looked good was in the two minute drill at the end of both halves.

The story shouldn't be that Wisconsin survived against an FCS (or, Division 1-AA) team. It should be that they were in a dogfight with an FCS team. How far the mighty have fallen.

They will get a bid to the Insight Bowl, because you have to be really bad not to go to a bowl these days. But, make no mistake about it. This team does not deserve a bowl bid.

I've tried to defend Bret Bielema as much as I can. I think he's a good coach. But he's had a bad season. On offense, he was hurt by not having Travis Beckum, who was hurt for most of the year. He was also hurt by youth and inexperience at wide receiver.

But he also made his share of mistakes. It was one thing to choose Alan Evridge as the starting quarterback. It's another to stick with Evridge when everyone knows he isn't up to the job. That's what happened. Dustin Sherer did not take over until after the Penn State game, and by then it was too late.

Bielema also needed to shake things up at running back. P.J. Hill is a decent back, but John Clay is special. Clay makes Hill look like a rank amateur. I know Clay is young, and some questions his intelligence. But, there's no questioning his talent. And by insisting on a two back system, not putting the best back out there, Bielema did not put his team in the best position to win, and that's his job.

We can talk defense if you want as well. It just never seems to improve. If you run a spread attack, you're going to rack up yards and points against the Badgers. That's been the story for a number of years now. One season could be a fluke. When it's four, you either recruited badly or you're just not making the right adjustments as a coach. Either way it falls on Bielema.

I'm not saying Bielema should be fired. I think he should be given a chance to bounce back next year. But, to go 7-5 and earn a trip to the Insight Bowl when you were supposed to step up and make a run at a BCS bowl, well that's just nothing short of failure.

And, to squeak out a win over an FCS team in overtime to ensure that 7-5 record, well, that just leaves me with a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Let someone else go to the Insight Bowl. The Badgers don't deserve the bid.