Football signing day came and went yesterday for the Wisconsin Badgers, and there weren't any major surprises as the Badgers seemingly snagged another solid but unspectacular class of recruits. Is it too much to expect a Chris Borland or James White-type performance from one of these freshmen next season? With the number of starters the team is losing to graduation and the NFL, there will be opportunities for the newcomers to earn some serious playing time in 2011.
One of those possible newcomers still hasn't made his college decision yet, quarterback Jacoby Brissett from West Palm Beach, Florida. Brissett, 6'5", 230 lbs, has reportedly narrowed his list of schools to Miami and Wisconsin, and his coach says that Jacoby is "60-40" sure of where he wants to play college football. Brissett has two high school teammates that are also heralded recruits, TE Nick O'Leary and DE Curt Maggitt. O'Leary is headed to Florida State and Maggitt is headed to Tennessee, so they likely won't have an effect on where Brissett decides to play. Jacoby intends to announce where he'll be headed tomorrow at halftime of his basketball game.
The safe money is on Brissett announcing that he'll be taking his talents to South Beach. There's nothing wrong with the University of Miami, a school close to home for Brissett with a storied tradition. But Mr. Brissett, if you want a school that actually provides tremendous school spirit and rabid fan support (you saw this in person in our game against the Buckeyes), then we'll see you in Madison next season.
Head out to the Kohl Center and support the Wisconsin women's basketball squad tonight. Believe it or not, the Lady Badgers are tied for first place in the Big Ten and have a big game against No. 11 Michigan State at 7 PM.
Here's a map of where all of the Wisconsin recruits are from. There seems to be a lot of pushpins in the state of Wisconsin; funny how that works.
It's February, which means it's time to start looking at the March Madness bubble. According to ESPN's Bubble Watch, Wisconsin hasn't yet accomplished enough on the hardwood to warrant 'lock' status.
In this video, Paul Chryst explains why he decided to remain in Madison as the Badgers' offensive coordinator.
Michigan State lost to Iowa by 20 last night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, prompting Tom Izzo to say that was the worst performance from a team he's coached at Michigan State. The Spartans' next game? Sunday at the Kohl Center.
USA Today explores why Wisconsin consistently out-performs its recruiting rankings on the actual gridiron. Apparently the Badgers would suck if they played in the SEC or Pac-10, though.
Wisconsin Basketball has obtained a reputation among the general public as a team that won't do anything come March. Meanwhile, computer rankings such as Ken Pomeroy's often hold the Badgers in high regard. Who's right? (ESPN Insider required)