Curt Phillips to Return for 6th Season of Eligibility

It was a feel good story. Curt Phillips, the fifth-year senior with two torn ACL's, the former four-star recruit who started his senior year third on the depth chart and finished it under center, quarterbacking the Badgers' offense in the Rose Bowl. Sure, we all know the result wasn't optimal, but in a world where feel good stories can take a turn for the weird, a little truth doesn't hurt the narrative.

Because after all, he was put on the deck twice, kept fighting and got the team in position to at least win late in each game he started. He had a good process to him. As it turns out, the NCAA thought so, too.

Congrats to #Badgers @curtphillips10 on getting your 6th year approved. See you in the spring #BacktoSchool

— Badger Football (@BadgerFootball) January 17, 2013

That's right. The Tennessee native has received the rare extra year of eligibility because of those aforementioned ACL's. He will be put into a quarterback situation that could very well not be solved until well the summer. Phillips was a steadying force and made plays when he had to, but finished 2-3 as a starter. Joel Stave has great upside, a strong deep ball and fearlessness in the pocket, but he still has some situational inconsistencies. Bart Houston is the redshirt with the cannon arm that can make all the throws. And of course, there is the possibility that Gary Andersen dives into the JUCO ranks to bring in someone else entirely.