The Spartan Defender

By: Brandon Rickert

Wisconsin Badgers running for another touchdown. The Badgers are now ranked 7th in the country. Photo taken by: Racer Loyalton

The number seven ranked Wisconsin Badger put up 83 points on Saturday against the Indian Hoosiers at Camp Randal Stadium in Madison. With a final score of 83-20 Badgers improve their standings to 9-1.

The Wisconsin Badgers became the first Big Ten team to put up over eighty points since 1950 when the Ohio State Buckeyes beat Iowa 83-21. They scored on all twelve times they touched the ball, scoring eleven touchdowns, which is second most touchdowns scored in Big Ten history.

With 598 total yards and 83 points, the Badgers averaged 1.38 points per minute. Badgers went into yesterday's contest against the Indiana Hoosiers with a four game winning streak, including wins over number one Ohio state 31-18, and number fifteen ranked Iowa 31-30.

The Badgers started with a 4-0 record before falling to Michigan State 34-24 in week five of the season. After that loss the badgers dropped in the ranking but now with two major upsets they find themselves 9-1, ranked seventh in the nation and in the drivers seat for a share of the Big Ten Conference Title. If the season was to end today the Badgers would be Co-Conference Champions with Ohio State and Michigan State.


If all three teams, Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Ohio State all win out, there will be a three way tie for the Big Ten Conference Title. With top Conference rank, Wisconsin is considered number one in the conference for bowl game representation. For Badgers to win the conference out right, Ohio State and Michigan State must lose in the last two weeks of regular season play.

The Badgers lead all Big Ten Conference teams in the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) standings, conference champions for the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-10, Big 12, and the Southeastern conferences are given an automatic berth into one of the five BCS bowl games.

This gives them a heads up on bowl games over other conference teams. If the Badgers continue to be ranked number seven these last two weeks of the regular season, they are predicted to play the number three ranked TCU (Texas Christian University) Horned Frogs on January first 2011 in the Rose Bowl held in Pasadena California. The number one and two ranked teams will fight in Glendale, Arizona on January 10 in the Tostito's BCS National Championship Game to see who will receive the rightful title of National Champions.

As of right now the National Championship game would be between the University of Oregon ducks and University of Auburn Tigers, but with two weeks left in regular season of play, anything is possible.