The New Look Badgers - 2023

[Pokerbrat2000]

Fickell did have success in Cincinnati but in his season there his team went 4-8. The second season at the helm the Bearcats went 11-2 and had success the rest of his tenure. Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water.

Exactly.

As I keep saying, this isn't going to happen overnight. I don't know how many of the guys he and his staff brought in are actually playing a lot of snaps, but I have to believe, many of the starters and backups are carryovers from the Chryst days.

 

[longtimefan]

Until Wisconsin changes eligiblity for grades may never catch OSU and the like

 

[milani]

Until Wisconsin changes eligiblity for grades may never catch OSU and the like

Is it that much harder to get into WU?

 

[longtimefan]

Is it that much harder to get into WU?

I've hear Wisconsin has a higher standard for grades then the rest

 

[milani]

I've hear Wisconsin has a higher standard for grades then the rest

Paul Hornung referenced that once about Notre Dame to lower their standards so they could recruit better athletes. And then he was called a racist.

 

[longtimefan]

Are the Wisconsin Badgers football and basketball academic requirements too high?

Are the Wisconsin Badgers football and basketball academic requirements too high? Can Greg Gard and Luke Fickell win at the highest level with some of the to...

www.youtube.com

 

[Poppa San]

Until Wisconsin changes eligiblity for grades may never catch OSU and the like

Wisconsin had caught OSU when the B1G first split in half. They just couldn't maintain the level.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I don't know why they can't create a 2nd tiered application for High School students to use, when applying for admission to the UW. When an institution that survives on both academics and athletics only uses academics as an admission qualifier, it is just blindly stupid.

Kids wanting to enroll into the UW's education and higher learning aspect get in because of what they did academically in High School or at another college. Kids wanting to come here to pursue a career in sports, should be able to present an application that shows the UW how valuable they are as an athlete.

There are plenty of ways students in both of those tiers can be satisfied at a large university like UW Madison. Programs/classes can be tailored to fit each type of student. Why should a person who wants to pursue a career in Football, be a square peg, trying to be fit in a round hole? Set up classes that work with their career goals. Too often you see athletes being slotted into some oddball "major", because this is a program that is easy to stay qualified, academically in.

Yes, this would probably improve the "athletes" that come to Wisconsin, but it also would make it front and center for the athletes, that are coming here to be educated in the field that they want to pursue. Allowing them to take courses that prepare them for life as an athlete or life as an athlete, who's career ended in college.

 

[Pkrjones]

Damn, Poker...you're making a LOT of sense (for a Friday afternoon!). Why couldn't there be a Money Management degree chock full of NIL mgmnt, psych/sociology & econ classes to help with "posse" & daily financial issues?

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Damn, Poker...you're making a LOT of sense (for a Friday afternoon!). Why couldn't there be a Money Management degree chock full of NIL mgmnt, psych/sociology & econ classes to help with "posse" & daily financial issues?

I agree.

Instead of an "Asian Studies" degree, they get a "Life During and After Your Athletic Career" degree. I can think of a whole lot of classes that could be offered and be valuable to a student athlete.

I am being serious. I know people who made it into college and spent most of their time drinking and socializing. Sure, they were smart enough to do some coasting, get C's and a degree, but what good were they to the University, besides paying tuition and filling space?

It is almost like they treat athletes as if they are the "drunk uncle" at the party. We all know why they are there, but nobody acknowledges the rigors that they go through, academically to get and stay there. Meanwhile, they are excelling at a sport they have devoted most of their time trying to be great at. Spending money tutoring an athlete on "Ancient Rome History", when they could be taking a class on "The In's and Outs of NIL money" isn't doing them any service at all, its just pretending that they are there for some kind of degree.

 

[Voyageur]

There are universities and colleges that do not have "special admissions" for athletes. Wisconsin is one of them. Any potential athlete, who has not completed the core curriculum as prescribed by these schools is not eligible for entry into school, so therefore ineligible to be given a scholarship. This is often reflected in the percentage of applications that are accepted.

As an example, Northwestern is the toughest school in the Big 10 to get in. It's about 7 or 8% of applicants that make it. That means a huge number of potential athletes will never be offered, even if they are at the top of their high school's honors list, unless they have completed the core class requirements, have a high GPA, and qualify highly in ACT/SAT testing.

Wisconsin, along with all schools in the Big 10, have high standards. Even though, there are some schools that have been known to find ways for potential athletes to attend summer schools, and academies, for a semester, or year, to get the athlete eligible.

The Big 10 wouldn't consider several schools that were interested in joining, because they didn't meet the standards. There's a name for the group they're in, but can't remember what it's called.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

There's a name for the group they're in, but can't remember what it's called.

The Big10? Hypocritical elitists?

I used to think that admission standards should be standard across the board, but I don't anymore. Part of that change in opinions, is based on looking at the K-12 school system, throughout the country. There is no consistency, there are really bad school systems, where kids aren't even going to make it to the end, no matter what their athletic talents are. Stop pretending that "athletic talents" don't matter in life, anymore than math skills, science minds, etc. The modern athlete has become an important, influential and often wealthy individual in society. Imagine if Universities suddenly said "You must run a less than 7 minute mile, be able to do 50 pushups, run a 40 yard dash in under 8 seconds, etc., to gain acceptance into our University.

Who is the UW and other "elite" academic schools trying to fool? Once they get an athlete "IN", they are coddled, pampered and as long as they keep passing grades, they are past the 1 and only gate to get in and stay in school. Meanwhile, you have undergrads that want to be engineers or business majors and if they can't achieve a high enough GPA in their first 2 years, they have to pursue to a "lessor major".

Stop pretending that Athletics don't matter in how people perceive a University. Stop pretending that "Athletes are less important than scholars." Fix the old way of thinking and figure out a way to open your gates to ALL people who want to excel in things that the University has to offer.

 

[PikeBadger]

End of first half and Northwestern is curb stomping us.

Offense - F
Defense - F
Coaching - F-

This team is an absolute train wreck and getting worse every week. Worst look I've seen since Morton was in town.

 

[longtimefan]

End of first half and Northwestern is curb stomping us.

Offense - F
Defense - F
Coaching - F-

This team is an absolute train wreck and getting worse every week. Worst look I've seen since Morton was in town.

Yeah not sure what's wrong

 

[weeds]

Go Buuuuuuuuuccccckyyyyyy

 

[Firethorn1001]

This team is an absolute train wreck and getting worse every week. Worst look I've seen since Morton was in town.

Announcers commented that they look like they have no fire. Definitely agree there especially on the offensive side of the ball. Something happens and it's like.. eh.. oh well and the receiver shuffles back to the huddle or to the sideline.

 

[Sanguine camper]

Play calling is just atrocious and has been all season. I'm so sick of seeing the offense try a 6 yard pass on third and 8. Someone needs to tell Fickell you need to move the ball past the chains for a first down.

 

[weeds]

I am being serious. I know people who made it into college and spent most of their time drinking and socializing. Sure, they were smart enough to do some coasting, get C's and a degree, but what good were they to the University, besides paying tuition and filling space?

It is almost like they treat athletes as if they are the "drunk uncle" at the party.

Woodrow Wilson, as President of Princeton University said something to the effect of, and I'm paraphrasing here ... "Honor and acknowledge your A-students because they will come back and be your faculty. Honor and acknowledge your C-students because they will come back and build you a dormitory." Hell, I couldn't find any real attribution to that ... I could be making it up ... but, I'm not that creative.

The second excerpt from your post ... I can tell you that's kind of the way it is. Even though it was D-3, I went back as a non-traditional student 3 years after high school - had to pay my way through so 3 years at
Ariens and Universal Foundry for ol' Weeds. Surprisingly enough, I tested pretty well on the SAT's and ACT's, but still, because I gave ball one more shot and found out I wasn't talented enough, I always felt like I was being treated as a "pretender" academically - that "jock" thing reattached quickly. Until I started tutoring the same guys that I couldn't beat out athletically during second semester. A very unique perspective. Anyway, that's neither here nor there.

 

[weeds]

I'm so sick of seeing the offense try a 6 yard pass on third and 8. Someone needs to tell Fickell you need to move the ball past the chains for a first down.

Gonna be a long weekend for fans of Wisconsin sports.

Badgers - A**-kicked
Bucks - A**-kicked

NEXT MAN UP ...

Packers - TBD

...an offensive Offense seems to be plaguing all of guys this season (although the Bucks a**-kicking would more likely be due to lack of defense ... hoping yesterday was an anomaly.)

 

[Poppa San]

I know people who made it into college and spent most of their time drinking and socializing. Sure, they were smart enough to do some coasting, get C's and a degree, but what good were they to the University, besides paying tuition and filling space?

What do you call the physician that graduated last in his class?
.
.
.
.
.
Doctor. Just need to be good enough to get the almighty degree.

 

[Sanguine camper]

Gonna be a long weekend for fans of Wisconsin sports.

Badgers - A**-kicked
Bucks - A**-kicked

NEXT MAN UP ...

Packers - TBD

...an offensive Offense seems to be plaguing all of guys this season (although the Bucks a**-kicking would more likely be due to lack of defense ... hoping yesterday was an anomaly.)

I fully expect a physical Steelers team to whip the Packers in the trenches and coast to victory. As for the Bucks, getting Damien didn't solve their age issues. They are old, slow and are showing that their whipping by the Heat in the playoffs is not an anomaly.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Gonna be a long weekend for fans of Wisconsin sports.

Badgers - A**-kicked
Bucks - A**-kicked

NEXT MAN UP ...

Packers - TBD

...an offensive Offense seems to be plaguing all of guys this season (although the Bucks a**-kicking would more likely be due to lack of defense ... hoping yesterday was an anomaly.)

Toss in the Biggest loss of the weekend, Badger Volleyball lost to Penn State. I hope that doesn't keep them out of being a top 4 team for the NCAA tournament, since those 4 teams get to host all their matches (first 3), including the divisional round. They have a tough road match against #17 Purdue this Friday and then their HUGE rematch against #1 Nebraska on the 24th, 2 days before the seating's are determined.

My "Badger Fandom" right now is with the Volleyball, Womens and Mens Hockey and Womens Soccer. Not just because they are highly ranked, but because they are actually entertaining to watch.

I'm still not too concerned with the Football Team. As Wohler pointed out after the game, some guys are in and some are out. Time to purge those players that didn't buy into what Fickell and the coaches are trying to do.

 

[Krabs]

Unfortuneatley, I was at yesterday's football game. Man alive that was bad! I don't remember a bad loss like that since I was a youngster. I'm really at a loss for words to describe how bad that was. I generally do not leave early, but we left after Jump Around. The life in that stadium was just sucked out of it. To play that poorly against a bad Northwestern team after coming off a loss to a bad Indiana team is all just unacceptable. This program is better than that.

 

[Voyageur]

Unfortuneatley, I was at yesterday's football game. Man alive that was bad! I don't remember a bad loss like that since I was a youngster. I'm really at a loss for words to describe how bad that was. I generally do not leave early, but we left after Jump Around. The life in that stadium was just sucked out of it. To play that poorly against a bad Northwestern team after coming off a loss to a bad Indiana team is all just unacceptable. This program is better than that.

The question I'm asking is why this team has no leadership on and off the field. It's like they're all just going through the motions, anxious to shower and get to that party at the frat tonight.

As for the coaches? They are not motivating these guys whatsoever.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

The question I'm asking is why this team has no leadership on and off the field. It's like they're all just going through the motions, anxious to shower and get to that party at the frat tonight.

As for the coaches? They are not motivating these guys whatsoever.

If I had to guess. It is due to oil and water, as well as a few other components not mixing well. That being, the type of players you have and who/what brought them to Wisconsin.

- Chryst (and staff) players: Played for or recruited by old coach/staff

- Cincinnati players: Played for or recruited by Fickell/Staff

- Transfer Portal: Didn't play for either coaching staff

This has been a dirty changing of the guard. It won't surprise me to see some starters with eligibility hit the transfer portal. There is talk of players that haven't "bought in". I assume these are the players that got "stuck with" the new coaching staff and preferred the old regime.

Fans just need to sit back and let things work themselves out. Fickell has proven himself to be a damn good coach and recruiter. The last thing that this program needs right now is a bunch of angry, impatient fans, not wanting to give the new coaching staff adequate time to fix the hangover they were left from Chryst.