Wisconsin 70, Northwestern 23. At this point, there are two possible interpretations for the last six weeks of Wisconsin's season: a) The Badgers are so much better than the Big Ten's middle class that they literally can't stop themselves from splattering helpless victims across the tracks, even when they try to let off the throttle; or b) They're that much better than the middle class, and relish speeding toward them with glee and murder in their hearts.
Apologies for the grisly imagery, but anything less wouldn't quite do justice to the mindset in Madison since the Big Ten race was reduced to a four-team horse race down the stretch, with the mercurial BCS standings playing a decisive role. Three straight games, the Badgers have produced two 100-yard rushers en route to 300-yard afternoons on the ground, with All-Big Ten headliner John Clay on the sideline. Three straight games, quarterback Scott Tolzien has completed upwards of three-fourths of his passes for at least 200 yards, on better than 10 yards per attempt. Three straight weeks, they've led by at least 24 points at the half.
The final tally in those games: Wisconsin 201, Opponents 71, or an average final score of 67 to 24. That's an unmistakable taste for blood – but it's also come with a single pass attempt in the second half of last week's 48-28 rout at Michigan and zero points in the fourth quarter today. I'm not sure which would be more frightening: That the Badgers' appetite for destruction is really that high, or that they really can't stop themselves without taking knees for a half-hour straight.
Technically, despite the floral motif after the game, the Badgers aren't in the Rose Bowl yet: With Ohio State and Michigan State's wins over Michigan and Penn State, respectively, the Big Ten championship is officially a three-way split at 7-1, with the golden ticket in limbo until the final BCS standings are released next Sunday night. When they are, Wisconsin will easily retain its position as the top-ranked team in the conference according to both the Coaches' and Harris polls, and likely according to the computers, as well, assuring the Badgers' first New Year's in Pasadena in more than a decade. Maybe when they get there, TCU or Stanford will be up to punching back.
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