Congratulations, Michigan State

Today, two undefeated teams with juggernaut running games faced off in East Lansing. With ties abolished as of 1994 reckoning, someone had to lose.

That someone was my favorite team.

Unlike other Wisconsin fans, I'm not angry about this loss. We got robbed JUST ONE TIME, but we didn't play all that well today. MSU leaves home with a win, and its a win I feel they had to work for. They had to have it more than us today.

People, you can be mad at me for accepting this, or you can read the rest of what I have to say. I am NOT angry about this loss. I lived through 2008 (where Bielema gave the game away). I've seen more than my share of Wisconsin losses, and this one emotionally aches, but not nearly as much as the 2008 loss to Ohio State, the 2005 loss to Northwestern, the 93 loss to Minnesota or the 1999 loss to Michigan. It hurts. I wouldn't be surprised if the Wisconsin-hating media dropped us out of the polls entirely.

But this loss is not one that makes me ashamed of my team. The 2007 and 2008 losses to Penn State...were a humiliation. This loss was not so much a humiliation as a game that got away from us on a long TD return by Keshawn Martin. It got away from us when the officials ruled that Mark Dell made the catch (for the record, I maintain he SO did not, whether that is erroneous or truthful I don't care). It got away from us when MSU's blitzers raced through the interior gaps and tackled John Clay for a 4 yard loss on 3rd and 1. Bottom line: we got outplayed today. We lost. But we didn't lose a battle that would have turned this ten point game into a rout: turnovers. We didn't play awful, we just didn't play good, and that hurt up front.

The 98 and 99 Badger teams suffered horrible losses to Michigan. But they didn't give up. They could have, but they didn't. They persevered and won the conference both times, winning the ensuing Rose Bowls. The Badgers HAVE to bounce back from this game. They have the personnel to do it. Whether they have the will is another question.

As nice as an undefeated season would have been, I think, in the end, that if this Wisconsin team plays up to its potential, they have a real chance to beat Ohio State and win out.

MSU fans, your team WORKED for this one. They worked harder than mine did. Good luck shaking that losing after beating a ranked team bug. Good luck the rest of the way. No one else saw you as title contenders, but if you go coast-to-coast, know that you have impressed me with your work today. But you cannot turn the ball over as you did today and expect a similar result again.

Sincerely signed,

OBrienSchofield*IS*myHero