WISCONSIN, ILLINOIS LOSE AFTER PLETHORA OF HOME GAMES
Something happened this past weekend in the Big 10 that I am not sure a lot of people noticed. Illinois looked good its first 6 games. Their first five were at home. They went on the road to Indiana and soundly defeated the Hoosiers 41-20. However, they just lost their second game two weeks later division against Purdue, a team they should have beaten.
Wisconsin won it's first 6 games. Five of those six were in Madison. The game against Northern Illinois was played at a neutral site in Soldier Field, roughly 150 miles from home. So call it a home game, too. Their first real road test as against Michigan State, which they lost 37-31 on the last play of the game on a Kirk Cousins to Keith Nichol Hail Mary in which the prayer was answered.
Both Illinois and Wisconsin played their first five games virtually at home with Wisconsin at six straight home games. I don't think that's a good idea. Of course, everyone wants to start out at home. But it's not a good thing for any team. It makes the players too comfortable. They can easily lose their focus playing in front of the home crowd. Nor can they see how good they really are until they win on the opposition's home turf.
Illinois' first road game came against Indiana. They had won five straight including a 17-14 win against then #22 Arizona State. Indiana's were 1-4 with no wins against FBS schools. They easily dominated the Hoosiers winning 41-20. The Fighting Illini next had the distinction of playing Ohio State after the Buckeyes blew a 21 point 3rd quarter lead losing to Nebraska 34-27. That was not a good omen for Illinois, though the game was at home and they lost 17-7. They then go back on the road to Purdue. The Boilermakers, though only 3-3, had won all they games at home this year and proved formidable against the Illini winning 21-14.
Wisconsin's first road game of the year was against Michigan State. They come into the game 6-0 and ranked #6 in the first BCS standings of 2011. What probably got them there was their decisive win at home against #13 Nebraska.
The Badgers have lost 3 out of the last 4 games against the Spartans. All three defeats came in East Lansing. The win on Saturday was not a fluke, in my opinion. MSU did not march down the field to win the game. It came on a Hail Mary pass on the last play of the game. But they scored 37 points against the Badgers who had, up to this game, had allowed just under 10 points a game. The Spartans deserved the win.
All of the teams in the BCS Top 10 had at least one road game in their first five games. Six of those schools started with at least two road games out of the first five. Five of those teams are ranked 6th or higher. Now maybe that's just coincidence. I don't think so. The teams who want to be the best know that they have to win on the road. They test their players early in the year to see what they're made of. Equally as important is the players' realization of what they are capable of on their opponent's turf. Those games show them where they are good and where their skills need refinement. It is a reality check to keep their minds on the game and not the hype of the media.
So those who scheduled the Badgers and Illinois may have done their team a disservice, though perhaps well-intentioned. Now that the Badgers have had their wake-up call against Michigan State, can they recover in time for a game against Ohio State on the road? Will they recover from the emotional loss last weekend and be able to win against a Buckeye team that is determined to prove that they can still be contenders in the Big Ten by putting all of the bad experiences of 2011 behind them? Illinois' path is tough as well. They must go on the road this weekend against Penn State, who is the only undefeated team in the Big Ten--Leaders Division and then they encounter both Michigan and Wisconsin. Though both of those are home games, they won't prove as easy as the early season schedule.
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