Neither Spencer Sanders nor Guaranteed Rate Bowl – Wisconsin -3.5 vs Oklahoma State – And now the Big Boy program enter stage right. It’s the first bowl game with two Power 5 programs. Too bad they are a shell of what they showed during the regular season.
Both Wisconsin and Oklahoma State have taken major hits in the transfer portal and will look entirely different what was on the field during the regular season. It’s said that the quarterback is the most important position on the field and perhaps in all team sports. Both lost their quarterbacks to the portal so who can rally best around their new leader.
At first glance, Oklahoma State took the bigger hit. Spencer Sanders was a four-year starter for the Cowboys and led his team to the Big 12 Championship Game last year and was a game away from the College Football Playoff. Graham Mertz was a highly-rated recruit who failed to stand out in three years as a starter for the Badgers.
Both Wisconsin and Oklahoma State have taken major hits in the transfer portal and will look entirely different what was on the field during the regular season. It’s said that the quarterback is the most important position on the field and perhaps in all team sports. Both lost their quarterbacks to the portal so who can rally best around their new leader.
At first glance, Oklahoma State took the bigger hit. Spencer Sanders was a four-year starter for the Cowboys and led his team to the Big 12 Championship Game last year and was a game away from the College Football Playoff. Graham Mertz was a highly-rated recruit who failed to stand out in three years as a starter for the Badgers.
Graham Mertz will play in the Bowl game But the Badgers losses go beyond quarterback. Five other players opted out of this game to prepare for the NFL draft, including star linebacker Nick Herbig and nose tackle Keeanu Benton. It goes beyond players too, The will have a new head coach after the badgers fired Paul Chryst early in the season, named highly regarded DC Ji Leonhard. He apparently failed to impress so they fired him at the end of the season. There will be some continuity as Leonhard will coach this game before Luke Fickell takes over next season.
But Wisconsin rarely relies on its quarterbacks. It loves to ground and pound and play stifling defense. Fortunately, the Badgers still have star running back Braelon Allen on the field, who has rushed for 1,126 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He will face a defense that struggled against the run to put it nicely, finishing 95th overall.
For Oklahoma State, the players opting out go beyond the face of the program Spencer Sanders but also leading RB Dominic Richardson and leading tackler Mason Cobb. Even with the offense at full strength, the Cowboys struggled down the stretch, scoring just 13.6 points per game in their final five contests after averaging 44.7 points through their first seven games.
It’s all about motivation in bowls. No more so than when teams are missing tons of key players. I’ll go with Wisconsin to be more motivated, playing for their out going coach and at least pieces of their offense intact. No quatloos though.
But Wisconsin rarely relies on its quarterbacks. It loves to ground and pound and play stifling defense. Fortunately, the Badgers still have star running back Braelon Allen on the field, who has rushed for 1,126 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. He will face a defense that struggled against the run to put it nicely, finishing 95th overall.
For Oklahoma State, the players opting out go beyond the face of the program Spencer Sanders but also leading RB Dominic Richardson and leading tackler Mason Cobb. Even with the offense at full strength, the Cowboys struggled down the stretch, scoring just 13.6 points per game in their final five contests after averaging 44.7 points through their first seven games.
It’s all about motivation in bowls. No more so than when teams are missing tons of key players. I’ll go with Wisconsin to be more motivated, playing for their out going coach and at least pieces of their offense intact. No quatloos though.
