After Ohio State and Michigan State each turned in wins early in the day, the No. 7 Badgers (7-1 Big Ten, 11-1 overall) had to keep pace.
Boy, did they ever.
Wisconsin locked up a share of its first conference championship since 1999 and—barring unforeseen circumstances— likely earned a berth in the Rose Bowl, beating Northwestern 70-23.
""I had a feeling as we went through our work week that this day was going to be real special, "" said head coach Bret Bielema.
While the offense again provided quite a show, putting up 70 points for the third time this season and the 2nd straight game at home, it was the defense that was the catalyst for the Badgers' dominating win.
""Give credit to the defense,"" said senior offensive lineman Gabe Carimi. ""Today they had 5 turnovers and that really got the momentum swinging.""
Seemingly playing a part in each and every one of those 5 turnovers was junior defensive end JJ Watt. Capping off an already outstanding regular season, Watt lit up the stat sheet on Saturday afternoon with 7 tackles (3 for loss), 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 3 QB hurries, and to put the icing on the cake, a blocked extra point.
""J.J.'s got great instincts,"" Bielema said. ""He plays 100 miles an hour.""
If the jury was out coming into the weekend, Watt's effort against Northwestern should make a strong argument for naming him Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, at the same time putting him right in the mix for the national awards.
""At his position, and what he's done for our defense, I can't say there's anyone comparable,"" Bielema argued.
But beyond Watt's big day and the seemingly ho-hum 180-yard, 4 touchdown performance of sophomore running back Montee Ball (only the second Badger to score 4 rushing TD's in consecutive weeks after Ron Dayne), Scott Tolzien proved in front of a national audience that he belongs in the conversation amongst the nation's top college quarterbacks.
Though the running game had kept Tolzien's season TD total at just 12 heading into Saturday, the first half against Northwestern featured a barrage of passing success that finished with Tolzien totaling 230 yards and 4 touchdowns on 15/19 passing. His 250.1 pass efficiency rating was the 5th best single game performance in school history.
The balanced attack presented by the Wisconsin offense was simply too much for a bruised and battered Wildcat team that has struggled in the past two games without its junior quarterback Dan Persa, ending the season at 7-5 and looking poised for an appearance in the Ticket City Bowl January 1st in Dallas.
As for the Badgers, playing in Pasadena on January 1 seems to be destiny as well. After becoming the first Big Ten team to win two straight Rose Bowl games in 1999 and 2000, Wisconsin looks poised for a return to Pasadena a decade later.
""As a kid from Wisconsin, too, this is what I dream about every day,"" sophomore center Peter Konz said. ""It started in the off-season, it started when we went 10-3 last year.""
Though a three-way tie for the conference title leaves the Rose Bowl bid up in the air, the seven-game conference win streak since an opening loss to Michigan State has been quite a ride.
""[The loss] is, I think, what needed to happen and I think guys really realized that,"" senior offensive lineman John Moffitt said. ""[We] realized how precious it is to have the ball and how few possessions you have during a game. We learned from that and capitalized on every possession.""
No official announcement has been made, but several players said Rose Bowl representatives handed out roses in the locker room and many, including senior strong safety Jay Valai, made it sound like travel arrangements had been made.
""It's going to be fun to get back over there to Cali and Pasadena and have some fun,"" Valai said.
