This postseason, B/R college football writers are teaming up to preview every bowl game. Be sure to check them all out!
Wisconsin (7-5) vs. Florida State (8-4)
Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008, 4:30 PM ET
Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL
Spread: Florida State -5
How they got here...
Disappointment got both teams in Orlando this weekend.
Wisconsin was ranked as high as No. 8 in both the AP and Coaches' polls before falling off the map by losing four straight, including a loss to Michigan. The Badgers finished seventh in the Big Ten conference after having high hopes of stealing a Conference Championship from reigning Ohio State.
Florida State didn't fare much better. Opening early conference play in September, the Seminoles turned the ball over seven times to give Wake Forest a 12-3 victory in Tallahassee. From there Florida State won four straight before dropping another game at the hands of Georgia Tech and losing another home game to Boston College. The Seminoles finished the season fourth in the ACC.
Statistically Speaking...
This is the first meeting between these two teams.
Wisconsin has relied heavily on their running attack, ranking 14th in the nation in yards per game. The Badgers went through a quarterback change after their loss at home to Penn State. However, both quarterbacks seem to have put up identical numbers—both completing only around 54 percent of their passes, and both having five touchdowns and five interceptions.
The Seminoles' best statistics also come on the ground, ranking 31st in the nation in yards per game. Florida State also has had problems at the quarterback position, with starter Chris Ponder throwing 13 interceptions to only 12 touchdowns.
Wisconsin wins if...
...P.J. Hill has a big game. Quarterback Dustin Sherer isn't reliable enough to depend on in a game such as this, so Hill will have to be the leader and literally carry his team to a victory over a hungry Seminole team.
Florida State wins if...
...their defense holds Hill to under 100 yards AND Ponder doesn't turn the ball over. It's possible that Florida State can contain the Badger rusher, but not probable that Ponder will only throw completions to his teammates.
B/R Expert Picks...
Trey Bradley Florida State
Lisa Horne Florida State
Mitch Florida State
Brian Scott Florida State
David Wunderlich Florida State
Justin Goar Florida State
GeorgiaDawg Florida State
Michael Cline Wisconsin
We're going to send you the most entertaining Wisconsin Badgers Football articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
10 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete