BCS Rankings 2011: Wisconsin Didn't Deserve to Plummet in the Standings

After being upset by Michigan State in one of the craziest endings to a college football game we’ve seen in quite some time, Wisconsin took a huge nosedive in this week’s BCS standings, dropping nine spots from No. 6 all the way down to No. 15.

Talk about overreactions.

Dropping Wisconsin so far just because the Badgers lost a night road game to a solid Michigan State team on a once-in-a-lifetime freak play is the type of overreaction that defies logic.

The thing that has me scratching my head isn’t just the fact that the Badgers dropped so far, it’s the fact that they fell below No. 14 Nebraska.

I guess we’re just officially deciding not to count that 48-17 embarrassing beat down that the Badgers put on the Cornhuskers back in Week 5.

There’s no possible way to justify putting Nebraska ahead of Wisconsin. That’s why Wisconsin is still ahead of the Cornshuskers in both the AP Poll and the Coaches’ Poll.

It’s these types of occurrences that sometimes make you question the credibility of the BCS standings.

Wisconsin didn’t all of a sudden just become mediocre after one tough loss.

The fact is, the Badgers started off strong against Michigan State, sprinting out to a 14-0 lead, then struggled to get it going before coming roaring back in the fourth quarter and tying the game up at 31 all.

You have to give them credit for not quitting and showing some character and heart by coming up with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to tie the game.

Because they played lousy for two quarters on the road in a tough environment doesn’t all of a sudden mean that we should just write off this Wisconsin team as a fraud.

Russell Wilson is still a terrific playmaker, Montee Ball is still a great running back and the last time I checked, Wisconsin’s offensive line is still enormous.

I don't know what type of logic we’re using if we’re going to keep Oklahoma, a team that was sleepwalking during an embarrassing loss to an unranked Texas Tech team at home, in the Top 10, but throw Wisconsin all the way down to No.15.

Yes, I understand voters felt a little duped after putting so much faith in Wisconsin this year and then watching the Badgers once again lose that one crucial road game, but a nine spot drop is ridiculous.

Wisconsin will right the ship and the Badgers will have their opportunity to prove their worth in Indianapolis on Dec. 3.

There's no need to bury the Badgers yet, remember, there's a reason we all got so excited after that 6-0 start.

This team still has the best offense in the Big Ten and they're still very capable of making it back to Pasadena again this year.