MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin's football team is not playing in the Big Ten championship game this week. And that sentence alone might be enough to convince many Badgers fans this season has been a significant disappointment.
Expectations have changed around the program, to the point that a winning season and a nice bowl game really isn't all that satisfying. Wisconsin is 9-3, ranked 25th in the Associated Press and coaches top 25 polls and appears likely headed to the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30. But the Badgers also have won at least nine games in 10 of the last 12 seasons, and that mark has essentially become a baseline to measure the success of a season.