Re: MN @ WI: Cheese And Paint Thinner And Dead Deer, Oh My!
Either you are incredibly lazy, or your reading comprehension sucks.
The poster I was replying to said what makes him happy is for the Badgers to be winning. So obviously he counts more than just national titles.
But really, that's beside the point I was making.
Interesting that you say a serious fan only counts titles. That means that the vast majority of years your team is irrelevant to you. I'm a serious fan, and I pay attention to a lot more than simply national titles. I'd also much prefer to see MN in the NCAA Tournament than sitting home (not holding my breath this year). But whatever. You can go on thinking last year's Badgers were not worth your time if you want.
I also find it funny that you said these 2 games this weekend don't mean anything to you...unless the Badgers go on to win a title. So if Wisconsin goes on to win the NCAA Tournament, then all of a sudden you will care about what happened this February weekend?
In the grand scheme of bragging rights, these games will mean virtually nothing. Very short term payoff for the victor.
I enjoyed the ride last year, but you don't hang banners for second place (insert SCSU joke here) and ultimately, they didn't get the job done and worse than that, they didn't seem to show up at all in the championship game.
In terms of these games and their meaning let me give you an example. In 2006, we beat you in the consolation game of the Final Five 4-0. This may be the only result from a Final Five that I can readily recall.
1) That loss put the finishing touches on your team's loss of momentum after your loss to SCSU and sent you on to your fate against Holy Cross.
2) It cemented our status as #1 overall seed and sent us to Green Bay and beyond resulting in, wait for it, a national championship. Do you really think I'd remember that obscure Saturday afternoon game where we won 4-0 if we hadn't gone on to win it all?
I also remember the other 4 matchups with you from that season. Winning it all cements these things in my memory.
Another example, and you're going to love this, but Favre's two victories against us last season were quite painful, but they'd be SO much more painful had he gone on to also win a Super Bowl. And while the Packers and Rodgers beating him twice this year was sweet lemonade on a hot day, they're SO much better because we went on to win the Super Bowl.
These sort of events complete the story. Otherwise the seasons and games tend to run together.
Of course I want to beat you guys. I want to win at tiddily winks if we play each other. But very little is at stake and I'm not all that jacked up about the Gophers coming to town like I would be in years where one of us actually has something big at stake.
Maybe I'm jaded. Maybe I've been at this too long. But the individual series start to blend together and only become memorable when there is jeopardy involved.
EDIT: Where'd your post go?
) and we are somewhat exceeding them.
