They're a fine team. They're set-up to win in that division of the Big Ten.

They are not in a better place than ND to compete with the truly elite teams of college football.

Did anyone truly think Michigan was going to win that game? Newsflash - Michigan isn't that good.

Top 5: 4-7.
Top 10: 8-23. (6-10: 4-16).

Full Set for your own perusal:

Top 5:
2016 Wisc vs #5 LSU - W 16-14 9/3/16
2016 #8 Wisc @ #4 UM - L 7-14 10/1/16
2016 #8 Wisc vs #2 tOSU - L 23-30 10/15/16
2015 #20 Wisc vs #3 Bama - L 17-35 9/5/15
2013 #23 Wisc @ #4 tOSU - L 24-31 9/28/13
2010 #18 Wisc vs #1 tOSU - W 31-18 10/16/10
2010 #4 Wisc vs #3 TCU - L 19-21 1/1/11 (Rose Bowl)
2007 Wisc @ #1 tOSU - L 17-38 11/3/07
2004 #10 Wisc @ #5 PU - W 20-17 10/16/04
2003 #23 Wisc vs #3 tOSU - W 17-10 10/11/03
2002 Wisc vs #4 tOSU - L 14-19 10/19/02

6-10:
2017 #3Wisc vs #8 tOSU - L 21-27 12/2/17 (BTC)
2016 #11 Wisc @ #8 MSU - W 30-6 9/24/16
2016 #11 Wisc vs #7 Neb - W 23-17 10/29/16
2016 #6 Wisc vs #8 PSU - L 31-38 12/3/16 (BTC)
2014 #11 Wisc vs #6 tOSU - L 0-59 12/6/14 (BTC)
2013 #19 Wisc vs #8 S.Carolina - L 24-34 1/1/14
2012 Wisc vs #6 tOSU - L 14-21 11/17/12
2012 Wisc vs #8 Stan - L 14-20 (Rose Bowl)
2011 #7 Wisc vs #8 Neb - W 48-17 10/1/11
2011 #9 Wisc vs #6 Ore - L 38-45 1/2/12 (Rose Bowl)
2009 Wisc @ #9 tOSU - L 13-31 10/10/09
2008 Wisc vs #6 PSU - L 7-48 10/11/08
2006 Wisc @ #6 UM - L 13-27 9/23/06
2005 #14 Wisc @ #10 PSU - L 14-35 11/5/05
2005 #21 Wisc vs #7 Aub - W 24-10 1/2/06 (Cap One Bowl)
2004 #16 Wisc vs #8 UGA - L 21-24 1/1/05 (Outback Bowl)
2002 Wisc @ #9 Iowa - L 3-20 11/2/02
2001 #22 Wisc @ #7 Ore - L 28-31 9/1/01
2000 #17 Wisc @ #9 UM - L 10-13 9/30/00
2000 #24 Wisc vs #8 tOSU - L 7-23 10/7/00

It’s not that anyone wants to perfectly emulate Wisconsin, people are asking how would the Wisconsin staff do with NDs advantages that don’t exist in Madison?

It’s the same question people asked when trying to translate winning the Big East to performance at ND 10 years ago.

It's probably in vain. If the Internet had existed in 1986 it would have been full of ND fans wondering, "Why are we using Minnesota as the model for our rebuild? Minnesota sux!"

if anything the service academies do more with less and I don’t see power 5 schools emulating (how did that turn out for georgia tech).

How did Bielema do in the SEC?

So you are saying if the Wisconsin staff had more talent on their roster they automatically would not stick with a power running offense? Yea, the switch Jimbo has made to the spread offense from the power run offense he had at Stanford has been a successful example to mirror.

Didn’t work for Brett at Arkansas when he had to play better teams more often.

Second, funny how Les Miles got run out of town for his inability to develop a quarterback at LSU despite having a far more successful program than Wisconsin. Same complaints with Gus Malzahn at Auburn.

Lastly and most bizarre, don’t understand the Stanford comment at all considering Harbaugh had the future #1 pick at QB at Stanford.

I get it, you want to run more. That’s fine. Using Wisconsin as some sort of goal for us is not.

Their player development and system are.

I know that everyone thinks the NFL is coming to college football and it's a passing world these days, but all of the past national champions from the past 10 years could run the ball. In fact, most have a pretty damn good balance. Having a great QB is important, and if all you can do is run, you'll have problems as well.

But if you think this is what is championship football looks like, I don't know what to tell you, other than the fact you haven't been watching championship football.

46 yards rushing on 14 attempts
275 yards passing on 47 attempts


Here is the box from the title game last year:

135 yards rushing on 31 attempts
347 yards passing on 32 attempts

148 yards rushing on 37 attempts
295 yards passing on 36 attempts

Here it is from the previous championship.

184 yards rushing on 39 attempts
187 yards passing on 32 attempts

133 yards rushing on 45 attempts
232 yards passing on 32 attempts

I'll let you in on a secret, if you keep going back, you keep seeing the same balance. Championship teams need to be able to run the ball. Period. That doesn't mean we need to run the wishbone, but what we're doing isn't working, at all. Wisconsin, like a lot of the championship caliber teams, can both run and pass when needed.

Of finesse and slow developing plays. ND had two high first round draft picks on the left side in 2017 and they were equally pathetic versus Georgia running the ball as they were on Saturday.

We all want to take our shots at the SEC but it is the best cfb conference and its not even close. Brett had a big ego and took the money. You have a shot to succeed in the SEC East and almost no shot in the West.

David Shaw stuck with the power game after jimbo and luck left. In those next 4 years with the great Kevin Hogan at QB he had three 11 win seasons and went 43-12.

Miles was run out of town because he was too conservative, but he also won a national championship with Matt Flynn. To compare the type of defensive speed his team was facing for 7-8 games per season to ND and Wisconsin is a major reach. Once again, he won a national championship at LSU and then Nick Saban arrived at Bama and changed completely the balance of power in that league.

which I said I can agree with. I don’t agree that Wisconsin or their offensive philosophy are our goals as its been proven that time and time again, balance wins. Wisconsin is not balanced.

They skew to the run, but a lot of that is because they are salting clock at the end of the game.

The last time they played for the Big N championship (losing to Urban and OSU in a damn good game)

238 yards passing on 41 attempts
60 yards rushing on 32 attempts

Following that, in the Orange Bowl against Miami (a game they won)

258 yards passing on 34 attempts
142 yards rushing on 44 attempts

Wisconsin is a ground based offense that can throw if they have to/need to, but at their core, they are a running team.

When they are winning the game, they tend to run more, because they are chewing up clock, but it's not totally accurate to say Wisconsin isn't balanced.

Hornibrook, when they went 13-1 in 2017, threw for over 2600 yards on over 300 attempts.