2025 Badger Football Thread

[Budman]

this appears to be one area where congress might have authority, but it be interesting to see how the supreme court responds. the supreme court's rulings on this subject have completely changed the nature of collegiate sports. they have created a huge nightmare by saying that athletes have the right to compensation for playing as well as nil. they have given athletes the power to switch teams whenever they want making it a free-for-all where players commitments to schools mean nothing and schools owe the athletes total freedom to move around at will. not even the pros enjoy that sort of freedom. it blows away the entire concept of a "team" in my opinion. i'm wondering what will happen when playoff teams are announced. will we have those teams trying to bring in the top players on other teams so that they can play on a potential national title winner? that would turn the playoff teams into a group of all-star teams.

imho, something needs to change in a way that either the supreme court approves or a way that the sc can't overrule - like this proposed use of plenary power.

This is why college football has lost its luster with me. In my mind, each national championship is basically tied to how much you're spending on your roster. There will be teams that will be the annual beat down teams becuase they can't pay for the big time. Many middling to lower programs will have to just make conferences for themselves where they just compete for the love of the game and realize they'll never make it to the big dance under current conditions.

 

[Keg Man]

I understand the anger about the current college sports situation - It's happening in other sports as well, but just isn't as visible. I believe Women's Volleyball is pretty crazy as well - not the same money, but more than they're ever going to see after college.

However, this was always going on. Now, it's out in the open. I honestly think it's better.

Do you really think them Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan, LSU, Florida, Clemson, Notre Dame, and others weren't finding ways to pay players? How did those players with nothing have that bling, the best headphones, other cool stuff.

It might have been less because it was more secretive. But, it was there.

Somebody said College Football is the Wild West. Remember the Wild West was brought to heel. It will work out.

Now, Wisconsin just needs to get smart, learn the rules, learn the subtleties, and implement a strategy that's good for Wisconsin. That's really all this is.

No more being the test case like against the Miami kid. Figure out how to make Wisconsin work and sell those damn Cheese Curds, Brats, and to the old enough transfers beer. Forward!

 

[Mark87]

Sandy Springs RB Amari Latimer to West Virginia .... UW lost a lot of talent the past 2 weeks. Fick and his portal talk today... what a dope

 

[GBP4EVER]

Sandy Springs RB Amari Latimer to West Virginia .... UW lost a lot of talent the past 2 weeks. Fick and his portal talk today... what a dope

UW has only 12-13 kids in the 2026 class now every one is 3 stars or under. Almost at the bottom of the Big Ten in recurit rankings.

 

[GBP4EVER]

I understand the anger about the current college sports situation - It's happening in other sports as well, but just isn't as visible. I believe Women's Volleyball is pretty crazy as well - not the same money, but more than they're ever going to see after college.

However, this was always going on. Now, it's out in the open. I honestly think it's better.

Do you really think them Ohio State, Alabama, Michigan, LSU, Florida, Clemson, Notre Dame, and others weren't finding ways to pay players? How did those players with nothing have that bling, the best headphones, other cool stuff.

It might have been less because it was more secretive. But, it was there.

Somebody said College Football is the Wild West. Remember the Wild West was brought to heel. It will work out.

Now, Wisconsin just needs to get smart, learn the rules, learn the subtleties, and implement a strategy that's good for Wisconsin. That's really all this is.

No more being the test case like against the Miami kid. Figure out how to make Wisconsin work and sell those damn Cheese Curds, Brats, and to the old enough transfers beer. Forward!

Keg issue is other schools have rich donors who care about the sports programs and will fund the NIL and help pay coaches. UW has some of the most millionaires of any school in the nation but yet they can't get most of them to care about the school and fund the programs. When the people who can afford to give won't there is not much you can do to fix the issues.

 

[Keg Man]

You can't expect rich people to fund what you want.

A lot of our Millionaires probably have a significant portion of their wealth tied up and invested in their pet projects.

I hate to tell you this. But, if I suddenly hit on 6 numbers. After securing the future of myself, my family, and my friends, Wisconsin Football is way down the list.

 

[GBP4EVER]

You can't expect rich people to fund what you want.

A lot of our Millionaires probably have a significant portion of their wealth tied up and invested in their pet projects.

I hate to tell you this. But, if I suddenly hit on 6 numbers. After securing the future of myself, my family, and my friends, Wisconsin Football is way down the list.

Then why are rich people who are owners and CEOs of other busineses find cash to donate to there schools sports?

 

[Mark87]

You can't expect rich people to fund what you want.

A lot of our Millionaires probably have a significant portion of their wealth tied up and invested in their pet projects.

I hate to tell you this. But, if I suddenly hit on 6 numbers. After securing the future of myself, my family, and my friends, Wisconsin Football is way down the list.

The program is F'ed because all 12 of those playoff teams are getting funded that way... I know you hate and it's hard to comprehend, but winning that's where we are at.

 

[Keg Man]

I get it. Other teams, have Millionaire / Billionaire owners who care about their alma mater's football team.

We don't. It would be nice, but we don't.

I don't hate anything or anybody. It would be nice if we had a Millionaire / Billionaire who gave their money to Wisconsin Football, but we don't. And, I'm not going to get down on them for spending their money the way they want.

We're going to have to find another way. We're going to have to get the 3 stars again and develop them into mean nasty guys that go in and beat them other guys. And, then we're going to have to find a way to keep them - much harder than finding and developing because I'm not going to tell a kid to forego more money to play somewhere else. We're going to have to be lean and mean and develop an us against the World all for one culture. It still might not do it because sometimes talent is just too much to overcome. But, it's all we have and all we're going to have.

 

[57packer]

The Latimer flip is weird and suggests he was just playing teams for the biggest pile of cash - which is OK. He goes from a 4-8 Wisconsin to a 4-8 West Virginia which tells me he was looking for a payday. WVU must have come up with a pile of cash because they flipped some other kids besides Latimer. They signed 45 kids at WVU today.

Wisconsin's class of 13 kids has some quality but overall this recruiting class is just piss poor at filling needs. If Fick doesn't pull some major kids in the portal, Mac needs to start the process of moving on from him during/after the '26 season, and maybe should start cleaning out his own desk.