Case in point: This last week in sports, which was loaded with games and events that many of us couldn’t look away from even if we didn’t necessarily like what we were seeing.

Let’s start with Sunday’s NFL games. By almost all standards, the two games were a pair of the most dramatic, most compelling conference championship contests in recent memory.

But what ultimately made them most memorable wasn’t the toughness of Eli Manning, the tenacity of the 49ers defense, or the surprisingly stout play of New England’s defensive front, headed by tackle Vince Wilfork.

That’s what most of us watch sports – and particularly playoff sports – to see: Contests featuring feats of athletic greatness that are decided by which player or team ultimately makes the most awe-inspiring play.

Instead what we got were goats.

To my eye, San Francisco’s Kyle Williams’s acts of ineptness were both the most sympathetic and the most egregious. He was scary bad all game, from diving for punts to the two critical turnovers that directly led to 10 Giants points, including the game-winning field goal. But in his defense, Williams was filling in for an injured player performing a task he clearly wasn’t comfortable doing.

My compassion for Williams has also increased after it’s been revealed that he has since been the recipient of death threats via social media. One wishes that the reprehensible cowards that send these despicable tweets would have opportunity to say such things to Williams in person, if only so Williams would then have the opportunity to punch said lowlifes in the throat.

Of the other goats, I sadly have to lay more blame for his team’s loss on Baltimore’s Lee Evans for letting Sterling Moore knock that touchdown pass out of his hands than I do on Billy Cundiff for missing the easy chip shot field goal at the end of regulation.

Cundiff gets a bit of a pass from me because he earlier had made two field goals and, had he made that admittedly easy 31-yarder to tie the game, it would have only forced overtime. Evans hangs on to that perfect pass from Flacco and his team flat out wins the game and heads to the Super Bowl in Indianapolis.

Speaking of Indy, the backbiting between Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay and quarterback Peyton Manning has been another fascinating storyline that has been tough to not follow this week.

But in the end, the power struggle is a sickening case of egotistical millionaires arguing with narcissistic billionaires, with Rob Lowe (who must be at least a thousand-aire) playing the meatiest supporting role he’s had since The West Wing.

Seems to me that Irsay is determined to run Manning out of town, an inconceivable goal given the disastrous impact Manning’s absence this past season had on the Colts.

In a NFL Network special that aired before Manning’s injury, Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said that if you take Manning away from the Colts you have a “very below-average ball club.” What once seemed like hyperbole has proven to be instead a gross understatement.

Of course the unknown quantity here is Manning’s health: If Peyton ultimately can’t play football again, then Irsay is 100 percent right for moving on. You just wish that in doing so, he would show a little appreciation for Manning, as he is almost assured of not finding a quarterback of his class in this year’s – or maybe any year’s – NFL draft.

Any conversation about sports and money this week has to include a mention of Prince Fielder, who on Tuesday signed a nine-year contract with the Detroit Tigers worth a breathtaking $214 million.

Fielder’s expected departure from the Brewers is less a blow to Milwaukee’s team and its fans – hey, the man himself even said before the season was over that he was a goner – than it is a painful reminder that baseball, more than the other major sports, has yet to solve the glaring issue of small market vs. big market disparity.

Commissioner Bud Selig is quick to point out that baseball has had an impressively varied group of postseason participants in recent years, but that doesn’t hide the staggering salary disparity between its clubs: In 2011, the Yankees, Phillies, and Red Sox all had payrolls north of $160 million, while five teams had payrolls under $50 million.

No one can blame Fielder for taking the most money offered to him, but something is wrong when a small-market team like Milwaukee can be prepared to offer a rumored $120 million for Fielder and still not be considered a serious candidate for his services.

Given that both teams play in the same state, it’s impossible not to compare the Milwaukee Brewers situation in baseball to the Green Bay Packers situation in the NFL. Despite recent successes – which will be tough to maintain following the loss of Fielder and the likely suspension of Ryan Braun – the Brewers have, over their history, been a team of have-nots. The Packers, despite playing in the NFL’s smallest market, have a long history of being the haves.

Not that that fact provides much solace in Wisconsin this NFL postseason.

Finally, the saddest sports news from the past week was undoubtedly the passing of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.

At a time when Paterno’s life and unparalleled accomplishments in college football should be celebrated, it’s impossible not to feel at the very least conflicted or even somewhat distasteful showing admiration for the man after learning of what he didn’t try harder to prevent from going on under his nose at State College.

However, even the most jaded of us have to admit that Paterno was a man who inspired and improved the lives of countless young people.

But, like Kyle Williams and Billy Cundiff, Paterno is doomed to have his name forever linked to mistakes.

Sadly, unlike Williams and Cundiff, Paterno made mistakes that were not just not good. They were tragic.

If you don’t know what I mean by a “look back,” then just think of the final episode of Three’s Company, when Jack, Janet, and Terri give their apartment one last onceover before leaving it for the final time.

(I’ll give you a moment to dry your eyes after remembering that emotional scene, a scene which is apparently not available anywhere on-line for me to link to.)

My reasons for the “look back” were simple: My parents are getting older and it’s inevitable that at some point they will sell the house I grew up in. So I feel like any time I’m there could be my last.

Now, three days after their shocking defeat in the NFC Divisional Playoffs, I find myself taking a mental “look back” at the Packers 2011 season for a similarly simple reason: We may not see anything like it anytime soon.

Oh, I can already hear the grumbling. Yes, the Packers, despite high-profile vets like Charles Woodson and Donald Driver (who is the subject of much trade talk), are still a very young team. And as long as Aaron Rodgers is under center, the Packers will be competitive. It’s not panic time in Green Bay.

Or is it?

As players and coaches alike said after Sunday’s loss, to be involved in the Green Bay Packers franchise is to be burdened with the highest of expectations.

There is no tolerance in Green Bay for any “we’re making progress” or “three-year rebuilding plan” talk. Despite the awful showing on Sunday against the Giants, fans will be expecting Mike McCarthy and Rodgers to be bringing the Vince Lombardi Trophy back “home” in 2013.
And, unless there are major, unforeseen, and seismic changes in Green Bay, the Packers will be one of the teams most heavily favored to win Super Bowl 47 in New Orleans.

But history is not on their side. Instead, it suggests that the arrow is pointing down on the Packers.

Consider the trajectory the Packers went on in the mid-1990s: Two straight wild-card round victories following the 1993 and 1994 seasons, followed by a divisional round victory after the 1995 season, followed by a Super Bowl championship after the 1996 season. Then there was the Super Bowl loss to Denver, then a wild-card loss the next season, and then two years out of the playoffs.

After “recovering” from the surprisingly smooth Favre-to-Rodgers transition, the Packers found themselves on a similar, but much more accelerated course: A wild-card loss in 2010 followed by a Super Bowl championship in 2011. But just as this Packers team climbed back to the top of the mountain faster than the team of the 1990s did, with Sunday’s loss, they have now fallen much faster as well.

But wait, you say. Super Bowl champs can bounce back after playoff losses. Well, sure. But in the past ten years, only the Patriots and Steelers were able to win additional championships after first failing to defend their title. (The Giants could join that group this season.) Baltimore, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, and New Orleans could not, with only Indianapolis even advancing to the title game again.

But if you say it’s not necessarily relevant to see what other teams have been able to do, then let’s return our focus to this Green Bay Packers team. What changes they will either have to overcome or have to institute in order to put the Title back in Titletown?

Unfortunately, it’s a lot.

The Packers have already lost their respected director of football operations Reggie McKenzie to the Oakland Raiders. As Oakland’s new GM, he might tempt members of the Packers organization to come along with him. One of those most likely to leave is offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, who has now interviewed with Miami and Tampa Bay about their head coaching openings. Assistant coaches Winston Moss and Tom Clements have also been rumored to be leaving for supposed greener pastures, and even defensive coordinator Dom Capers, despite his defense’s pitiful performance this year, could be lured away from Green Bay.

Fans may wish “good riddance” to Capers after watching him lead the NFL’s worst defense in 2011. But whether or not Capers (and his toupee) ride out of town, it’s clear to anyone with eyes in their head that some sort of major overhaul – starting with the defensive front, who put as much pressure on Eli Manning on Sunday as a cool breeze puts on the Empire State Building – needs to be made to the Packers’ porous defense.

But even if necessary adjustments are made, be it on the field, in the coaching ranks, or both, change is tough. And it might not work.
That’s the sort of uncertainty facing the Packers in 2012 that wasn’t foreseen last year.

The offensive side of the ball is certainly open to less immediate criticism (Sunday’s game largely notwithstanding), but in addition to Joe Philbin’s future, there are unanswered questions here as well.

Will free-agent quarterback Matt Flynn leave to compete for a starting job elsewhere? It would be a surprise if he doesn’t, given how sought after he will be and how much money will be thrown at his feet. And though his departure will not matter much if Rodgers stays healthy, it could be huge if Rodgers doesn’t.

Will TE Jermichael Finley resign? Packers fans may not want him to return after his untimely drops this season, but the team could do far worse at the position. Despite what some would consider a disappointing season, Finley still finished third among NFL tight ends in touchdowns.

What needs to be done with the running back position? Ryan Grant is almost certainly gone, and James Starks isn’t the answer to this question any more than Tim Tebow is the answer to who the next governor of Wisconsin might be. But what’s clear is that Aaron Rodgers can’t continue to be the team’s best rusher. That’s a formula that’s not going to work long-term.

Oddly enough, the sexiest headline – What will Green Bay do about Donald Driver? – is probably the least concerning to Packers fans. While it will be sad to see him go (and it seems highly likely that he will finish his career with another team), wide receiver continues to be the position where the Packers have the greatest and most impressive depth.

Provided, of course, those receivers can do a better job than they did on Sunday holding on to the ball.

But in the big picture, wide receiver is the area of smallest concern for fans of the green and gold who hope that they won’t “look back” on Sunday’s game as the beginning of the end of the dominant Rodgers era for the Packers.

Quick takes on Sunday’s game: Regardless of what anyone says about the long layoff, the biggest factor that played into the Packers’ sloppiness was the horrible situation that surrounded Joe Philbin. There’s obviously never a good time for that sort of tragedy, but as it happened, the tragedy took the team out of the football world at the worst possible time. Biggest play of the game was not the Hail Mary at the end of the second half or the Bradshaw run that set up that play. In contrary to popular opinion, those plays did not deflate the Packers as they basically dominated the third quarter. The biggest play of the game was the Ryan Grant fumble and subsequent return in the fourth quarter. Still seemed likely that the Packers could come back until that play happened. As had been proven already in the Saints/49ers game and Texans/Ravens game, teams simply don’t win when they give the ball away on multiple occasions. Despite how well Eli Manning played, because of the Packers’ turnovers and dropped passes, I’m more prone to say the Packers lost the game than the Giants won.

The list of things to grumble about has gotten pretty long in the New Year: The Badgers’ football team lost the Rose Bowl and then a bunch of coaches followed offensive coordinator Paul Chryst out of town. Badger center Peter Konz declared that he’s entering the NFL Draft. The Badgers men’s basketball team fell out of the national rankings. The Brewers decided to re-sign Manny Parra.

And then there’s the unseemly off-field incidents ranging from the curious – UW senior associate athletic director John Chadima’s decision to resign in the face of reported allegations of misconduct – to the tragic – the death of the son of Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin.
Things have gotten so bleak that many Packers fans have begun to lose hope, with some of them fearing that Sunday’s divisional playoff game against the New York Giants could be the Pack’s last game of the season.

Really? The Green Bay Packers? The defending Super Bowl champions? The team that toyed with perfection for much of the regular season? The team that led the league in scoring? The team that was second in the league in turnover differential and second in the league for fewest penalty yards? The team that features QB Aaron Rodgers, nearly every pundit’s pick for league MVP?

Well, some would say, it’s also the team with the league’s worst defense. And sure, Aaron Rodgers is terrific, but he’s also been spending valuable playoff preparation time filming lame commercials for an insurance company.

So, should Packers fans be worried? Do the New York football Giants have a playoff run in them to match their Super Bowl championship 2007 season?

Perhaps. Let’s see how the Giants could win:

1. The Giants run the ball successfully. Given the Giants’ (largely unearned) reputation as a ground-and-pound team that move the ball with seasoned backs Ahmed Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs, it probably surprises many to learn that the Giants had statistically the worst rushing attack in the league in 2011 with a paltry 89.2 yards per game. However, in walloping the punchless Atlanta Falcons in last week’s Wild Card game, the Giants nearly doubled their season rushing average, gaining 172 yards on the ground with an average of 5.5 yards per carry. If the Giants can repeat that performance, they could pull off the upset.

2. Eli Manning outduels Aaron Rodgers. Don’t laugh. It’s possible. While Rodgers has been off-the-charts spectacular, Eli has had a more than respectable season, actually surpassing Rodgers in yards thrown. The biggest difference between the two (although Rodgers tops Eli in basically every other category): Manning has thrown 16 interceptions, while Rodgers has tossed only six. But Manning’s wideouts are almost as dangerous as Rodgers’s: The group of Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, and Jake Ballard combined to catch more passes for more yards than the Packers’ group of Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Donald Driver, and Jermichael Finley. Of course the Packers also have James Jones and rookie Randall Cobb. One of them could be a difference-maker Sunday.

3. The Giants get consistent pressure on Rodgers. One of the Giants’ strengths is their defensive line, with standouts like Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, and Jason Pierre-Paul combining for 17 sacks and five interceptions in their last five games. It’s a great group, and they should be able to get their licks in this Sunday: Rodgers was taken down 36 times this season, and Matt Flynn was sacked three times in the Rodgers-less season finale against Detroit. All told, Rodgers was sacked three or more times in six games this season. It would surprise no one if that number became seven this weekend.

4. The dreaded intangibles. Putting aside the tragic situation that has obviously distracted Joe Philbin over the last several days, there are so-called intangibles that seem to work out in the Giants’ favor. Most obviously is New York seems to be the leading candidate to be the 2012 version of the 2011 Packers: Last year the Packers entered the postseason on a hot streak, going to the home of the No. 1-seeded Atlanta Falcons and blowing them out en route to the Super Bowl. This year the Giants are that hot team with the chance to upend the No. 1 seed. And who could forget the outcome the last time the Giants visited Lambeau in the postseason? But though the Giants have won four of their last five games, the Packers proved last year that beating the Falcons in the postseason was no difficult task. And if either quarterback is going to throw a late-game interception as happened on that frigid January 2008 night, this time it’s unlikely to be the one playing for the Packers.

Prediction: The Giants are a scary team with arguably a more balanced offensive attack and an inarguably better defense. But the Packers have the better playmakers and are much more likely to win Sunday’s turnover battle. Those facts alone should be enough to put Packers fans’ minds at ease. Final score: Green Bay 31, New York Giants 24.

5. Hilary Knight to Mallory Deluce, Wisconsin Badgers vs. Boston University Terriers, 2011 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four National Championship, March 20, 2011. Though the Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team entered the 2011 National Championship game riding a remarkable 26-game unbeaten streak, the team’s fourth championship in six seasons was anything but secure deep in the game’s third period. While the Badgers had outshot the Terriers by an overwhelming margin, Wisconsin enjoyed just a 2-1 lead with only 3:23 remaining in regulation. That’s when Deluce took a rebound from Knight and sent it soaring past Terrier goalie Kerrin Sperry to give the Badgers a more comfortable 3-1 advantage. Once Carolyne Provost iced the game with an empty-net goal to make the final score 4-1, the team was able to celebrate one of the most impressive if underappreciated Badger seasons in recent memory, as their 37 wins set a record for most wins in a single season in NCAA women’s hockey history.

4. B.J. Raji interception return for touchdown, Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears, NFC Championship, January 23, 2011. After destroying the Atlanta Falcons 48-21 in the previous week’s NFC divisional round, the Packers advanced to the NFC Championship, only to find themselves muddied in a defensive battle with their most familiar foe. The Bears were DOA behind Jay Cutler and Todd Collins (the backup replacing Cutler after the starting QB had surprisingly left with a controversial knee injury), but Chicago was suddenly clicking behind third-string signal caller Caleb Hanie, who led the team on a 67-yard TD-scoring drive early in the fourth quarter that put the Bears within 14-7. That score stuck until defensive lineman Raji picked off the first of Hanie’s two interceptions and ran 18 yards with it to put the Packers up 21-7 with just 6 minutes to go. Though the Bears weren’t finished – Hanie threw a 35-yard TD pass to Earl Bennett just 80 seconds later – Raji’s TD proved to be the difference-maker and an all-time highlight in one of the most significant games in the history of the storied Packers/Bears rivalry.

3. Isaiah Lewis runs into punter Brad Nortman, Wisconsin Badgers vs. Michigan State Spartans, 2011 Big Ten Championship, December 3, 2011. The much-ballyhooed rematch of the regular-season meeting that ended Wisconsin’s national championship hopes was eerily similar to that October 22 shocker: Wisconsin got off to a fast start in both, the Spartans staged a furious rally in both second quarters, Michigan State’s offense once again had its way with Wisconsin’s normally stingy defense (to the tune of a whopping 471 yards), and Montee Ball scored another go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter. But the ending this time was very different indeed: Though not quite as dramatic as Kirk Cousins’s Hail Mary to Keith Nichol, it was equally unexpected when, after getting a rare defensive stop and needing only a field goal to tie, Spartans kick returner Keshawn Martin returned a Brad Nortman punt all the way to the Badgers’ 3-yard-line with under two minutes to play. The problem for Michigan State was, safety Isaiah Lewis was flagged for running into Nortman, giving Wisconsin a new set of downs and allowing them to simply run out the clock and run on to their second straight Rose Bowl.

2. Nyjer Morgan singles home Carlos Gomez, Arizona Diamondbacks at Milwaukee Brewers, NLDS Game 5, October 7, 2011. After jumping out to a 2-0 series lead, many fans assumed that the Brewers’ first postseason series victory since 1982 was a done deal. But two losses in the desert during which Milwaukee’s starting pitching was absolutely shredded by the Diamondbacks made those same fans very nervous for the deciding Game 5 back at Miller Park. Luckily for the Brewers, they had Yovani Gallardo on the mound, and their ace responded with a shutdown 6-inning outing, allowing just a third-inning homer to Justin Upton. Unfortunately for the Brewers, Arizona’s Ian Kennedy was almost as good, giving up just two runs over the same six innings. But with the normally untouchable John Axford entering the game in the top of the ninth, those two runs seemed like enough for the Brewers to start their celebration. Shockingly, the Diamondbacks tagged Axford for three straight hits, tying the score, eventually sending the game to extra innings, and sending the Miller Park faithful to the bathrooms with upset stomachs. But in the bottom of the tenth, Carlos Gomez hit a one-out single off the unfortunately-named J.J. Putz. Gomez then stole second and then came home on a single by Nyjer Morgan to the wildest celebration Miller Park had ever seen.

1. Clay Matthews strips Rashard Mendenhall, Green Bay Packers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XLV, February 6, 2011. Aaron Rodgers was a much-deserved MVP in his first (but probably not last) Super Bowl appearance, throwing for 304 yards and three touchdowns. But he wasn’t even on the field for what proved to be the turning point of the game. Though the Packers were up 21-17, the momentum was firmly on the Steelers side after Pittsburgh had scored 14 unanswered points and held the explosive Packers scoreless for the entire third quarter. At the start of the final quarter, the Steelers had the ball on the Packers’ 33-yard-line and were looking to take their first lead. But in a play that entirely reversed the course of the game, Clay Matthews jarred the ball out of Rashard Mendenhall’s hands, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Desmond Bishop. The rejuvenated Packers went on a quick 55-play drive capped by a Rodgers-to-Jennings touchdown that ultimately proved the game winner, giving the Packers their first championship in fourteen years and putting, for once and for all, the specter of the departed Brett Favre behind them. The entire world now seemed to be Mr. Rodgers’s Neighborhood.

That’s it. Here’s hoping 2012 has as many great sports highlights to choose from. Happy New Year.

But 2011 was no doubt a great year for Wisconsin sports. The Green Bay Packers didn’t lose a game until the 51st weekend of the year. The Milwaukee Brewers won their first playoff series since the days when Men at Work and Dexys Midnight Runners ruled the pop charts. The Wisconsin football Badgers began the year by playing in one Rose Bowl and ended the year preparing to play in another. The Wisconsin women’s ice hockey team won its fourth NCAA championship in five years, finishing the season on an incredible 27-game unbeaten streak.

It’s tough to reduce such a memorable year to just 10 highlights, but that’s why I’m here. Well that, and to wrap presents. Badly. (But seriously, putting a shiny bow on any gift, no matter how shoddily wrapped, forgives any variety of wrapping mishaps. My tip to you this holiday season.)

Let’s get started:

10. Russell Wilson 36-yard TD pass to Jared Abbrederis, Nebraska at Wisconsin, October 1, 2011. Going into their first conference game, the Badgers football team looked unstoppable, having beaten their first four opponents by a combined total of 194-34. But because of the weakness of their non-conference schedule and because Nebraska had started their first season as a member of the Big Ten equally hot, there were concerns. Those concerns seemed to be well-founded for most of the first half, as the Huskers and Badgers battled in a close 14-13 game, with a missed PAT being the sole difference. But following the first of three Taylor Martinez interceptions, Russell Wilson found Jared Abbrederis, who made a beautiful diving catch in the end zone, for the 36-yard go-ahead score. Wisconsin went on to win 48-17, silencing any doubts (at least for the time being) that they were the best in the Big Ten.

9. Jordan Taylor blocks Jacob Pullen shot, Kansas State vs. Wisconsin, March 19, 2011. In the battle of point guards, Kansas State’s Jacob Pullen outplayed the Badgers’ Jordan Taylor all night in this third-round game in the southeast regional of the 2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Pullen put in 38 points on 13-of-22 shooting while Taylor scored only 12 on a miserable 2-for-16 night. But Taylor was huge in the final minutes, earning a steal, two important free throws, and finally a crucial block on a 3-point attempt by (who else?) Pullen to seal the Badgers’ victory. Taylor would follow up this strong finish with an impressive 22-point effort in the Sweet Sixteen, but unfortunately it would not be enough, as the Badgers would be eliminated with a 61-54 loss to Butler.

8. Tramon Williams intercepts Michael Vick, Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles, January 9, 2011. Many NFL fans assumed the Packers were living on borrowed time when they traveled to Philadelphia for this NFC Wild Card game against the NFC East champion Eagles. After all, the sixth-seeded Packers had basically been in playoff mode for the previous two weeks, they were seemingly outmanned by the cooling-but-still-hot Michael Vick and company, and, oh, Aaron Rodgers had never won a postseason game. Rodgers did just fine, throwing for 180 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions. But it looked as if the Eagles would advance when, down 21-16 and driving, Michael Vick found Tramon Williams in the end zone with just 33 seconds left. Only problem for Michael Vick: Williams plays for Green Bay. The Eagles were eliminated, while the Packers’ season continued. More on that later.

7. Ryan Braun seals the NL Central for the Brewers, Florida at Milwaukee, September 23, 2011. Though Braun’s image has been tarnished recently, his 3-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning was probably the most celebrated play during the Brewers’ 2011 regular season. And why not? Sure, the Brewers had a five-game lead on division rival St. Louis with only a week left to play, but the Cardinals never seemed vanquished until Braun hit the eventual game-winner. (Well, and the Cubs beat the Cardinals, a game that finished about 20 minutes after the Brewers game.) Unfortunately, the Cardinals hot streak continued, the Braves completed their collapse, and well, you know how it eventually ended. But forget Disney World, Braun and the Brewers made Miller Park the Happiest Place on Earth back on September 23.

6. Jordan Taylor leads Badgers in furious comeback win, Ohio State at Wisconsin, February 12, 2011. Things were looking bleak for Bucky. Not for the season – Wisconsin (19-5, 9-3 conference) was ranked No. 14 in the country and was assured a 13th straight trip to the NCAA tournament – but certainly in this game. Unbeaten Ohio State was having their way with the Badgers, beating Bucky by 47-32 with 13:21 left in the second half. But led by Taylor (who scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half), Wisconsin went on two stunning runs – a 15-0 run and then a 10-0 run – to win the game 71-67, which kept their home winning streak alive at 17 games and stopped Ohio State’s overall winning streak at 24. Better yet, Wisconsin’s upset of No. 1 Ohio State was the perfect complement to its victory over Ohio State’s football program the previous October, when the football Buckeyes were also ranked No. 1.

Next week: We countdown 2011’s top five Wisconsin sports highlights. Happy holidays.

Oh sure, the Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team churned out a predictable if uninspiring win against the UNLV Stallin’ Rebels Saturday afternoon, but the sporting news was otherwise mostly bad: The Wisconsin men’s hockey team failed to win a game in its weekend series against the Bulldogs of Minnesota-Duluth. The women’s basketball team dropped its second in a row. Montee Ball finished a distant fourth in the Heisman Trophy vote.

Oh, and Ryan Braun tested positive for the dreaded “performance-enhancing drug,” which means he will probably be suspended for the first 50 games of the 2012 season. (If you had to set the over/under on Brewers wins for those first 50 games without Braun and the departing Prince Fielder, where would you put the number? 20? 15?)

The news on Braun was indeed the saddest of all: Even in the unlikely event that Braun, as he believes, can somehow negate the positive test or prove that it was unmistakably fraudulent, the perception of the heretofore extraordinarily popular NL MVP will simply never be the same.

Even Sunday’s blowout Packers victory over the Raiders was somewhat sullied by the injury that wide receiver Greg Jennings suffered to his knee that will likely cause him to miss the remainder of the regular season.   

After winning 19 straight regular-season and postseason games, Packers victories have become about as surprising as David Letterman’s nightly Top 10 Lists: You know they’re coming, but you just don’t know how compelling they’ll be.

At this point, what’s interesting about the Packers streak is not who they’re beating up on, but who could potentially spoil the stretch. After all, no NFL team has ever won more than 21 games in a row (2003-2004 Patriots), so even if the Packers break that streak – and they certainly look like they will, with the shambolic Chiefs, Bears, and Lions coming up – they’re of course bound to lose at some point. And, let’s face it, they’ve certainly looked vulnerable at times in recent victories over San Diego, Tampa Bay, and the New York Giants, three teams that could all end up out of the playoff picture.  

So who could the end the Packers streak? And could it be ended in this year’s postseason? Here’s five (well, six) teams that could potentially spoil the fun in Titletown:

1. New Orleans Saints. Sure, the Packers have beaten the Saints already this year, way back on September 8, but it was hardly a blowout, with New Orleans’s Mark Ingram getting stuffed on the 1-yard-line after Drew Brees led the Saints on a 79-yard drive with barely over a minute to go in the game. In many ways, the Saints are a mirror image of the Packers: The passing game is fantastic while the defense is suspect. But the Saints have a better all-purpose player in Darren Sproles, and tight end Jimmy Graham and Brees have found a connection that Aaron Rodgers and Packers TE Jermichael Finley have largely lost. Seems like a foregone conclusion that these two teams will meet in the NFC Championship Game, where I would favor the Packers by 7 points.
2. San Francisco 49ers. Until dropping two of their last three, the 49ers were perhaps the best story in the NFL this year – a former storied franchise returning to prominence after nearly a decade of misery. Even with a likely loss to Pittsburgh Monday night, San Francisco is still probably going to finish the season with an impressive 12-4 record. And the team is doing their damage with defense, allowing a league-low 14 points per game and a league-low 70.5 rushing yards each week. The bad news for the 49ers is that their pass defense is just average, while the Packers pass offense is anything but. More bad news for the 49ers is that their offense has become stagnant: It would be easy to see Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson having their way with Alex Smith and the 49ers offensive line. In the event that the Packers and 49ers meet in the conference championship, San Francisco’s defense could keep things close, but I’d still favor the Packers by 9 points.
3. Baltimore Ravens / Pittsburgh Steelers. After embarrassing losses to the likes of Tennessee, Jacksonville, and Seattle, Baltimore has emerged as the most dangerous team in the AFC, improving on offense while maintaining an impressive intensity on defense without leader Ray Lewis, who is scheduled to return this week. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, is dealing with a surprisingly-average rushing attack and an offensive line that has been so porous that it is finally putting the health of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in serious jeopardy. That Super Bowl rematch fans and prognosticators have been talking about? I don’t see it. If Baltimore meets the Packers in Indianapolis, I would give the Packers just a 3 point edge. In the unlikely chance that Pittsburgh wins the AFC Championship, the Packers will beat them in the Super Bowl by ten.
4. Denver Broncos. You laugh, but as long as Tim Tebow continues to breathe air on God’s green Earth, the Broncos have a fighting chance. And I’m only half-joking. If Tebow and the Broncos complete a season-turnaround for the ages, I’m guessing they take the Super Bowl to overtime, where the Packers win on a field goal.
5. New England Patriots. If there’s such a thing as a quiet 10-3 team, the New England Patriots are it. There’s still a lot to like about the dynastic Pats, but it’s all on the offensive side of the football, where studs Brady, Gronkowski, and Welker reign supreme. Unfortunately for them, their defense is the absolute worst in the league, which is saying something for anyone who has seen any Minnesota Vikings games this year. Even bad teams like the Colts (with Dan Orlovsky!) and the Washington Redskins (with Rex Grossman!) can pile on the yards and points playing the Pats. A Super Bowl showdown with Brady and Rodgers might be NBC’s first choice, but I don’t see the Patriots getting any closer than ten points, and to even get that close, they might have to put up 50. By the end of the third quarter.

For every The Godfather Part II or The Empire Strikes Back or Aliens, there are a hundred forgotten follow-ups. Anyone care to remember dreck like Mannequin 2: On the Move, Hardbodies 2, or Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles?

Many times failed sequels are spawned from original films that weren’t that memorable the first time around, causing some to wonder, “Who asked for more of this?”

Not so with Saturday’s Wisconsin/Michigan State second go-round.

Ever since Michigan State pulled off the win over the Badgers on October 22 with a last-second Hail Mary pass, Wisconsin and their fans have been eager for another crack at Sparty.

After all, not only did the Kirk Cousins-to Keith Nichol heave cost Wisconsin the game, it cost the Badgers a chance at an undefeated season and a possible shot at the BCS National Championship Game, two goals that, especially after back-to-back whippings of Nebraska and Indiana, seemed at the time to be very much in reach.

So on Saturday, thanks to the conference’s realignment, Wisconsin gets the rare chance to avenge a same-season loss by beating the Spartans in the inaugural Big Ten Championship game.

The team and their fans are thrilled to have the opportunity.

But should they be?

After all, it’s not as if Wisconsin has had tremendous success against Michigan State in recent seasons. Since taking over as head coach, Bret Bielema is just 2-3 against Mark Dantonio’s Spartans. Only Bielema’s record against Ohio State (1-4) is worse (note that the Buckeyes and Spartans account for no fewer than seven of Bielema’s 18 career losses).

More to the point, October’s loss was hardly all about that final play. Michigan State’s defense owned Wisconsin for much of the first half, and it was a near-miraculous comeback engineered by Russell Wilson that brought the Badgers back from a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit to tie that game at 31-31 with about a minute and a half to play.

In short, exacting revenge on the Spartans will not be easy for Bucky.

But can they do it? Here are some things to consider before answering that question.

1. Head Games: Regardless of which team has the better athletes or which team is better coached, there can be no doubt that Michigan State has the mental edge in this game. Mark Dantonio will undoubtedly stress to his players that for much of their first meeting, his team was solidly in control and there’s no reason they can’t do it again.

2. Man At The Top: Russell Wilson, who leads the entire country with a quarterback rating of 192.9, has been outplayed at the position in a game exactly once this year. Guess which game. In October, Cousins rocked the Badger secondary for 290 yards and three touchdowns, while Wilson threw for two touchdowns and rushed for one but also threw two costly picks. If Cousins, who’s had a very nice year (21 touchdowns while completing 64 percent of his passes) can outplay Wilson again, the Spartans can win again.

3.Punch-Drunk Love: You can’t credit Spartans defensive end William Gholston with keeping the Badgers’ offense in relative check during their first meeting in October: He was suspended during that game for throwing a punch in the previous week’s game against Michigan. Gholston, who has 59 tackles on the year, including 11 tackles for loss, could be a difference-maker Saturday, especially if he can slow down Montee Ball.

4. Ballroom Dancing: But even a slowed-down Montee Ball is still crazy good. Case in point: Ball (18 rushes) and James White (11 rushes) split carries an inordinate amount last time these teams met due to Ball taking himself out of the game for a time with a mild injury. But even with those limited carries, Ball still had 139 total yards and two trips to the end zone. Assuming Ball plays the entire game Saturday, he will give the Spartans loads of trouble.

5. Not-So-Special Teams: In October, the Spartans blocked a short field goal attempt and later scored a touchdown when they fell on a blocked punt in the end zone. The Badgers’ special teams and kick coverage units have been underwhelming all season, but never were their mistakes as costly as during the Spartans loss. They’ll be better than that Saturday night.

6. Eastbound And Third Down: The Spartans were 8-for-16 on third-down conversions last time. The Badgers defense will have to force a worse percentage than that to win Saturday.

7. Happy Days For Cunningham: Spartans wide receiver B.J. Cunningham has had his way with most secondaries this year, and his treatment of Wisconsin’s was no different – he torched the Badgers for 102 yards on just 6 catches. At nearly 17 yards a catch, Cunningham is the Spartans’ big-play receiver. The Badgers backfield will have to keep Cunningham in front of them.

8. Under Pressure: ESPN Stats points out that Kirk Cousins was a perfect 9-for-9 when facing three or fewer pass rushes in the teams’ earlier meeting. Look for Wisconsin to send more pressure Cousins’s way.

9. Please, No Wagering: Despite the recent history of these two teams, despite the rankings, and despite the most recent outcome the last time these two teams played –all of which favor Michigan State – the Badgers are favored by 9.5 points. As if the Spartans needed more motivation.

10. And In The End . . . Looking back to their last meeting, it’s hard to imagine Russell Wilson makes as many mistakes as he did then. It’s hard to imagine Kirk Cousins plays as well as he did then. It’s hard to imagine that the Spartans can block two of the Badgers’ kicks again. Meanwhile, it’s easy to imagine Montee Ball having a better game. It’s easy to imagine the Badgers’ defense playing more aggressively and not allowing Cousins to get into a rhythm. But it’s also not hard to argue that Dantonio just has Bielema’s number. I expect another close game, but this time one that favors Wisconsin.

Final prediction: Wisconsin 24, Michigan State 21.

Even Sean Penn Is More Popular Than Penn State These Days.

OK, anyone over the age of five could question the logic of a conference with 12 teams continuing to call itself the “Big Ten.”

Likewise, anyone over the age of five could probably have come up with a better name for the conference’s two divisions, or at least names that didn’t immediately sound like titles of Pokémon series.

And, as Yahoo! Sports’s Dan Wetzel points out, for purposes of keeping a Big Ten team consistently in the hunt for a shot at a BCS title game, you could certainly question the recent moves of adding a strong program (Nebraska) and adding a title game that makes it far less likely for any Big Ten team to survive an entire season without a loss.

But for provincial Big Ten college football fans who choose to spend their Sundays following the NFL rather than breaking down tape from all 120 NCAA Division I FBS teams, the changes have worked out. And rather splendidly.

As suspected, the Cornhuskers have increased the competitiveness, visibility, and profitability of the conference’s football season. Even better, they’ve been an interesting wild card team all year, capable of beating conference powerhouses Michigan State and Penn State while losing to a mediocre (though improving) team like Northwestern.

But for the Big Ten fan, the best part of Nebraska joining the conference was the subsequent splitting of the now-12 teams into equal six-team divisions and the addition of the Big Ten Championship Game, which will have its inaugural contest on December 3 in Indianapolis.

While admittedly the title game may have negative national BCS implications for the conference, for the fan focused on the Big Ten, its existence makes the regular season much more interesting.

Now instead of leaving the conference champion to be determined by an arbitrary ranking that can make the voting process for American Idol seem extraordinarily scientific, the true champion of the conference will be determined – as it should be – on the field.

But even at 9-2, Wisconsin can’t start thinking about the Big Ten Championship Game just yet. They’ve got to first get past the 9-2 Penn State Nittany Lions at Camp Randall this Saturday. The winner of the regular-season finale will win the Big Ten’s Leaders Division and, in what would be a revenge game for the Badgers, face Legends Division winner Michigan State (they wrapped up the division just last week) on December 3.

It’s a game that has a ton of plotlines. Here are just five of them:

1. Dashed Expectations. It seems almost unfathomable that a team as dominant as the Badgers have been this season might not play in the conference championship. After all, of the Badgers’ nine victories, eight have been complete blowouts, with only last week’s 28-17 victory over a gutsy and determined Illinois team ever in doubt. In comparison, Michigan State dropped two stinkers, a 31-13 loss at Notre Dame and a 24-3 beatdown at the hands of Nebraska, while Penn State’s less prolific offense has squeaked out victories but very tight victories. No matter what happens Saturday, the Badgers are a lock for a high-profile bowl game, but after meeting and even surpassing the high expectations most people had of them going into this season, not playing in the Big Ten Championship Game would sting.

2. Ultimate Underdog. It’s hard to feel sorry for the Penn State football program. I know I don’t. But the fact is that the current players and the staff that remains behind – I think, I hope – have nothing to do with the sordid events that resulted in the ouster of head coach Joe Paterno, university president Graham Spanier, and athletic director Tim Curley. Nevertheless, those in the football program are in the ultimate “us against the world” scenario. They know that everyone – including the NCAA, who don’t want the disgraced program soiling their inaugural Big Ten Championship Game – is rooting against them. But as they proved last week against Ohio State, they are not going to fulfill everyone’s wishes by quietly going away. Their determination, combined with the fact that they are a very good football team with the third-best defense in the country, cannot be taken lightly.

3. In The Trenches. Penn State has had trouble at quarterback all year. Using a two-quarterback scheme for much of the season, the team refused to commit to either Matt McGloin or Rob Bolden until mid-November. There’s a good reason for that waffling: Neither are very good. If Penn State is going to pose a serious challenge to the Badgers, they’re going to have to rely on backs Silas Redd and Stephfon Green, who combined for 163 yards and almost 7 yards per carry last week against Ohio State. Meanwhile, how much Wisconsin relies on Montee Ball for its offense is already well known. Who wins or loses this game is going to be determined largely on who has better success running the football.

4. He’s Got Legs. Penn State has struggled with mobile quarterbacks: Last week Ohio State’s Braxton Miller had 105 yards rushing, while three weeks ago Illinois QB Nathan Scheelhaase got loose for 89 yards on the ground at Happy Valley. Russell Wilson, who averages more yards per carry than either Miller or Scheelhause, could have a big rushing day.

5. Offense Less Offensive? Held to under 300 yards, the Badgers’ offense struggled mightily Saturday against Illinois, and may have lost the game had their defense not forced four turnovers, which consistently gave the Badgers’ offense a short field. (They scored on drives of 44, 39, 30, and 2 yards.) Illinois’ defense is solid, but Penn State’s is much better. Since they won’t be able to rely on their defense to get them four turnovers again, Wisconsin’s offense will have to do a better job sustaining drives and wearing out the Nittany Lion defense if they want to clinch their spot in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Final prediction: Wisconsin 20, Penn State 13.

And yes, I realize that in coming to this conclusion that I’ve basically been brainwashed by the National Retail Federation, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, Sirius/XM (for already programming several channels of holiday music), Amazon.com (for getting a head start on their “Black Friday” deals), Punky Brewster, who is for whatever reason Target’s “Mommy Ambassador,” and even myself.

You see, when you start telling your children in August that you can’t buy them something because “Christmas is coming soon and you might get that from Santa,” by mid-November it does start to seem that the holidays are long overdue.

With only two weeks left in the regular season, the Wisconsin football Badgers should be in a festive holiday mood. After the heart-breaking losses in October to the Spartans and Buckeyes, the Badgers are now in control of the Big Ten’s “Leaders” division, thanks to back-to-back blowout wins over Purdue and Minnesota, Ohio State’s OT loss last week, and of course, the sad events at Penn State that have made any short-term on-field success with their football program, in light of everything that has happened, seem both highly unimportant and highly unlikely.

But before Wisconsin can travel to Indianapolis for the inaugural Big Ten Championship (where it looks like they will have a chance to exact revenge on Michigan State), they’ve got two more games, starting with Saturday’s date in Champaign, where they will take on a reeling Illinois team that has lost four games in a row following a 6-0 start that had landed them in the Top 25.

Things keep getting worse for the Illini: Head coach Ron Zook made headlines this week for walking out of a press conference after a reporter asked Zook about rumors that he was about to be fired, one of their starting linebackers was shot in the hand at a campus party, and now the team has to face the Badgers, who won’t be too interested in helping Illinois feel better about themselves.

Let’s look at the Channel 3000 3 storylines for the game:

1. Will Illinois score? Against weaker opponents, Illinois looked like one of the better offenses in the Big Ten, scoring nearly 35 points a game in their opening six-game win streak. Since then, their offense has been about as intimidating as Duffy the Disney Bear, scoring a total of 42 points over the last four games and being shut out entirely in the first half for four weeks straight. The problems for Illinois during the losing streak seem to be all over the board (11 turnovers, an inconsistent rushing attack), but their main setback seems to be that teams have figured out how to contain wideout A.J. Jenkins. Jenkins, still the leading receiver in the Big Ten, has been held to no touchdowns and 80 yards per game over the last four weeks, well shy of his 113 yards-per-game average. It will be tough for Jenkins to get right against Wisconsin’s conference-leading pass defense.

2. Injury update. Quite a few of the Badgers starters are, as they say in sports, nicked up. If Wisconsin puts Illinois in a hole they can’t climb out of – which for the Illini could be as little as a 14-point deficit – look for head coach Bret Bielema to call for some subs. After suffering a shoulder injury against the Gophers, receiver Jared Abbrederis’s official status is questionable, but Bielema was a little more optimistic in his Thursday press conference. “I think he’ll be back there on punt return and offense. I don’t know if we’ll use him as a kick returner,” Bielema said. Other starters likely to play through injury include linebacker Mike Taylor, receiver Nick Toon, and safety Aaron Henry. Of course the biggest injury concern is with center Peter Konz, who is out for at least the next two games with a left ankle injury. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Groy will start in place of Konz. The Badgers hope to have Konz back by the Big Ten Championship game on December 3, if, of course, the Badgers qualify for that inaugural game.

3. Heisman watch back on? After Stanford’s loss last week in which presumed Heisman frontrunner Andrew Luck threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, could Badgers QB Russell Wilson be back in the Heisman conversation? Wilson’s pass efficiency rating leads the country (a sick 201.6), he’s also second to none in yards per completion, and fifth in the nation in completion percentage. A big game against a pretty-good Illinois pass defense that’s allowing just 173 yards per game through the air wouldn’t hurt his chances.

Final Prediction: Wisconsin 27, Illinois 10.

The Paul Bunyan Axe has spent more time in Wisconsin over the last eight years than Bernie Brewer.

The compact disc is apparently on its way out. Regis Philbin (whose core audience is still lamenting the demise of 78 RPM records) is almost done with his talk show. Bil Keane, creator of The Family Circus newspaper comic strip, died. Adam Sandler has a new movie out.

But overshadowing everything else happening over the past few days has been the unbelievably sad and disturbing reports that have been emanating from the place ironically known as Happy Valley.

Though the shine is clearly off this weekend’s marquee Big Ten matchup of Nebraska (7-2) at Penn State (8-1), Wisconsin sports fans can at least look forward to a glorious weekend of football.

That is, if you include Monday in your definition of “weekend,” as the 8-0 Packers take on the 2-6 Vikings on Monday Night Football. Now, there’s no doubt that the Vikings have been marginally better since dumping the awful Donovan McNabb, and there’s no doubt that the Packers pass defense has played less than stellar football recently.

But the Vikings are still at best – at best – a work in progress, and the Packers – well, maybe just Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings, and Jordy Nelson, but that’s been good enough – have been awesome. It also stands to reason that the Packers’ defense, tired of hearing how their offense needs to score 40 points a game to cover their deficiencies, will step up and produce a shutdown game. Unlike the contest just three weeks ago, this one could get ugly.

But it might be closer than this weekend’s other football game between teams from Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Those people who had leaped off the Wisconsin bandwagon following those two heartbreaking road losses were proven a bit hasty in their judgment following last week’s 62-17 blowout of Purdue, a team that was itself just one week removed from upsetting then-No. 23 Illinois.

But has the stench around this Saturday’s opponent, the Golden Gophers, become less odious? After all, they surprised Iowa two weeks ago to win their first Big Ten game of the season and then played Michigan State surprisingly close last week before falling 31-24 at East Lansing.

Could the Gophers be on their way to brandishing Paul Bunyan’s Axe for the first time since 2003?

In a word, unlikely.

Let’s look at the Channel 3000 3 storylines to the game:

1. The Axe. It may seem to some as a silly tradition, but players and coaches on both sides take what symbolizes the most-played rivalry in Division I-A college football pretty seriously. Listen to center Peter Konz: “This is a big emotional game for all of us. I know they want the Axe bad because they haven’t had it for a few years. We’re not taking Minnesota lightly.” Likewise, here’s what Gophers coach Jerry Kill had to say about Saturday’s game: “I know it means a ton to our players and the state of Minnesota. It’s dang important to us.” Especially at TCF Bank Stadium (although certainly there will be the usual strong showing of Badger Nation present), the Badgers should expect to get the Gophers’ strongest effort of the season. But as Konz notes, Wisconsin won’t take anything for granted.

2. Russell Wilson Lite? Though he understandably hasn’t been as highly touted as Wisconsin’s senior QB, the Gophers’ junior quarterback Marqueis Gray has definitely been making strides as of late: Over the last two weeks, Gray has completed 62 percent of his passes and against Michigan State – one of the nation’s best defenses – he threw for three touchdowns. And like Wilson, Gray does it with his legs as well, only more so: Over the last three weeks, he’s rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner over Iowa. Wisconsin’s defense has struggled against mobile quarterbacks this season – Ohio State’s Braxton Miller rushed for 99 yards two weeks ago and Nebraska’s Taylor Martinez piled up 61 yards on the ground (though it took him 20 carries to do so), so Wisconsin could have its hands full with Gray.

3. Ball Busting Records. Saturday could be a big game for junior running back Montee Ball, who is having the biggest breakthrough year this side of anyone not named Russell Wilson. With just one rushing touchdown, Ball will break the season school record of 24 touchdowns, a title he currently shares with Brian Calhoun. With three touchdowns (and he has three or more in four games this year), he will break the Big Ten record. Ball should excel against a porous Minnesota defense giving up nearly 200 yards a game on the ground this year.

Final prediction: Wisconsin 40, Minnesota 27.