It is not everything, but it is something. Momentum is a real thing, or at least a psychological phenomenon one can feel within the context of any game. It is when a series of plays goes one way or another for a certain team. If it comes up in the positive, then advantageous teams might get to play above their skis with a more refined since of confidence. The other side of the coin is quicksand.
For a team like Wisconsin, it is all about putting forth one good quarter after another. Not to say that the first half of their Week 1 home opener vs. Miami (OH) was bad, but the Badgers could not really put it into gear. Once Danny O'Neil took over for an injured Billy Edwards Jr. in the second half, then the Wisconsin offense started to play with confidence. Wisconsin has yet to surrender a single point.
Flash forward to this week's home matchup vs. the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, and maybe the Badgers could be onto something? Middle Tennessee struggled mightily in its Week 1 home loss to FCS Austin Peay. The Governors are a quality program at their level of competition, but Middle Tennessee might be among the worst teams in FBS... Wisconsin had to take advantage of this fact.
Simply, the best way Wisconsin can upset Alabama next week is for the team to harness momentum.
Wisconsin must play like it is a contender vs. Middle Tennessee in Week 2
Saturday will be Danny O'Neil's first career start for the Badgers. Although he went a dismal 3-8 in 11 starts last year for the San Diego State Aztecs, he plays with the confidence and swagger of a young Baker Mayfield. Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell described what O'Neil has going for him is some kind of "athletic arrogance." He likes all of his best players to have that kind of belief in themselves.
Look. It does not seem likely that Fickell will allow his team to overlook Middle Tennessee with Alabama coming up next. He claims to not have the type of players on this team who subscribe to that notion. Furthermore, Wisconsin is riding a more believable wave of momentum right now than Alabama is. Defeating Miami (OH) does not offer a ton, but it beats losing on the road to Florida State.
Overall, the Badgers need to conduct themselves with the confidence of a contender for them to eventually get back to that level of standard. It might sound crazy, but did we not say similar things about programs such as Arizona State, Indiana and SMU a season ago? They all were not expected to do much, and they each ended up making the playoff. Anything can happen, including getting to 3-0.
Middle Tennessee is much more than a warmup game for the Badgers, it is a game to spring forward.