A win is a win, but not all opponents are created equally. While the Wisconsin Badgers largely played with their food in the first half vs. the Miami RedHawks last Thursday, they still got it done at home to improve to 1-0 on the season in shutout fashion. Seeing Danny O'Neil come in and put out some of the fires that the Badgers created in the wake of Billy Edwards Jr.'s injury was such a nice surprise.
However, for as much optimism as the team has heading into Week 2, keep in mind who the Badgers will be welcoming to Camp Randall. The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders might be among the worst teams playing at the Group of Five level. They got smoked at home in Week 1 by regional foe Austin Peay out of FCS. Derek Mason seems to have lost the plot in Central Tennessee for the second time.
Not only are the Badgers a massive 28.5-point home favorite a little more than a day out from kickoff, they will be going up against a team USA TODAY ranked 136th out of 136 in all of FBS. So while it is important for the Badgers to gain even more confidence from this one prior to their Week 3 road date at Alabama, everything Wisconsin does against Middle Tennessee must be taken with a grain of salt.
The last thing Wisconsin needs is to become too cocky going up against a desperate Alabama team.
Wisconsin Badgers cannot lose focus on the task at hand in September
For as up and down as Luke Fickell can be at times as the Wisconsin head coach, there is reason to believe he will have his team ready to play vs. Middle Tennessee, no matter how big of an opportunity that may exist vs. Alabama in two weeks. In a way, he is an ideal underdog head coach in this unique situation. Kalen DeBoer is a few more bad weekends away from having to go find himself a new job.
There needs to be a quiet sense of confidence emanating from this team with each passing week. Admittedly, it could be hard if O'Neil balls out of his mind vs. a bad Blue Raiders team. For what he lacks in size, speed and arm talent, he most certainly makes up for in confidence and heart. Truth be told, not starting Edwards on Saturday vs. Middle Tennessee might actually play in the Badgers' favor.
Fickell needs his team to ascend, but not under false pretenses. Over the years, so many Big Ten teams have run roughshod on lesser foes in the non-conference, only to later struggle vs. the big baddies on their schedule in Big Ten play or not. Alabama may be gettable at this stage of the season, but maybe Florida State is closer to what the Seminoles were two years ago than some even realize?
Regardless, Wisconsin needs to prove victorious over Middle Tennessee, but must take it all in stride.