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We're gonna be hitting the

We're gonna be hitting the road here in a bit. Safe travels to everyone heading to town. Despite the weather and early kick it should be a festive weekend.

If you see a group around town tonight including a guy and two girls in matching Wisconsin Christmas sweaters, give a holler, that's us. (The sweaters weren't my idea, but I'm powerless.)

I'd take those points.

I'd take those points.

People will set up "old

People will set up "old fashioned" tailgating in some of the private business parking lots around the stadium, but it's not pervasive. There are some bigger lots down by the lakeshore where most of that happens. In the immediate stadium/campus area it's largely bars and house parties.

Thanks, and my pleasure. I've

Thanks, and my pleasure. I've got a girlfriend and a bunch of very close friends who are UM grads, and have had a lot of fun going up to Ann Arbor for games (including the UW game last year). A couple of our buddies own a tailgate house on Stadium and it's always a blast. It's the one with the yellow sign with the funny sayings for each game. Love those guys. 

The one off the beltline?

The one off the beltline? That's where we were going to be staying until the GF demanded a more expensive place a little closer to campus. I was pissed.

Over the past however many

Over the past however many years the administration has been working to turn around some of the negative stuff on campus. For a while they had a "Roll out the Red carpet" initiative. I haven't been back to a game in a couple years, but hopefully most of the idiotic stuff has been squelched. That being said, like everyone else we've got our share of "those people". 

I can guarantee, though, that anyone wearing Michigan gear will get the asshole chant when passing student parties. I don't think anyone thinks you are actually an asshole, it's just what students do to all opposing fans regardless where they come from.

We're gonna have a group of

We're gonna have a group of 10 and are purposely getting into town in the afternoon so we can beat the after work and game crowd arriving for the weekend to put our name in.  

If you really want to party,

If you really want to party, have everyone get their own boot. 

They also sell steins of course. That place definitely has good theater when it gets going.

 

ETA: If you don't like the looks of the boot game, you'd hate Sink the Biz at Indiana. It was repulsive but IU grads all talk about how great it is.

After that walk the fifty

After that walk the fifty feet down the sidewalk to the Red Shed and get a Real Thing.

At the nitty gritty you drink

At the nitty gritty you drink for free on your birthday. 

I'd say you should try to get

I'd say you should try to get into State Street Brats. It's only a couple blocks from the KK. If that's too crowded, you can just start walking up toward the capitol and check out a place like Hawk's, or Hopcat (I believe it's one of the Hopcat chain, so maybe not a good "Madison" place), Buck and Badgers, Wisconsin Brewing Co. The last two are up by the square so they're further from the Kohl Center.

The Nitty Gritty is a big bar right by the Kohl Center, but that may have a big hockey crowd. Vintage is another bar right there that could be worth checking out. There are also a number of bars on University Ave that might not be a bad option. Just do a google search for "bars near kohl center" and you'll see what I'm talking about. The whole area is very walkable and there's no shortage of bars around there. If you're walking back to that area after the football game, the Gritty and Vintage are on your way to state street if you just take dayton all the way down, so you could take a peek at the crowd.

Friday night Great Dane will

Friday night Great Dane will have a very long wait, but as you said, plenty of good beer to make the wait worthwhile.

Essen Haus is also a great experience and a short walk  from the capitol square. The place tends to get jumping with lots of polka and dancing, people playing the boot game and drinking beers (and chugging and pounding tables)...a nice atmosphere. Good pretzels.

And if you're gonna go, by God man follow the rules. We used to play that if anyone broke or forgot one of the rules they needed to throw a buck in the middle for the next boot. http://essen-haus.com/files/8113/7225/8808/ESSEN_HAUS_BOOT_GAME.pdf

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfLBbJreONYhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfLBbJreONY

I spent many afternoons down

I spent many afternoons down there with the intent to work on a group project but instead never taking the books out and instead drinking beers and enjoying the scenery. They just closed the terrace for the year this week.

https://theblacksheeponline.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Brianna-terrace_spring09_4990.jpg

 

DISCLAIMER: The KK is the

DISCLAIMER: The KK is the uber frat/sorority/athlete bar on campus, so if you're an older person and want to check it out, I'd suggest getting in and out early.

Good post and solid reccos.

Good post and solid reccos. Only tweak is that State St is west of the capitol, not east. 

Once you're on state street, there are enough options that if one doesn't work there are others a stone's throw away. I also like the plaza, the red shed (for a real thing), Wando's (fishbowl). Basically older people start at the capitol and start working your way toward campus. It'll progressively get more and more student focused. If you make it all the way down there you can check out library mall and the union and you'll see Bascom Hill where gameday is. 

Regent Street...lots of bars

Regent Street...lots of bars over there. Big Ten Pub, Sconnie Bar, Regent St Retreat, etc. Five minute walk to the stadium. 

For anyone walking back toward state street and the capitol after the game, the nicest part of campus is north of University Ave by the lake shore. You can  take Randall to University and take a right, then take a left on charter...and then take a right wherever. You'd be coming at the back of Bascom Hall, down the hill, and through Library Mall (close to the Memorial Union).

The best beer New Glarus

The best beer New Glarus makes is the raspberry tart (in my opinion much better than Rubeaus, which I also love). Their serendipity is really good too. 

If you're slick about it you

If you're slick about it you can, but no, it's not legal. It's going to be on bascom hill again, about a 20 minute walk from the stadium. 

Terrace was just officially

Terrace was just officially closed this week, but you can still get a beer at the Rathskellar. But you've got a solid agenda (aside from hopefully the win part).

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DOscdZWUMAATmp6.jpg:large

We'll be up from Chicago with a group of about 26...about a third Badgers and the rest Go Blue. Group is spread across the Q and  Y3.

Gonna try and get into the Old Fashioned for burgers Friday night, then maybe Paul's Club, Plaza, Red Shed, and Monday's. Saturday a house party over by the stadium and Regent St bars.

 

A couple thoughts...I just

A couple thoughts...

I just don't think we have the donor support to be able to bankroll that type of spending. In the SEC if you need to pay a $10mm buyout you pickup the phone and make a call. And we're never going to be able to compete with an LSU and pay our DC $1.3mm per year. Second, many of our coaches are first, second, third year guys at their position, so they are still "proving themselves" and therefore not worthy of salaries approaching a guy like Don Brown, who has been doing it well for decades. Last, and probably most importantly, is that they haven't needed to. In the last 20 years, the Badgers are tied for 5th (with LSU) in wins in all of college football. 

So my question, if that was

So my question, if that was really the case (which I don't think it was), what did he do between leaving Florida and heading to OSU to prevent said health issues? Unless his line is going to be that OSU is far less stressful or demanding than Florida, which we all know is utter bullshit.

(No subject)

Two reasons he left:
1) Ego -

Two reasons he left:

1) Ego - he was hand picked as Barry's successor and stepped in and did well. He overestimated his abilities to obtain that level of success elsewhere

2) Money - Arkansas backed up the Brinks truck. I don't blame him for leaving because they paid what we couldn't or wouldn't. Funny thing is, if being able to pay assistants more is the magic bullet to success, why does he suck so much right now? And why is he so goddamn fat?! (unrelated question)

Most UW fans wouldn't have begrudged the guy for leaving except for the fact that he had to try and go scorched earth on the place on his way out. 

Gameday location announced as

Gameday location announced as Bascom Hill. Not ideal. In the past they've done it on the practice field right outside the stadium so it allowed quicker entry prior to kickoff, but Bascom is a 10 minute walk from the stadium. I could give two shits about Gameday, but it's going to further diminish the student showing at the start. 

Our group of attendees...18

Our group of attendees...18 in total, only about 4 of whom are Badgers, will be just above you in rows 47 and 48. 

Yes, 8 a.m. CST.
Town should

Yes, 8 a.m. CST.

Town should be fun Friday night. We'll be out and about with our group too (of mostly Michigan grads).

"participants did not

"participants did not stereotype White quarterbacks, they did apply the stereotypes of “physically strong” and “naturally gifted” to Black quarterbacks, thus othering, or using race to establish an out group. "

That's because white quarterbacks are nose to the grindstone guys who just give 110%. For them, it's really about the name on the front of the jersey anyway, so they don't care if they're considered strong or gifted.

(I'm pretty confident I didn't miss the point)

I'll see you and raise you

I'll see you and raise you a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_FFaOya5Nw

and will double down with a https://adland.tv/commercials/becks-0

Fair statement. 

Fair statement. 

If you want to do gameday on

If you want to do gameday on state street there will be plenty of people down there but you'll have no trouble getting in anywhere or getting a drink. I believe you would be able to get into one of the ramps down there as well. You could walk to the stadium, but it's a bit of a hike. 

I think Badger fans are

I think Badger fans are understandably confident in this one while at the same time acknowledging the challenge the Michigan D presents. Or at least the more rational of us feel that way. I'm sure the students are expecting a blowout UW win, but anyone who has watched any college football this year knows anything can and likely will happen. No clue on the questionable guys. Dixon would be huge, though they didn't miss too much of a beat wthout him last weekend. (ETA: the pounding cheese curds and miller lites is also 100% accurate)

Yikes. I'd definitely give

Yikes. I'd definitely give yourself at least 3.5 if coming up on gameday. And do not take 94, as much of the traffic will be coming from Milwaukee. While it's not as bad as Ann Arbor on gameday, the 11 a.m. kickoff condenses all game traffice to a small window, so it's gonna be a mess. And with the shitty weather that's expected...

Why would I not count it? The

Why would I not count it? The post I was responding to was implying that our MO is to make it to Indy and then get smoked by the other side of the conference, which is not at all the norm. In the scenario you describe, we should have gotten destroyed being an undeserving team, but obviously that didn't happen.

We also look for guys who are

We also look for guys who are the first to arrive and the last to leave, and value a high football IQ.

The thing hurting Michigan

The thing hurting Michigan there is the presence of the D2 schools. We don't have any in Wisconsin, so the choices are either D3 or walk on at UW if invited...an easy choice. I would think in Michigan a lot of guys will look at a place like Grand Valley and see that as a not terrible option.

In our defense, we really

In our defense, we really only got smoked by the other side of the conference once.

2011 Beat MSU to win the championship

2012 Destroyed Nebraska to win championship

2014 Got killed by OSU

2016 Lost to PSU by a TD after being up 28-7

There is a decent amount of

There is a decent amount of parking, but as others have said, it's nothing like Ann Arbor where you have large lots (Pioneer, golf course, etc). It's mostly businesses, houses/apts, and other areas where people can cram cars in. Drive down Regent St from the east and look for people waving you in. Shouldn't be too difficult to find something relatively close (I parked at the Dean Health Care building the last time I drove to a game). Otherwise, you can roll the neighborhoods around the stadium and you'll find something. 

I would not recommend parking down by the lake in the big lots. It's too far and requires a long walk or shuttle ride. You're better than that. Proximity is worth the extra $15-20 it'll cost.

Yeah, I agree the West is not

Yeah, I agree the West is not good this year and hasn't been that great outside of UW recently except for 2015 when Iowa went undefeated. I thought the initial comment was asking how Wisconsin is always tough, and the response was to avoid Michigan, PSU, and OSU. I was simply pointing out that we played all three last year and were still top 10. And of course that we're going to play another one of that group in a couple weeks.

Maybe he was just asking about this year.

I would say our odds are a

I would say our odds are a bit better than "zero", but the good thing is it's not worth arguing about because we'll actually get to find out when we play the game. Either way, it'll be my fourth trip to a B1G championship game and it's always a blast down there.

I've had an acct here for a

I've had an acct here for a while, just don't post much. Girlfriend is a UM grad and many in our extended group are UM grads, all of us heading back for the game this weekend. I'll be outnumbered about 18-6 in our group. When we go back to Ann Arbor for Michigan games, it's my job to read her the gameday writeup.

And it's fun to get perspective from the other side.

I think there was plenty of

I think there was plenty of talk about the test Iowa would provide leading up to last weekend, especially coming on the heels of their dismantling of OSU. This will be another great test, but I don't think we'll hear anything this week that is different.

Keep in mind we're also going

Keep in mind we're also going to play either MSU, OSU, PSU, or you guys in the B1G championship as well. 

We played all 3 of them last

We played all 3 of them last year and ended the season ranked 9th. Not top 5 but hardly a final ranking to be ashamed of.

At some point the well has to

At some point the well has to run dry. I mean, there's a reason backups are backups, but yeah, we've been lucky with the next man up.

I usually judge a good

I usually judge a good college running back by how they did in college. And we've had a bunch of good ones.

Using the NFL measuring stick, Ron Dayne would be a below average running back. 

Last week was a traditional

Last week was a traditional rival, a 2:30 start, we were undefeated, and we were in the playoff hunt. Trust me, it'll be glaringly empty. 

Michigan is a draw this weekend, but not enough to get the student section packed for kickoff.

He was, until Cephus became

He was, until Cephus became our best WR, then of course he got hurt. And our best LB hasn't played all year either. Starting safety has missed significant time (Dixon), another key LB has missed the whole year (Baun). All in we're going to have 5-6 guys who would have been week 1 starters out for this one. The backups on defense have come in and played their asses off though. Same could be said for the WRs.

Yup. For the 2:30 Iowa kick

Yup. For the 2:30 Iowa kick last saturday it was about half full, and for the huge night game against OSU the other year (the David Gilreath kickoff return) it wasn't completely full. They apparently sent a couple emails trying to get students there and it was about as close to full as I've ever seen it for a kickoff but still some space you can see in the kickoff shot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cyNl3C8YQk 

It'll be at least half empty for kickoff Saturday.

I said it in another thread,

I said it in another thread, but this is actually pretty accurate. Our students have been drinking too much of their own kool aid. A popular idea being thrown around by a lot of badger fans is overselling the student section by a couple thousand tickets. Those gameday vouchers get exchanged for tickets when you enter the stadium and when the tickets are gone they're gone. If you show up late, sorry. You can turn your voucher back in for a refund. That gets students in the place and likely makes the AD additional money for vouchers not turned back in for a refund.

No offense, but while

No offense, but while Michigan is always a game we look forward to, it is a distant 3rd behind the upcoming B1G championship and hopefully a CFP game (REALLY distant).