We keep the money if we lose, right?

Good news Bret, I am alive. I have been occupied by a tough stretch of finals and I appreciate the readers who emailed to inquire about the status of site. There are several Badger issues, so I will keep it short.
-Champs Sports Bowl
Nobody seems to have a clue how this game will play out. Either the Seminoles are too fast for the Badgers or the Badgers are too powerful for Seminoles. The game should be exciting to watch and the weather in Orlando is supposed to be gorgeous, so at a minimum the alumni on site will have fun. As for Bret, I have found the surge in Alvarez's public support for Bret interesting. The part of story that is amazing to me is that the pep talk involved Barry confronting Bret in the shower of an empty locker room. I picture Barry emerging from the steam, wearing his Badger truck suit, like a ghost from 1993. I thought when you spoke to Barry, you did so only after kissing his ring and while sitting on the other side of his desk. Sometimes, he does not turn his giant leather chair to face you.

-Badger Hoops
The Texas games was great. The student section really filled out well. Unfortunately for the Badgers, excellent 3-point shooting was canceled out by poor free throw shooting. Also, it's hard to judge accurately in person, but the officiating seemed weak. The game likely has a different outcome if Marcus stays out of foul trouble. Regardless, the team looked good and well prepared for the Big Ten season.
Finally, all basketball fans owe it to themselves to read this blog. I especially recommend the post on "dotting."

-Student Tickets
Recently, a few articles have been written blasting the student section at football and basketball games. I take a more libertarian view of tickets. If you bought a ticket, you can do whatever you want with it and if that means not attending, then that's your prerogative. However, I definitely feel a ticket exchange program would help for basketball. Because they are not fungible, finding a buyer who only needs one ticket and does not mind sitting with people he or she does not know is difficult. This difficulty is compounded when preparing for tests and free time is at a premium. The Athletic Department could give a 10% discount at Bucky's Locker Room, or some other small incentive to give back tickets. Most fans would prefer to receive little and have their tickets used, as opposed to the seats sitting empty.

As for the football student filling in the second quarter, my initial reaction is to blame the 11 AM start times, but I honestly do not believe later games would solve the problem. Suggest your solutions in the comments.

Finally, Badger Hockey Showdown this weekend.