Football
I'm not exactly a football fan as such. What I am is a fan of 2 particular football TEAMS: the Green Bay Packers at the pro level and the Wisconsin Badgers at the college level (and, truth to tell, my 3rd favorite team is whoever's playing the Dallas Cowboys that week).
I am pleased to report that each of those teams owns the longest winning streak in the nation -- 8 straight games for the Packers and 14 straight for the Badgers -- dating back to the 2006 season. The Packers (4-0 this year) are 1 of only 4 undefeated teams (out of 32) in the NFL, while the Badgers (5-0), currently ranked #5 in the nation in both main polls, are 1 of 13 undefeated teams (out of 119) in NCAA Division 1.
"How could this happen without either of them having won a championship last year?", you're probably wondering.
Well, in the NFL, the Indianapolis Colts, who DID win the Super Bowl, lost their penultimate regular-season game (vs. Houston on Dec. 24) before closing out with a win and going 4-0 so far this year. (That loss wasn't unexpected. The Colts had already locked up their division title and kept most of their regular starters on the bench to rest up and avoid injuries prior to the playoffs.) Of course, if you add in the 4 straight victories the Colts racked up in the post-season, their streak is actually 9 straight games, but I will cheerfully concentrate only on regular-season games. The Packers' 8-8 record wasn't good enuf to make the playoffs, so they ended 2006 with 4 straight wins.
In college, the 2 teams that had camped out atop the rankings for most of the season (both from the Big 10: Ohio State and Michigan) both lost their bowl games. The team that won the national championship, Florida, had lost to Auburn on Oct. 16. Wisconsin's last loss, to Michigan, was on Sep. 23. That loss cost Bucky the Big 10 title, but Big Red went on to defeat Arkansas in the Capitol One Bowl to close out the season with a victory and national rankings of #5 and #7 in the 2 main polls.
I mention all this because I don't expect it to last much longer, but I'm enjoying it for all it's worth while it does.
I am pleased to report that each of those teams owns the longest winning streak in the nation -- 8 straight games for the Packers and 14 straight for the Badgers -- dating back to the 2006 season. The Packers (4-0 this year) are 1 of only 4 undefeated teams (out of 32) in the NFL, while the Badgers (5-0), currently ranked #5 in the nation in both main polls, are 1 of 13 undefeated teams (out of 119) in NCAA Division 1.
"How could this happen without either of them having won a championship last year?", you're probably wondering.
Well, in the NFL, the Indianapolis Colts, who DID win the Super Bowl, lost their penultimate regular-season game (vs. Houston on Dec. 24) before closing out with a win and going 4-0 so far this year. (That loss wasn't unexpected. The Colts had already locked up their division title and kept most of their regular starters on the bench to rest up and avoid injuries prior to the playoffs.) Of course, if you add in the 4 straight victories the Colts racked up in the post-season, their streak is actually 9 straight games, but I will cheerfully concentrate only on regular-season games. The Packers' 8-8 record wasn't good enuf to make the playoffs, so they ended 2006 with 4 straight wins.
In college, the 2 teams that had camped out atop the rankings for most of the season (both from the Big 10: Ohio State and Michigan) both lost their bowl games. The team that won the national championship, Florida, had lost to Auburn on Oct. 16. Wisconsin's last loss, to Michigan, was on Sep. 23. That loss cost Bucky the Big 10 title, but Big Red went on to defeat Arkansas in the Capitol One Bowl to close out the season with a victory and national rankings of #5 and #7 in the 2 main polls.
I mention all this because I don't expect it to last much longer, but I'm enjoying it for all it's worth while it does.
posted by Richard S. Russell | 10:35 AM
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