Badger women at No. 2: Ohio State can enjoy its fucking October victory lap.
The Curds & Chaos Desk · Sourced rankings review + original R-rated fan opinion · Adult language
Source brief
An October 14 Wisconsin On SI review reports the Badger women dropped behind Ohio State in the polls. Wisconsin’s official recaps confirm 2–1 and 5–3 losses in Columbus on October 9–10, with Ohio State scoring four unanswered third-period goals across the series. UW hosts Minnesota State October 16–17.
Read the reporting: Wisconsin On SI · Wisconsin Athletics recaps ↗Our take · Original opinion
R-rated fan opinion: Ohio State won the weekend. Fine. Enjoy the fucking victory lap. It is October, not the final scene of a championship documentary, and being No. 1 this week does not come with naming rights to the entire sport. Wisconsin has work to do. Columbus has a volume knob to locate.
Let’s start with the part that actually matters: the Badgers had a lead after two periods Friday and a tie after two Saturday. They lost both. That is a real problem to address, and screaming about the ranking will not address a damn thing. A poll cannot clear the puck, kill a penalty or finish a shift. The players and staff have to do that work. My priority is third-period execution. Friday’s decisive goals came on Ohio State power plays. Saturday’s go-ahead goal arrived just ten seconds into the final period. Those are different situations with the same miserable ending for Wisconsin. I want cleaner discipline and sharper starts after the break. The intermission is not a permission slip to leave your attention in the locker room. And yes, give Ohio State credit for cashing the opportunities. Being a Wisconsin homer does not require pretending the scoreboard was hacked. They earned the sweep. What they have not earned is an uncontested runway through the rest of the season, no matter how confidently their loudest supporters decorate the internet. A Buckeye victory lap can make a car alarm look fucking restrained. Wisconsin being second is not an identity crisis. It is a challenge with a number beside it. I would rather see this team tighten up the details than hear a thousand speeches about being disrespected. The fastest way to improve your ranking is to make the next opponent miserable on the ice. Complaining about a ballot is just paperwork with a pulse. Minnesota State comes to LaBahn next. That is the assignment. Do not spend the weekend mentally arguing with Columbus while somebody else competes for actual points in Madison. I want pressure sustained through the third period, decisions that survive a tight game, and a team that makes the opponent earn every opportunity. Anger without execution is just fucking noise in shoulder pads. Meanwhile, Ohio State can frame the October poll if it likes. Put a little spotlight over it. Explain it to guests with the solemnity of a museum curator. The rest of the season still has to be played, and Wisconsin gets to answer with hockey instead of a comment-section dissertation. Take the lesson, sharpen the response, and make the next sixty minutes count. On, Wisconsin. Enough talking. Finish the fucking game.