A Badger’s view

Let’s be honest (and even fair and balanced … and perhaps even a bit arrogant), we all know Wisconsin will win Saturday’s Rose Bowl. Why wouldn’t the Badgers win? In addition to a strong team, they are motivated by representing the best Big Ten university in the nation. (Who has ever heard of the University of Michigan? Isn’t that some mediocre university some place in Minnesota???!!! Or is it in Ohio? It is so easy to forget.)

The Wisconsin Badgers bring to the gridiron not only talent and strength, but also a homegrown joie de vivre you get no place else but Madison, and which inspires all — including the athletes and the fans. Yes, the contagious joie de vivre you get when you walk out of your dorm and within a block get world-famous bratwursts and cheese curds (admit you are a bit jealous) … or maybe even walk over to Mifflin Street for the world-famous Mifflin Street block parties (the details, you won’t hear about … code of silence is invoked!)

With great academics (I needed to mention that), seven straight wins and a share of the Big Ten title, the Badgers are closing out the 2010 season with unstoppable momentum.

I admit the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian are an impressive football team. Their unbeaten record and top-ranked defense will be a challenging match for the Badgers — but only a challenge, and it is nothing Wisconsin can’t and won’t handle.

There’s a reason the Rose Bowl is nicknamed “The Granddaddy of Them All” — it’s a big deal. We all know that. I’m sure the same electrifying energy I remember experiencing at football games at Camp Randall in Madison will infiltrate Pasadena on New Year’s Day.

It’s the unbeatable Midwestern combination of athletic ability and diehard fan support that will surely lead the Badgers to Rose Bowl victory. On, Wisconsin!

Greta Van Susteren is the host of the Fox News Channel news and interview program “On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren.” A 1976 Wisconsin graduate, she previously hosted shows for CNN, for which she also served as a legal analyst for high-profile cases including the O.J. Simpson criminal and civil trials.