Thank goodness the Badgers were only playing Michigan. If they had been playing a good team, they might have been in trouble.

Instead, the ninth-ranked Badgers held a 19-0 halftime lead and got to watch as the inept Wolverines were booed off the field at the Big House, a derisive chorus from the maize-and-extremely-blue fans that was so loud you could have sworn Eric Gagne had come in to pitch.

Alas, just when it appeared they were about to win at a stadium where they've won once in 46 years, just when it appeared they were about to complete the first step in their season-opening Big Ten Conference crucible, just when it appeared their were about to make a play for national title contender status, the Badgers turned down the opportunity of a lifetime.

Instead of a chest-beating victory, UW suffered a crushing 27-25 loss to Michigan. The stunning outcome left the Badgers heartbroken and their season in peril with games against Big Ten powers Ohio State and Penn State next on the docket.

"We're not stunned," punter Brad Nortman insisted, "because we know how good of a program Michigan is and how year in and year out they're just that good. But I think we felt like we underachieved in the second half big-time."

There's only one problem with that. During Michigan's painful transition under first-year coach Rich Rodriguez, the Big House has turned into the Land of Opportunity for visiting teams.

Indeed, this is looking like it might be the worst Michigan team since the 1960s. And after gaining 21 yards and committing five turnovers in the first half, it looked like the worst Michigan team ever.

If UW had scored two or three more touchdowns instead of settling for five field-goal attempts in the half, the game would have been over and Rodriguez would be getting blistered on the home front just four games into his tenure. But UW left too many points out there in the first half and made too many blunders in the second to escape with a rare victory in Ann Arbor.

"We definitely have some opportunities out there that we let fall away," cornerback Allen Langford said. "That's why it hurts. It hurts real bad."

At least the Badgers knew where to point the finger for allowing the biggest comeback by the home team in Michigan Stadium history. If you don't think that's significant, you should know Saturday's game was Michigan's 500th game in the Big House.

"It was embarrassing," linebacker DeAndre Levy said. "Other than that, it was like I didn't know how to react. I couldn't believe it just happened, how we just basically gave the game away in the second half. ... But we really can't be angry at anybody other but ourselves."

Levy is right about that. As Michigan was scoring 27 straight points in less than a quarter, UW continued to commit turnovers, drop passes and come up short on third-down plays. Unlike the first half, however, those mistakes caught up with UW in the second half.

But it wasn't just the players who gave Michigan a helping hand. Where was UW halfback John Clay in the second half after he had gained 51 yards and a touchdown on two first-half rushes? And why was ailing tight end Travis Beckum sent in for the final two series when he had practiced very little, something that showed when Beckum lined up wrong and cost UW a game-tying two-point conversion?