What if Cal Poly placekicker Andrew Gardner hadn't missed three extra points in 36-35 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers football team? What if Fresno State placekicker Kevin Gossling hadn't missed three field goals in a 13-10 loss to the Badgers?

But wait.

What if Wisconsin placekicker Philip Welch hadn't missed a 34-yard field goal in a 27-25 loss at Michigan? Or what if Welch hadn't missed a 44-yard field goal in a 25-24 loss at Michigan State?

But wait.

What if Ohio State's Brian Robiskie wasn't hustling downfield and wasn't in a position to recover Brian Hartline's fumble on the Buckeyes' game-winning scoring drive against the Badgers?

And what if Minnesota doesn't self-destruct in the second half after carrying the fight to the Badgers for the first 30 minutes while taking a 21-7 lead?

But wait.

What if the UW coaching staff had decided last spring or last summer or this fall that Dustin Sherer gave this team a better chance to win than Allan Evridge?

What if Kirk DeCremer was available to spell the starting defensive ends, Matt Shaughnessy and O'Brien Schofield? Or, what if cornerback Aaron Henry was around to shore up the secondary?

What if Travis Beckum had stayed healthy during his senior year? Or, what if Beckum hadn't lined up wrong on a two-point conversion at Michigan? Would the Badgers have won in overtime?

(Don't be surprised, either, if Beckum doesn't have the same impact in the NFL as former Purdue tight end, Dustin Keller, who has become one of Brett Favre's favorite receivers with the New York Jets. The 6-foot-2, 248-pound Keller had 142 catches for 1,882 career yards and 16 touchdowns at Purdue. The 6-4, 235-pound Beckum had 159 catches for 2,149 career yards and 11 touchdowns here before going on the shelf with an injury.)

But wait.

What if UW coach Bret Bielema hadn't lost his temper with the officiating at Michigan State? What if Bielema had kept his poise on the sidelines throughout the game -- would that crew still have flagged Badgers center John Moffitt for holding?

What if the UW defense was aligned properly before Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor took the snap and scored the game-winning touchdown with little or no resistance from the linebackers?

But wait. You can play the "what if'' game to distraction or insanity.

Whichever comes first.

And it's no different here than it is for 118 other Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams and at least one Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team, Cal Poly.

But don't shed a tear for the Mustangs, who have landed a home game for the first round of the playoffs. Cal Poly will draw Weber State (coached by Ron McBride, the former Utah head coach and Badgers offensive line assistant under Dave McClain).

What a concept.

A 16-team playoff.

Are the FCS student-athletes that superior academically to the FBS student-athletes in that they can afford to miss all of that precious class time because of the existence of a playoff, whereas we continue to hear that missed classtime excuse at the FBS level? It's all BS. You're right.

If Cal Poly gets past Weber State, the Mustangs will get a rematch with Montana, which escaped with an early season 30-28 win when Andrew Gardner missed a 27-yard field goal in the final seconds.