Weighing the burden of expectations

Paul Chryst was a victory over Illinois — and former Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema — away from tying for the second-most wins by a head coach in program history at Wisconsin.

Instead, his Badgers lost to the Fighting Illini in decisive fashion, dropping their record to 0-2 in conference play and 2-3 on the season. In a cruel twist of fate, the loss — and Chryst’s subsequent firing the following Sunday — sealed his position on the program’s all-time wins list, behind Barry Alvarez and — you guessed it — Bielema.

Chryst’s ouster comes as quite a shock to many who follow college football. The former Wisconsin quarterback won 67 games at the helm of his alma mater, holds a .720 winning…