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For the second consecutive year, the Wisconsin Badgers are headed back to Pasadena to represent the Big Ten in the BCS Rose Bowl. The inaugural Big Ten Championship and 42-39 win over the Michigan State Spartans was a game for the ages.
It included a ton of offense (816 total yards), multiple lead changes (three to be exact) and a questionable play at the end of the game (did Badgers punter Brad Nortman flop?).
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Saturday’s match-up between the #13 Michigan State Spartans and #15 Wisconsin Badgers is not only the rematch for one of college football’s most dramatic endings this season, it’s also the deciding factor in which team takes home the Big Ten Title and represents the conference in the Rose Bowl.
If the Badgers are to win, they will need to rely heavily on their high-octane offense led by Heisman contenders Russell Wilson and Montee Ball as well as the commonly overlooked offensive line.
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The play-in game for the Big Ten Championship was never really that close as the #16 Wisconsin Badgers routed #19 Penn State, 45-7, in front of a packed house at Camp Randall on Senior Night. The Badgers (10-2, 6-2) will now represent the Leaders Division against a surging Michigan State team who has won eight of their last nine.
QB Russell Wilson and RB Montee Ball proved to both be worthy of the all-mighty Heisman as both players either tied or broke NCAA records on Saturday afternoon.
Following the game, UW’s Head Coach Bret Bielema said “I think we can play with anyone in the country, regardless of conference or ranking.”
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In Wisconsin they produce offensive linemen like they produce cheese. Former Badger Joe Thomas is a franchise LT for the Cleveland Browns, and three Badgers alums play tight end in the NFL (Travis Beckum, Lance Kendricks and Garrett Graham)
Even though they lost Gabe Carimi (now with Chicago Bears) and John Moffitt (Seattle Seahawks) on the left side, not to mention a backup lineman Bill Nagy (Dallas Cowboys) and their tight end the Badgers breed the big boys up front like the show Family Guy breeds ’80s jokes. They’re a NFL OL factory in Madison.
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In what has become a very bizarre or mediocre year (whatever you would like to call it) in the Big Ten, one of the conference’s perceived best received their second loss. Dan “Boom” Herron and Braxton Miller ran wild as the Ohio State Buckeyes shocked the Wisconsin Badgers in a 33-29 win.
Ohio State’s (5-4, 2-2) offense methodically out-played Wisconsin’s (6-2, 2-2) offense and took advantage of many defensive miscues from the Badgers. None bigger than the secondary’s blown coverage with 20 seconds in the fourth quarter when Miller connected with Devin Smith for a wide-open and game-winning 40 yard touchdown.
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Wisconsin Badgers QB Russell Wilson’s arrival in Madison has been nothing more than outstanding through the first seven weeks of the college football season. We’ve seen him throw, run and now catch touchdowns (he really can do it all) on a journey which could quite possibly lead to a Heisman Trophy.
But, the most shocking part of Wilson’s game is his ability to embrace any situation put in front of him. Russell is mature beyond the game of college football and acts as if the words “pressure” and “nerves” are foreign to him.
In an age where so many star athletes are all about their-selves or portrayed as so, Wilson is showing the nation how to be an exemplary student athlete.
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For the first time since 1962 (#3 Wisconsin vs. #5 Minnesota), two top-ten teams will face-off at Camp Randall Stadium. The highly anticipated game between the #7 Wisconsin Badgers (4-0) and #8 Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-0) will be under the lights as the prime-time game on ABC with the help of ESPN College GameDay.
The battle for the Best in the Midwest contains more story lines than As The World Turns, and just might have as many followers as the popular soap opera. Nebraska fans are on a mission to scoop up as many tickets as they can to watch their favorite team in their Big Ten debut while the Badgers fans try to embrace a team who just might have a shot at a national title.
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For the sixth straight season the #6/#7 Wisconsin Badgers (3-0) will face off with a college football team from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Last season’s FCS foe, Austin Peay, proved to be a walk-in-the-park as the Badgers thrashed the Governors in a 70-3 victory.
This time around, the Badgers welcome in the South Dakota Coyotes (2-1) for one last tune-up before the HUGE conference opener against Nebraska. Albeit a shared FCS designation, this South Dakota team is no Austin Peay and should prove a slightly tougher test for this year’s team.
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The #8/#9 Wisconsin Badgers (2-0) received an unbelievable effort from the defense in a 35-0 shut-out of the Oregon State Beavers (0-2) in week two of the college football season.
With the win, UW recorded it’s first shut-out since the 2009 season when they blanked Purdue 37-0.
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Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week following his league debut with the Badgers, in which he completed 10 of 13 passes for 255 yards and a pair of touchdowns while running for 62 yards and another score- an exciting 46 yard scramble.
So this is what Russell-Mania feels like? In the season-opening 51-17 home blowout of UNLV, Wilson’s performance truly lived up to the preseason hype.
The North Carolina State transfer (where he was all ACC second team) became just the second UW quarterback to throw for 250 yards and rush for at least 50 yards in the same game — and the first Badgers signal caller to do so since 1979.
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In the warmest home game in school history, the Wisconsin Badgers offense was about as red hot as their school’s primary color. When you think Wisconsin college football you probably think tailbacks and big men. The best in the nation come here to play offensive line and run behind all that open space that they create.
As they showed with their 51-17 destruction of the UNLV Rebels Thursday night, this year’s Badgers are no different.
Tailbacks Montee Ball and James White are on the Doak Walker Award watch list (honoring the nation’s best running back) one of just three sets of teammates to makes the list. Both rushed for over 900 yards last season.
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It’s here! College football season has arrived and it’s that transcendent time when everyone is undefeated and we still have some summer remaining. Yes, it’s that magical time when shirtless driving season and college sports season overlap. And my 2011 trek across the Midwest (and the U.S.) begins in the city where this site has our highest traffic ranking in the entire world- Madison, Wisconsin.
Speaking of high rankings, the Wisconsin Badgers are #10 in one poll, #11 in the other. It’s Big Ten title game or bust in America’s Dairyland as UW looks like a sleeper national title team. They get things started Thursday night vs. UNLV, a team they beat 41-21 last season.
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