Whether Madison is 40 degrees and raining in May or 94 and sticky in June, it is never difficult to think about the perfect, comfortable conditions that seem to frequent Pasadena.
For the Badgers football team, 2010 yielded a team chemistry, work ethic and all around attitude that—if lamely paralleled to weather—felt something like 78 and sunny.
Led by a surprisingly versatile and dangerously explosive offense and a bend-but-don't-break defense, Wisconsin suffered but one hiccup on the road to the Rose Bowl. In the process, UW averaged a school-record 41.5 points, amassed 245.7 rushing yards per game and racked up 48 touchdowns on the ground.
Now, with fall camp just about two months away, significant changes to the team and to the landscape of the Big Ten have the Badgers seemingly positioned to take another shot at the conference championship.
The New-Look Big Ten
The obvious place to start is with the addition of a storied football program to the league. Nebraska makes it's league debut this fall, and Badger fans will not have to wait long to see the Cornhuskers in action. The two teams open up their respective Big Ten slates under the lights at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison on Oct. 1 in what is sure to be an electric atmosphere.
With the addition of Nebraska comes the inception of Big Ten divisions—lackluster names and all. Wisconsin finds itself in the Leaders Division with Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Indiana and Illinois. The Legends Division features Michigan, Northwestern, Minnesota, Michigan State, Nebraska and Iowa. The Badgers will still continue to play the Golden Gophers each year as a protected rivalry game, but the participants in the conference championship game—to be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis at least through 2015—will be determined by division play.
The New-Look Competition
Division play is where another big change comes in to play for the Badgers this year.
Controversy—and now upheaval—struck the Buckeyes this spring as a scandal that centered on players receiving improper benefits and selling memorabilia eventually led to head coach Jim Tressel resigning May 30 and star quarterback and senior to be Terrelle Pryor leaving the program June 7.
Ohio State took home a share of the Big Ten title in 2010, making it six consecutive years they have been at the top of the league. However, with Tressel and Pryor gone and four other contributors—including running back Daniel ""Boom"" Herron (1,155 yds., 16 TDs) and wide receiver DeVier Posey (848 yds., 7 TDs)—suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season, the Buckeyes look about as vulnerable as a perennial national powerhouse can look in June. Outside of Columbus, Ohio, Penn State has continued to struggle recruiting—whether or not that has to do with Joe Paterno is a whole different story—and will likely be picked to finish in the top half of the division mostly because Purdue, Indiana and Illinois do not have the looks of title competitors for the coming year. Even with a fluid situation at quarterback, Wisconsin will enter the season favorites in the eyes of many Leaders Division followers.
The New-Look Badgers
In order for Wisconsin to be in the running for a repeat, though, there are plenty of questions that will have to be satisfactorily answered before the meat of the schedule comes calling.
Scott Tolzien not only gave head coach Bret Bielema his first two-year starter at quarterback since 2005, he completed over 72 percent of his passes and threw 16 touchdowns against just six interceptions. He made big plays in the regular season when UW needed them, including gutsy fourth-quarter drives against Ohio State and Iowa back-to-back weeks.
In line to replace Tolzien is redshirt sophomore Jon Budmayr. The Woodstock, Ill. native appeared in mop-up duty three times a year ago—UW scored over 70 points in each game he saw action—and he struggled badly at times through spring camp. However, freshman walk-on Joel Stave had a tough time as well and redshirt junior Curt Phillips suffered his third major knee injury.
Badger fans can dream of Russell Wilson, the talented former North Carolina State quarterback who is mulling one final year of college football—and reportedly considering Wisconsin—before he pursues a professional baseball career, but in all likelihood, Budmayr is the man.
The kid will have plenty of tools around him. Junior running back Montee Ball and sophomore James White form one of the most dynamic 1-2 punches out of the backfield in the nation. The offensive line lost two All Americans and is still arguably among the most talented in the country. If senior wide receiver Nick Toon stays healthy and engaged, and the young corps of tight ends led by sophomore Jacob Pederson develops, this offense has every chance of being lethal.
On defense, Wisconsin should get a sophomore middle linebacker and athletic freak Chris Borland back healthy to form a daunting corps with junior Mike Taylor and senior Kevin Claxton. UW will not be able to replace J.J. Watt's production and leadership on the edge, but should be more stout up the middle as a young corps of interior linemen continue to develop.
This team is very capable of making a return trip to Pasadena. The attrition is heavy, sure, but Bielema appears to be coming into his own both on the sideline and on the recruiting trail. The future is bright in Madison, but with expectations comes a demand for consistent excellence. The first chance to show it is 92 days away.
