Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema would likely cringe at any suggestion that his football team is glamorous in any way, shape or form.
He often talks about the lack of sexiness in the way the Badgers play or says UW likely wouldn't be ""the first girl taken at the dance.""
That mindset is holding true this year, mostly. But it is hard to ignore the buzz around this team, the extra reporters at practice, the number of nationally televised games and the ESPN trucks that will set up shop on Bascom Hill this weekend.
Heck, the offensive line is featured in Sports Illustrated this week.
""It's a great time right now in Madison,"" junior running back Montee Ball said.
Bielema said Saturday he thinks this week will be ""a week-long infomercial for the University of Wisconsin.""
That excitement will come to a head Saturday when the No. 7 Badgers (0-0 Big Ten, 4-0 overall) square off with No. 8 Nebraska (0-0, 4-0) under the lights at Camp Randall Stadium.
In addition to having the game billed as a potential preview to the first Big Ten Championship game, which will take place Dec. 5 in Indianapolis, the hoopla surrounding the Cornhuskers' first conference game as a member of the Big Ten will draw thousands of Nebraska-faithful to Madison. UW Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez said in a conference call Wednesday that the Nebraska Alumni Association has a viewing party scheduled at Union South for Nebraska fans without tickets.
Alvarez played linebacker at Nebraska between 1966 and ‘68 and will serve as the Badgers' honorary captain Saturday.
Still, senior fullback Bradie Ewing said he did not think focus would be a problem. He added that he thought last year's matchup with then-No. 1 Ohio State, and all the hype surrounding it, is still paying dividends this year.
""To have a lot of guys that have experienced that, I think its definitely going to help,"" he said.
""You learn how to handle the craziness, you learn how to handle an extra family member trying to get a ticket,"" junior center Peter Konz added. ""You learn how to handle a lot of defensive schemes in a short amount of time.""
Yes, there is still the matter of learning Nebraska's defensive fronts and preparing for what will be, by far, the most physical defense UW has seen this year.
Offensive coordinator Paul Chryst, with an enviable choice of weapons at his disposal, has gone to the passing game early each of the last two weeks.
Senior quarterback Russell Wilson leads the Big Ten conference in passing yards with 1,136 and a passing efficiency of 284.0, and became the first signal-caller in school history to throw for at least three touchdowns in three consecutive games.
Nebraska employs a similarly explosive offense that starts with sophomore quarterback Taylor Martinez and his dynamic rushing ability. Both attacks are essentially modernized versions of their respective schools' traditional power offenses.
The Cornhuskers still run the belly trap and the sweep, and Wisconsin still employs the stretch and the off-tackle power. They each have simply found ways to be multiple and, as a result, put a lot of points on the scoreboard.
The addition of Wilson has other advantages for the Badgers. Namely, as Ball pointed out after practice Tuesday, getting used to not being the last girl dancing.
""With Russell coming on campus, we're used to cameras being around all the time,"" he said with a smile.
