Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin's football program has been among the most successful in the Big- Ten since the early 1990s when Barry Alvarez took over as head coach. Under Alvarez, the Badgers won three Rose Bowls and three Big- Ten Championships. In 2006, Bret Bielema took over as head coach and posted a 12-1 record, defeating Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl 17-14. The Badgers are 9-8 in bowl games, including victories in nine of their last 13. This is the 12th bowl appearance in the past 14 seasons for Wisconsin, including a school record-tying five straight. Overall, Wisconsin has 11 Conference titles.

The Badger football program boasts two Heisman Trophy winners-- running backs Alan Ameche won the Heisman in 1954, and, more recently, running back Ron Dayne won the Heisman Trophy in 1999.

The Wisconsin Badgers play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium and wear Cardinal Red and White. Built in 1917, Camp Randall is the fourth-oldest college football stadium in the country and has a capacity of 80,321. The student section at Camp Randall is a raucous party and considered by many to be one of the best in all of college football. The University of Wisconsin Marching Band performs its famous 5th Quarter after every game and Bucky the Badger is always present, pumping the fans up to the famous fight song, On, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin has two intense rivalry games each year. The Badgers battle with the Hawkeyes for the "Heartland Trophy" and with Minnesota Golden Gophers for "Paul Bunyan's Axe." The pageantry and tradition associated with these two games is incredible.

Wisconsin Badgers 2007 Outlook

In 2006, the Badgers were left out of the pre- season top 25 polls. This year is much different, there is a ton of hype surrounding the Badger program and deservingly so. Last year the Badgers went 12-1 and tied Michigan for second place in the Big- Ten. Wisconsin has a lofty seven spot, this year behind West Virginia and rival Michigan. The last time the Badgers were ranked this high in the preseason top 10 was in 2000 after their Rose Bowl victory.

The biggest storyline in Madison is who is going to be the starting quarterback. Junior Tony Mortensen should open the year as the starting quarterback but red- shirt freshman Adam Weber and freshman Clint Brewster are talented and are capable of driving the offense. 

The quarterback position will be dramatically aided by running back P.J. Hill. Hill is one of the best running backs in the nation and the Wisconsin offensive line will return four starters. The offense also retains all three receivers from a year ago so look for the Badger run offense to pick up right where they left off in 2006. Defensively the team is lead by linebackers Jonathan Casillas and DeAndre Levy. The defensive line is a force as well led by 6-6 defensive end Matthew Shaughnessy and tackle Nick Hayden. Wisconsin versus Michigan, circle your calendars Big- Ten fans, this is the game of the year in 2007. However, the schedule for 2007 is ripe for Wisconsin and that means a possible Big- Ten title and shot at the big BCS game. Road games against Minnesota, Penn Sate and Ohio State are serious scares though.

2007 Wisconsin Schedule

Date OPPONENT TIME (ET) Location Result
Sat, Sep 1st, 2007 Washington_St 03:30 PM Camp Randall Stadium  
Sat, Sep 8th, 2007 at U-N-L-V 10:00 PM Sam Boyd Stadium  
Sat, Sep 15th, 2007 Citadel 12:00 PM Camp Randall Stadium  
Sat, Sep 22nd, 2007 Iowa 08:00 PM Camp Randall Stadium  
Sat, Sep 29th, 2007 Michigan_State 03:30 PM Camp Randall Stadium  
Sat, Oct 6th, 2007 at Illinois TBA Memorial Stadium  
Sat, Oct 13th, 2007 at Penn_State 03:30 PM Beaver Stadium  
Sat, Oct 20th, 2007 Northern_Ill TBA Camp Randall Stadium  
Sat, Oct 27th, 2007 Indiana 12:00 PM Camp Randall Stadium  
Sat, Nov 3rd, 2007 at Ohio_State TBA Ohio Stadium  
Sat, Nov 10th, 2007 Michigan TBA Camp Randall Stadium  
Sat, Nov 17th, 2007 at Minnesota TBA Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome    

Head Coach Profile

Bret Bielema played his college football in the Big- Ten and was a four year letterman at Iowa. He then went on to play for the Milwaukee Mustangs in the Arena Football league. He then returned to Iowa as an assistant coach from 1993-2001 and onto Kansas State in 2002 as the co- defensive coordinator.

Bielema took over for legendary Barry Alvarez at Wisconsin in 2006 and was name Big- Ten Coach of the Year and the first Wisconsin coach to win 11 games in their first season at the helm. Bielema became the third coach in NCAA history to win 12 games in his rookie season after the Badgers beat the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Capital One Bowl. Bielema has brought the excitement, as well as the recruiting back to Wisconsin, look for this coach to be around Madison for a while.

University of Wisconsin Badgers- Key Departures/Players to Watch

The Badgers did loose talent to the NFL and graduation but as one of the elite Big- Ten teams, Wisconsin will find replacement for 2007.

The true question mark is the quarterback spot. John Stocco will be missed in Madison. Stocco ended up second on Wisconsin's all- time passing yardage list and had 17 touchdowns with only six interceptions in 2007. It will be even harder to replace former All- American tackle, Joe Thomas. The Badgers will struggle at the start of the season until the offensive line matures a bit. Look for Hake Bscherer and Gabe Carimi to try to step in for the future Cleveland Brown great. The Badgers also lost Joe Monty on the defensive line but the defensive group led by Shaughnessy and Hayden will be ready to go.