Prior to Thursday's practice, UW coach Bret Bielema and ESPN/ABC analyst Kirk Herbstreit were engaged in an animated conversation that was more of an extension of their friendship than a chalk talk.

During his network radio show that night, Bielema playfully suggested that Herbstreit was a "nerd'' when they first met as 22-year-old seniors at the Big Ten kickoff luncheon in Chicago.

Bielema, the Iowa nose tackle, and Herbstreit, the Ohio State quarterback, went out for pizza and discovered that they had many things in common. They've enjoyed each other's company since.

"When his career was beginning to grow,'' Bielema said, "I remember Kirk coming to Iowa City as a sideline reporter for ESPN Radio and from there he kind of blossomed into what you see today.

"I know sometimes he doesn't give the Badgers a lot of love and sometimes people don't like him, but we have an unbelievable relationship. We talk once a week if not more and send texts.''

Herbstreit, who has won back-to-back Sports Emmys for Outstanding Studio Analyst, and Bielema bantered for about 20 minutes before practice got under way in the McClain Facility.

"That's probably the highlight of my job,'' said Herbstreit, 42, who grew up answering to a coach. His dad, Jim, was a halfback for the Buckeyes and later an assistant under Woody Hayes.

His ESPN/ABC job, he said, entails  "going all over the country, talking with coaches, getting in the film room with them and having a chance to really find out how these guys tick on a personal level.''

So what makes Bielema tick?

"He has not forgotten what it's like to be a player; he relates very well to players,'' Herbstreit said. "He has also surrounded himself with a great (coaching) staff.

"He's got people that he trusts to coach on both sides of the ball, which has freed him up to be more of an administrator over the top of everything else.

"At the end of the day, if you're a parent and you're going to send your son to play for Bret, you're going to know that he will always have your son's best interests in mind.''

Wilson changes Badgers' dynamic
As the stretching exercises were ending, Russell Wilson jogged over and shook Herbstreit's hand. Briefly trading pleasantries, Herbstreit promised to touch base with Wilson after practice.

"When I heard that he was looking to go to Auburn or Wisconsin,'' Herbstreit said, "I personally was hoping that he would go to Wisconsin only because I knew what was returning in Madison.

"That was the one position (quarterback) -- with Scott (Tolzien) leaving -- that was a huge question mark for the Badgers.

"So when he decided to come here, I thought if he picks up the offense, it could be really scary how good they could be.''

Herbstreit recognized that Wilson, a three-year starter at NC State, would bring a certain level of maturity to the position. "But it's still a difference scheme, different terminology,'' he said.

From the beginning, Herbstreit noted, Wilson was committed to devouring the playbook.

"What people don't understand is that it's not just the playbook,'' he said. "It's the adjustments that are associated with each play based on the coverage you see. It's remarkable what he has done.

"His poise and accuracy are two things that stand out for me. I've studied him all week. For any quarterback sitting in the pocket, there's a tendency when things aren't there to take off and create.

"Even though he has that ability to make plays with his feet, he's more than willing to let the play develop and be patient in the pocket. He has such trust in his teammates.

"To me, it's the way he has fit in from an intangible standpoint that's been very special.''

Toon makes connection with new QB
Herbstreit's film study confirmed the chemistry between Wilson and wide receiver Nick Toon.

"They're both appreciating one another,'' he said. "When you're a quarterback -- whether you want to admit it or not -- you always have 'your guy.'

"And even though you have to read a defense before you make a decision on where to go with the ball, there's always 'your guy' that you're looking for and, clearly, Toon is that guy for Wilson.''

The Badgers have been dominating opposing defenses, but Herbstreit cautioned against drawing too many conclusions off the non-conference sample, especially given the strength of their opponents.

"Taylor Martinez and the Nebraska offense will challenge Wisconsin more than it has been challenged all year,'' he said. "This is where we'll really find out how good the Badgers are.

"Up to this point, they've done everything they're supposed to do. They've beaten up on a lot of inferior teams.

"But now here's a chance for Wisconsin. If the Badgers can go out and win this game, they can earn a lot more credibility on a national level than maybe what they've received so far.''

Huskers back in contention
There's no question Nebraska has once again become a solid football program under Bo Pelini. But there is a question on how the Huskers' athleticism and physicality will translate in the Big Ten.

"In the Big 12, their defense was built for more of a 4-2-5 with five and, sometimes, six defensive backs,'' Herbstreit said, "because everybody is spreading you out and throwing sideline to sideline.

"Now they're going to face more teams that are going to try and run the football at them, right down hill. There's a transition period defensively for what they're going through.

"Bo Pelini played with me at Ohio State. He was a captain, he grew up in Ohio. Much like Bret, he knows the Big Ten. He'll be able to prepare his players for what they're about to face.

"But you have what you have. It's the same thing with Brady Hoke at Michigan. They're in a transition period and Brady is doing the best that he can.

"Eventually you have to go out and find personnel that fits your team and what you do and that might take Nebraska couple of years to do that.''

Building perception of the Big Ten
Even with the addition of the Cornhuskers, the Big Ten is still trying to earn respect, Herbstreit said. As such, Saturday's winner will not automatically join the Big Boy Football fraternity.

SEC teams have won five straight national championships.

"The perception nationally of the Big Ten is that it's a step or two down,'' he said, "so even if you win this game, you're on the outside looking in. That's the reality of playing in the Big Ten.''

That won't change, Herbstreit added, "Until we as a conference change that perception by winning some heavyweight nonconference games and (BCS) bowl games.

"With that being said, Wisconsin takes a much higher step (nationally) if it beats Nebraska than Nebraska would if it beats Wisconsin. The opportunity is there for Wisconsin.

"People respect where Wisconsin's program is with Bret as the guy in charge. But playing in the Big Ten, the reality is that you need help in order to get up there with LSU, Oklahoma and Alabama.''

The Wisconsin wrestling team looks extremely young on paper this season, but is led by two very experienced redshirt juniors, Ben Jordan and Cole Schmitt. Both wrestlers qualified for the 2011 NCAA Championships and posted their best records to date last season.

UWBadgers.com sat down with the two wrestlers to discuss what they have been working on in the offseason and what fans should expect to see out of Wisconsin's wrestling squad this year.

 

Ben Jordan

How are you going to step up this season and make an impact?

"I'm just going to do my best to lead the team. I know we had some coaching changes last year and we have a lot of young guys, so I'm going to do my part and lead by example. I'm really confident in everyone on our team."

How do you feel about wrestling at 165 lbs. this season?

"I think it's the right weight for me and I think it's probably where I should have been for my whole career. There were some things that prevented me from that. I'm looking forward to it. I have one more chance at it. It's now or never so I have to get it done."

Do you expect anyone in particular to step up this year?

"We have some sophomores who are looking to break into the line-up for the first time. It can be very intimidating coming in and starting in the Big Ten, but those guys need to focus on wrestling. They just need to go out there and give everything they have for seven minutes."

What have you been working on in the offseason to prepare for this season?

"I worked on getting back to my style of wrestling. I drifted away from a couple of years so I need to get back on the attack, always push the pace and the same things that worked in high school are going to work here."

What would a successful year look like to you?

"I want nothing less than All-American. I'm going for first in the country obviously."

 

Cole Schmitt

What did you learn from the NCAA Championship last season that you are going to apply this season?

"I need to keep wrestling every match. My head really wasn't in that second match. I think after my appendix surgery, my head just wasn't in it. For whatever reason, I was afraid to go out there and wrestle. I think I was afraid to get hurt."

What did you learn from your injury last year?

"I look at Andrew (Howe) and how he can back from his injury. He came back and it seemed like his wrestling never suffered. I came back and just didn't have the right mindset and it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to."

What will be the most notable difference in your wrestling this season?

"Strength is a big one. With (Eric) Bugenhagen's lifts this summer, our whole team is a lot stronger. I think people will notice my strength is a lot better."

I tried to put together a release about television for road games at North Dakota on Jan. 27-28 (Fox College Sports) and at Minnesota on March 2-3 (Fox Sports North), as well as the online streaming schedule for select Badger home games, but clearly explaining the streaming schedule is proving a challenging task.

Instead, I'm trying here in a more informal way to see if that works better.

So... there are four Badger home game streams available to anyone. Two of those are free at wpt.org/wisconsinchannel. They are Oct. 8 against Northern Michigan and Jan. 20 against Alaska Anchorage. The other two games, which involve both games of the Mercyhurst series Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 25-26), require a subscription at UWBadgers.com.

The remaining six streams will only be available to viewers residing outside the borders of Wisconsin and again require a subscription at UWBadgers.com. Please note the subscription auto renews, so unsubscribe when you are done watching games if you don't want to keep getting charged.

Why outside the state, you ask? That is because they are on TV inside the state. In the Madison area, they are either on WISC-TV or TVW. Outside the Madison area, Charter Extra will carry the games. Those games include North Dakota (Oct. 22), Nebraska Omaha (Oct. 29), Minnesota Duluth (Dec. 10), RIT (Jan. 7), Alaska Anchorage (Jan. 21) and St. Cloud State (Feb. 4).

What this means is that all 22 regular-season home games will either air on TV or be available via the web.

Hopefully that makes sense so far.

A few bonus nuggets. All of Coach Eaves' Monday news conferences, which begin next Monday at 12:30 p.m., as well as all postgame news conferences at the Kohl Center, stream live and for free at UWBadgers.com.

Many of Wisconsin's opponents stream their games live at Americaone.com. This year, that means streams for games at Bemidji State, Colorado College, Minnesota State and St. Cloud State should be available to watch.

I would suggest checking UWBadgers.com each week for possible changes to the schedule.

We will be posting a chart on the Web in the next week that should help keep you informed on where you can catch Badger hockey.

Thousands of celebrating Badger fans did something after Wisconsin's victory over No. 1 ranked Ohio State last season that tailback Montee Ball didn't do during the game.

They got on the field.

Ball didn't play a snap against the Buckeyes, which made his late-season run -- make that his late-season running -- all the more noteworthy, especially given the numbers that Ball has put up since.

Since Oct. 23, 2010, Ball has accounted for 25 touchdowns, including at least one score in each of his last 10 games. Oregon's LaMichael James has 21 touchdowns over the same time span.

What is significant about Oct. 23?

One week after the Ohio State game, Ball came off the bench at Iowa -- replacing the injured James White in the rotation -- and scored the game-winning touchdown on a clutch 8-yard run.

That restored whatever confidence that he had lost. Ball finished with a flourish by rushing for over 100 yards in each of the final five games of the 2010 season.

After Tuesday's practice, Ball reflected on the sequence of events last October.

"The week leading up to it,'' he said of playing Ohio State, "was really exciting because we were playing the No. 1 team in the country. You can't ask for a bigger stage.

"But afterward I was a little depressed and a little sad about it (not playing).''

That prompted an office visit with his position coach, John Settle, who's now with the Carolina Panthers. Ball let him know, "I'm still committed to the team 100 percent.''

What else could he do?

"Basically I had no other options,'' Ball said. "It was either get better or go home.''

Ball informed Settle, "I'm ready whenever my number is called to go in and produce.''

Although he wasn't expecting to play at Iowa, he kept his word and delivered.

"I knew I had to get better,'' Ball said, "and I had to stay hungry.''

That's so ironic today in light of the fact that Ball has shed almost 40 pounds.

On Monday's national teleconference, Ball referenced his hunger again.

"I'm really, really hungry for this game,'' he said of Saturday's Big Ten opener against Nebraska.

That's due in part to being a spectator the last time the Badgers got a primetime kickoff against a premier opponent.

"This is what I prepared for in the off-season, and I'm loving it,'' Ball said. "I'm making sure I'm staying on top of school and everything so there are no distractions at all this week.

"I'm putting the cell phone away and focusing on Nebraska.''

That's a major sacrifice in this day and age.

UW coach Bret Bielema appreciates Ball's commitment on multiple fronts.

"The immediate effect physically is just the burst in speed and the pure things that you see him do on the football field,'' Bielema said of his weight loss. "A lot of that is because of the heart and mind.

"He's doing some things naturally and instinctive that a lot of people just don't do.''

Bielema has a great deal of confidence that Ball and White can produce in short-yardage situations, even though neither comes close to matching the size of previous UW tailbacks.

"I think we're probably more explosive than we've ever been,'' Bielema said. "I understand we don't have that real big back like we had with P.J. (Hill) and John (Clay) and obviously Ron Dayne.

"But I like the running backs we have. I wouldn't really trade them in for anything.''

Ball doesn't believe the hype surrounding the Nebraska game will be a distraction.

"We're used to it from last year and Ohio State,'' he said. "And also with Russell Wilson coming into the program there were TV cameras on him throughout training camp.''

ESPN is featuring Wilson in a quarterback special to air in October.

"They followed him everywhere,'' Ball said. "It's second nature to us now. We're used to it.''

It is a new era of Big Ten football, and why not start with this week's version of "The Game of the Century?" You thought last year's tussle with Ohio State was big? When it comes to hype, this Saturday night's conference opener with Nebraska might be even bigger.

Beyond the obvious of this being the Cornhuskers' first Big Ten game, the matchup also marks the first time since Nov. 24, 1962 that a game at Camp Randall Stadium featured two teams ranked in the top 10. On that day nearly 50 years ago, No. 3 Wisconsin beat No. 5 Minnesota, 14-9.

That was a few years before Chris, Lee, Kirk, Desmond, David and Erin started doing College GameDay. (I think that is the full roster, not including reporters such as Tom Rinaldi. If I left out anyone, I apologize to the good folks at ESPN)

This weekend also marks the beginning of divisional play, with the Badgers as part of the Leaders Division. Here is a simple formula to remember how the Big Ten is divided -- schools starting with the letter "M," and "N" along with Iowa -- are in the Legends Division. Everyone else is in the Leaders Division.

Divisional play also changes the tiebreaker system, making a game within the division more important. For instance, say Wisconsin, Penn State and Illinois finished tied for first in the Leaders Division, and against each other, every team is 1-1. The next step in the tiebreaker is a team's record within the rest of the division. With this in mind, the games against Ohio State, Purdue and Indiana carry more weight than a game against a Legends Division team.

Yeah, I know, this week's game is really huge anyway, regardless of the fact that the Badgers and the Huskers play in opposite divisions.

The atmosphere should be electric, and earlier this week head coach Bret Bielema urged fans, especially the students, to be in the stadium and ready to roll for the opening kickoff.

Which leads to perhaps the question of the week -- how many Nebraska fans will get a ticket?  Who knows, but word is we will be able to tell the difference between the Cardinal and White and the Big Red.

Seems folks from Nebraska will be wearing black shirts. Why black shirts?  That is symbolic of the Blackshirts nickname for the Cornhuskers defense. This goes back to the early 1960s, when then-coach Bob Devaney wanted to distinguish the defensive starters in practice.

Barry Alvarez knows firsthand about the Blackshirts. He can tell you all about it. He also can tell you about that 25-yard interception return against Wisconsin when the Huskers beat the Badgers in Madison.

Anytime there is video of that play, the Hall of Fame coach catches a ton of grief. In a nutshell, I will say nobody questioned Barry's toughness, but he was not exactly a sprinter. As the old line goes, Barry picked off the pass in 1966 -- and the play ended in 1967.

No doubt that story will be told many more times this week, and that is part of what makes college football so much fun.

So do spotlight games, and Big Game America returns to Madison, Wisconsin, this Saturday as the 116th season of Big Ten football gets underway.

It is a ticket worth saving, don't you think?

The UWBadgers.com Gameday Blog provided live coverage of  Wisconsin's 1-1 double overtime draw with Marquette at the McClimon Complex on Sept. 28, 2011. An archived version of the blog is below.