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August 2-3, 2010 | Hyatt Regency McCormick Place | Chicago, Ill.
The 2010 Big Ten Football Media Days and Kickoff Luncheon are set for Aug. 2-3 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, and UWBadgers.com will have full coverage of the event.
Wrapping Up
The final media obligations for the Badgers' John Clay, Scott Tolzien and Jay Valai on Tuesday involved two hours worth of one-on-one interviews with members of the print media. A sample of each player's remarks are below:
John Clay
Scott Tolzien
Jay Valai
With 400 media members descending on Chicago for the two-day Big Ten Football Kickoff, there has been plenty of preseason coverage flooding the Web over the past couple of days. Catch up on some of the highlights:
Also, a look at some of the more interesting comments to come out of the press conferences held by the 11 league coaches and commissioner Jim Delany on Monday:
8:30 p.m. -- Scott Tolzien has made plenty of throws under pressure for the Badgers, but the senior quarterback found himself in a different type of pressure-packed situation Tuesday at the 2010 Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon. Check out a light-hearted look at Tolzien's "preparation" for his big toss:
2:50 p.m. -- The 2010 edition of Big Ten Media Days is in the books after the Kickoff Luncheon concluded earlier this afternoon. The day began with two hours of media interviews before players John Clay, Scott Tolzien and Jay Valai took part in an autograph session that led up to the Kickoff Luncheon. Here's a look at the day in photos:
12:00 p.m. -- Big Ten Network has posted archived video of Coach Bielema's opening press conference. Find it below, or with the rest of BTN's coverage -- including a live blog -- online at BigTenNetwork.com.
11:44 a.m. -- Check out video of Jay Valai and Scott Tolzien's reactions to the Badgers being picked third in the Big Ten's preseason poll:
11:40 a.m. -- We have a photo gallery from this morning's media activities posted. Check back throughout the day, as the gallery will be upated continually.
11:07 a.m. -- Coach Bielema and the Badgers' three player representatives, Scott Tolzien, Jay Valai and John Clay, are in the midst of their hour in the local TV rotation, moving between four stations where they take questions from members of the media from throughout Big Ten country.
Up next is interviews with Sirius|XM radio, lunch, and our live chat with the players on UWBadgers.com at 12:30 p.m.
Badgers Picked Third
Wisconsin has been picked to finish third in the Big Ten this season, according to the annual preseason media poll released Monday by the conference.
Ohio State is the preseason favorite in the league, with Iowa picked second and the Badgers third. In addition, the media panel voted Michigan State's Greg Jones as the league's preseason Defensive Player of the Year and Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor as the preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
Big Ten Football Media Days 2010 kicks off Monday, and Wisconsin fans will have the opportunity to be part of the action as UWBadgers.com presents a live chat with Badger players Scott Tolzien, Jay Valai and John Clay.
The half-hour live chat begins at 12:30 p.m. (CT). Can't be near your computer during the live chat? E-mail your questions in advance to bm3@athletics.wisc.edu and then check back to the archived blog to see the players' answers.
Wisconsin will be represented in Chicago by head coach Bret Bielema, junior running back John Clay, senior quarterback Scott Tolzien and senior defensive back Jay Valai. Here's a look at the four who will serve as the face of the Badgers program:
Bret Bielema | Head Coach | Fifth Season Bielema enters his fifth year at the helm of the UW program with a 38-14 career record after guiding the Badgers to a 10-3 season in 2009. After going 5-3 in conference to earn a share of fourth place in the final Big Ten standings, Bielema coached the Badgers to a 20-14 win over No. 14 Miami in the Champs Sports Bowl.
John Clay | Junior | Running Back The reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Clay returns for his junior season after rushing for a Big Ten-leading 1,517 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was named 2009 Champs Sports Bowl MVP after rushing for 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns and enters the year as a preseason All-America pick by Playboy and Athlon.
Scott Tolzien | Senior | Quarterback In his first season as a starter, Tolzien was the Big Ten's leader in pass efficiency last year and set a school record for completions. His 143.2 career efficiency mark ranks No. 1 in school history, and Tolzien begins his senior season on the watch lists for the Davey O'Brien, Manning and Unitas awards.
Jay Valai | Senior | Defensive Back Valai heads into his senior season as the anchor of the Badgers' secondary and a preseason All-Big Ten pick by Phil Steele and Athlon. He was named second-team All-Big Ten each of the past two seasons and, last year, contributed to a Badgers unit that ranked No. 17 nationally in total defense.
Media Days on TV
Both Big Ten Network and ESPNEWS will offer live coverage of Big Ten Media Days 2010. BTN will offer four hours of coverage on Monday, Aug. 2, beginning at 10 a.m. (CT) and covering the full press conferences for all 11 head coaches and league commissioner Jim Delaney. ESPNEWS also will air each press conference, either live or tape-delayed.
In addition, live streaming video of each press conference will be available online at BigTenNetwork.com.
Just as he will this year, head coach Bret Bielema met the media on the opening day of the 2009 Big Ten Media Days. Archived video of Bielema's remarks is available below, courtesy of Big Ten Network.
Bielema also took part in the annual Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon to help close out media days.
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