I feel like something really cool was announced yesterday, but I can't put my finger on it. All I know is that everything seems to be coming up roses around here. Anyway, on to the Badger links!
Bret Bielema is either psychic, or is just as confident (or cocky, if you will) as we thought he was. I'm guessing it's the second one, but hey you never know. If you recall, Bielema said this in his press conference with the media at the Big Ten media days before the season began:
"I was going to walk in with a Rose Bowl hat but I thought it would be a little over the top to give you a story to write."
Well played, Bret. According to Tom Mulhern at Madison.com, Bielema has had the Rose Bowl and Big Ten championships on his mind since the Badgers defeated the Miami Hurricanes 20-14 in the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl:
"I really felt last year, we were on the verge of being a championship level team," Bielema said. "We weren't able to close out a couple games the way we needed to and the scars of last year, I think, propelled us to this year."
More Badger Bits after the jump!
Football
As if you haven't noticed from the deluge of Rose Bowl discussion and general euphoria, the Badgers are headed to the 2011 Rose Bowl! Huzzah!
Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel gives us a preliminary scouting report on the TCU Horned Frogs.
If you were hoping to get a last-minute ticket to "The Granddaddy of Them All", you might be out of luck. The University of Wisconsin has already sold out its entire Rose Bowl ticket allotment, according to Adam Mertz of Madison.com.
The Big Ten announced over the weekend that it has concluded its expansion study after the upcoming addition of the University of Nebraska. This isn't unexpected- after scoring the Cornhuskers, it didn't seem like the Big Ten would be actively looking for another member.
Our rodent loving neighbors to the west have announced the hiring of former NIU head coach Jerry Kill to take over as the Gophers head coach for the 2011 season. Looks like a solid hire- Kill has a track record of doing well with bad teams, and he has the added bonus of looking like a Gopher!
It seems as though Wisconsin offensive coordinator Paul Chryst interviewed for the Minnesota position, and defensive coordinator Dave Doeren is apparently a candidate to take over the Indiana Hoosiers. However, a lot of speculation has Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson as the current front-runner for the IU job. I wouldn't be surprised to see them name somebody by the end of the week, if not today or Tuesday.
Hockey
The Badgers earned a split with the Seawolves from the University of Alaska-Anchorage by beating the Huskies 3-1 on Saturday. The No. 15 Badgers were upset on Friday night 2-1 on a UA-A goal that came with 8.1 seconds remaining in regulation.
Basketball
Jordan Taylor came one assist short of recording the first triple-double in the history of the Wisconsin men's basketball program, and Rob Schultz of Madison.com thinks that Taylor made a strong statement on Saturday.
Countdown to the 2011 Rose Bowl
Finally! After 11 years its time to countdown to the days until the Badgers' seventh Rose Bowl appearance. Without further ado: 26 days until the Badgers face off against TCU in the Rose Bowl!