Badger Bits: Is this the year of the Badger?

Here are your Badger Bits for Wednesday, July 28th:

The buzz about the Wisconsin Badgers continues to grow by the day, with several college football pundits thinking out loud that the Badgers have what it takes to appear in their first BCS game since the 2000 Rose Bowl. ESPN's Bruce Feldman has named the Badgers as one of his top BCS sleeper teams, along with the Florida State Seminoles and the Virginia Tech Hokies. Feldman lists the home game against OSU as one of the biggest reasons Wisconsin might surprise people this season.

Michael Hunt at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel also thinks that 2010 could be a special year for the Badgers, as well as the Green Bay Packers. 1962 was the last year that the Badgers appeared in the Rose Bowl and the Packers played in the Super Bowl, and Hunt believes that there's a decent chance of that happening again. He invokes comparisons to UW's 1993 offensive line as well as having a returning starting quarterback in Scott Tolzien as reasons that the Badgers may have one of their best seasons in school history.

More Badger news after the jump!

The football team's official Twitter page has been updated with news that the team's roster page has been expanded with official bios and headshots of everyone on the roster including the incoming freshmen. Make sure to read up on some of the newest Badgers!

 

Speaking of recruits, Wisconsin has risen to the top of high school offensive lineman Spencer Region's list of potential teams, according to an interview with CrimsonConfidential.com. Region, an Alabama native, had previously committed to Auburn but changed his mind earlier this year. He cites Wisconsin's "great tradition of putting linemen in the NFL" as one of the main reasons he is seriously considering becoming a Badger. Region is rated as a four star recruit by ESPN.com, as well as making their Top 150 list. He would become UW's highest rated recruit in the 2011 class.

Head coach Bret Bielema has made BleacherReport.com's list of the top 10 coaches in the Big Ten and the SEC. Bielema checks in at number nine, ahead of Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald. The Big Ten and the SEC both have five coaches listed in the list.

Jon Leuer has been giving rave reviews of UW men's basketball head coach Bo Ryan to members of the national media. Leuer says that "It's amazing how much better you can get in four years with [Ryan]." Ryan will be looking to guide the basketball team to a tenth straight NCAA tournament appearance when the season tips off with an exhibition on November 6th against UW-Lacrosse.

Finally, former UW point guard Devin Harris thinks that current UW point guard Jordan Taylor is ready to have a breakthrough year as Wisconsin's new starting point guard.

38 days until kickoff!