Badger Bits: UW Athletics wants to build new football facility

Wisconsin athletic officials announced Wednesday that they are looking to build a $76 million brand-spanking-new football facility just north of Camp Randall Stadium. The proposal also includes money to update the scoreboards, sound system, and the field turf at Camp Randall. The UW System Board of Regents will review the request to build this center today, and presumably will get back to the Wisconsin athletic department with an answer as to whether they will include this in the state budget. If approved, construction would begin in December 2011 and be completed by October 2013.

If this is approved, what does this mean for Wisconsin football? Starting quarterback Scott Tolzien says it best: "A whole new facility would really bring this program to a top-notch level where you could say it's second to none. We'd have the locker room right there, the stadium right here and all those facilities literally just footsteps away. I think that would be huge with recruiting and with trying to raise this program to the next level." Tolzien definitely hit the mark when he brought up recruiting- recruits love brand-new shiny things and seeing a new facility coming up speaks volumes as to the direction of the program. Now all we can do is wait and hope this facility gets approved; it would be great for the Badger football.

After the jump, we've got the recap of last year's bout at Ohio State. And of course, more links to news in the world of Badger sports.

Wisconsin entered Columbus last season with a better record than the Buckeyes. Wisconsin was undefeated and Ohio State had already lost to USC. Yet, the Badgers were unranked and Ohio State was #9 in the country. Could the Badgers prove their worth to the critics in the hostile environment of the Shoe?

Wisconsin Badgers (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) at Ohio St. Buckeyes (4-1, 2-0), October 10, 2009 - If I told you that Terrelle Pryor completed only five passes in this game, you'd think the Badgers had a pretty good shot at winning, right? Well, this was one of those games where the statistics would not accurately tell the entire story. Sure, the Badgers outgained OSU 368 yards to 184, but the Buckeyes were too busy making big plays on defense and special teams to care. Kurt Coleman opened up scoring with a 89 yard TD return of a Scott Tolzien interception. The Badgers quickly answered with a perfectly-executed fake field goal run TD. Chris Maragos took the snap, faked putting it down, then rolled out to the left and extended the ball over the pylon for 6. Right after this, Tolzien tried to find someone to high-five on the sideline but failed miserably. Anyways, Wisconsin had the ball to start the 2nd half only down 14-10, but it was all downhill from there. Another interception return TD, this time by Jermale Hines. A Philip Welch FG answered by a Ray Small kickoff return to the house. Ohio State came out with a 31-13 victory in a game that the Badgers probably gave away. Bret Bielema raised eyebrows when he said he 'hates losing to those guys' after the game. But a bottled up John Clay and an opportunistic Buckeye D equaled another win for Ohio State.

More Links:

Beau Allen continues to impress in camp, and he's determined to play sooner than later.

Bennett Okotcha is Wisconsin's 10th recruit for 2011. He's a defensive back from Texas who goes to the same high school that Devin Smith attended.

As far as I know, the Big Ten Conference basketball schedule hasn't yet been released, but ESPN will televise Wisconsin at Michigan St. on Jan. 11 and Purdue at Wisconsin on Feb. 1.

These pre-fall Big Ten basketball rankings have Wisconsin at number five. I don't understand this considering Bo Ryan's Wisconsin teams have never finished worse than 4th in the conference.

An interesting article by Mike Lucas on one of the most important aspects of college football: the referees. Instant replays will finally be viewed in the booth on HD televisions.

UNLV, our first football opponent in 2010, is happy about in-state rival Nevada joining the Mountain West Conference.

In Adam Rittenberg's eyes, Wisconsin has the best offensive line in the Big Ten, and the best in college football if our linemen stay healthy. Can't say I disagree.