Badger Bits: Time for Big Ten to lead the way

Good morning! I'm back from Beantown, and ready to get going on another season of college football. Thanks to Mr. Tupitza for filling in during my absence.

College football is back. Forget the Christmas season -- this is most wonderful time of the year. College football is getting back into full swing, but in a way it almost seemed like it never left. This past off season (and regular season, for that matter, thanks to one Cameron Newton) was tainted by scandals to our beloved sport, and it sounds like many conference commissioners are willing to address the problem. Jim Delany endorsed yesterday a number of reforms offered by his colleagues from the SEC and ACC, including adjusting scholarships to cover the full cost of attendance and raising the minimum GPA for incoming freshmen.

In response, Tom Oates of Madison.com writes that talking about reforming college football is nice, but it needs to be backed up as well. No matter how you look at it, there are serious problems in college football today. Oates is right- changes need to be made. Admitting you have a problem is a great first step, but nothing changes unless you take action. What changes would you like to see in college football? Leave a comment below!

Wisconsin defensive end David Gilbert has made his weight goal of 255 pounds, according to Tom Mulhern.

Bama Hawkeye of Off Tackle Empire looks at home field advantage across the Big Ten.

Spencer Hall of Every Day Should Be Saturday has a delightful summaryof each coach's performance at the B1G media days. (Warning: Page takes a while to load, and comment section tends to mildly NSFW, per usual.)

The official Wisconsin football roster has been updated. Go check it out to see some measurables on the new freshmen, and get to work on memorizing those numbers.

You can check out Bret Bielema's unabridged comments from yesterday at Madison.com. I have to say I enjoy how he ends press conferences with "On, Wisconsin."

Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel answered a few questions in this cool video.

On a more serious note, former Wisconsin wide receiver Kraig Appleton was shot in East St. Louis, and in stable condition as of last Tuesday. Appleton was a highly touted recruit in high school, but was suspended during his freshman year and eventually left the program. Keep Kraig and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Have a good weekend, everyone!