Indiana coach Kevin Wilson coordinated the prolific Oklahoma offenses of the last decade before coming to the Big Ten, so he knows what it's like to have an elite offense like Wisconsin's. He also seems to understand what it takes to win in the Big Ten, despite the fact that his team is 1-5 overall and 0-1 in conference games. Wilson pointed to Wisconsin as a model for how to build a physical, fundamentally solid team that can achieve success in the Big Ten.
As told to Jeff Potrykus:
"That's what Wisconsin has done through the (years) ... Yes they're recruiting good players, but the real deal is the way those young men have embraced the values of playing tough, playing hard, playing physical. Those are things we've talked about since Day 1."
Wilson has a lot of work to do if he wishes to rebuild a program that hasn't had a winning season in conference play since the early '90s. The Hoosiers have struggled with consistency on offense both up front and at the skill positions. They've been good at time defensively, but are victimized by big plays far too often.
The Badgers are on the other end of spectrum, the end Wilson enjoyed for much of his time at Oklahoma and Northwestern in the early '00s. Wisconsin racked up 83 points against Indiana at Camp Randall last year and certainly have the firepower to do it again. Whether or not they will do it again may be the only question left when halftime rolls around Saturday.
Potrykus also put together a scouting report on the Hoosiers. He doesn't identify any real strengths that could give the Badgers trouble.
Even after being around so many successful offensive teams, Wilson is impressed by Wisconsin's offense. "I don't look forward to going against it, but I love what they do," he told Andy Baggot.
Dave Heller interviewed Heisman Pundit's Chris Huston about Russell Wilson's Heisman candidacy. Bottom line: Wilson needs to sustain his highly efficient level of play and the Badgers need to go undefeated for Wilson to have a shot.
Defensive end Tyler Dippel had a nice game against Nebraska, and it looks like we'll be seeing more of him until David Gilbert recovers from a broken foot. Dippel has struggled with injuries of his own in the past, but the coaches like his relentlessness. Tom Mulhern has more.
Speaking of oft-injured Badgers who played well against Nebraska, here's a feature on Josh Oglesby.
What unit could make or break Wisconsin's BCS hopes? A Badger Herald columnist says it's the Badgers' much-improved secondary.
ESPN's Brian Bennett identified Wisconsin linebacker Mike Taylor as one of the most surprising players in the conference this season and hinted that he might be in the running for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Not news, just speculation, but it looks like Nate Tice may have done an "Ask Me Anything" on reddit.