Morning gang- we only have 43 days to go until the Badgers kick off the 2011 season against UNLV. Be sure to pick up your copy of Badger Kickoff 2011 to tide you over until September 1st!
Steve Megargee of Rivals.com wrote about Wisconsin's 1-2 tailback punch, and how Montee Ball and James White's friendly rivalry helps them grow into better players. Both Ball and White have worked hard in the offseason to bring an extra dimension to their game- Ball dropped weight to gain an added burst, and White added some muscle to help him between the tackles.
Megargee brings up an interesting point in the piece. Which back will get the most carries in 2011? White rushed for over a thousand yards in his freshman year, and Ball fell four yards short of that mark. It's a problem the Wisconsin coaching staff will have to sort out in fall camp, but it's a problem most other programs would love to have.
More links after the jump!
Sam McKewon of the Omaha World-Herald thinks new kid on the block Nebraska should look out for the big, bad Badgers. He also thinks the Huskers could take a few pointers from the Badgers.
The Iowa Gazette has a new feature: Legends and Leaders for the geographically challenged. It still would have made more sense to use East and West, dammit.
Mike Fiammetta of the Badger Herald has his Big Ten preview posted for the 2011 season.
Kyle Heikkinen of Badger247.com tweets that Russell Wilson will don No. 16 for the Badgers this year. That should make recognizing the quarterback easier for Badger fans- it might be like Scott Tolzien never left.
Off Tackle Empire looks at the best non-conference games in Week 2 of the 2011 season.
Stay cool out there if you're in the Midwest! I'm heading up to a baseball game with a triple digit heat index, so hopefully I won't get stuck to the bleachers.