Badger Bits: Did Urban Meyer wreck the Gators?

The decision to place Wisconsin into the Leaders Division was the most geographically nonsensical choice the Big Ten made with the new divisions. But the placement has proved fortuitous for the Badgers so far, as the other top two contenders in the division, Penn State and Ohio State, are not trending in a positive direction. Those two programs are struggling with issues that go far beyond their performance on the football field. The Buckeyes are reeling after a scandal that sent Jim Tressel and Terrelle Pryor packing, and now news has come out that Urban Meyer might be exactly who you wouldn't want to be leading your program out of turmoil.

Matt Hayes of the Sporting News wrote an article alleging that while serving as the head coach at Florida, Meyer created a culture of preferential treatment, put up with prevalent drug use, and abruptly left the program once he realized the size of the monster he created. Percy Harvin supposedly refused to run stairs for conditioning, and not coincidentally the team resorted to playing basketball the next day. There may have been a 'Circle of Trust' filled with elite players who Meyer treated preferentially. He would hide drug suspensions for his top athletes by creating fake injuries that would sideline them for a game. In the story, Meyer flatly denies most of these allegations.

I subscribe to the notion that where there's smoke, there's fire. If Urban Meyer doesn't clean up his act in Columbus, then the Buckeyes will be right back where they started, and will only be able to watch helplessly as the Badgers rack up Leaders Division title after Leaders Division title.

Wednesday Links:

Bielema was asked about the latest Urban Meyer story, and he said he thinks the media still could do a better job of portraying the reality of the situation involving the Ohio State/Wisconsin recruiting spat.

In a speech on the UW-Madison campus yesterday, MLB commish Bud Selig said that he "would love Wisconsin to be back playing baseball."

The Wisconsin softball squad swept a doubleheader with Western Illinois yesterday, and the Badgers have won eight straight games, which tied the program record. Currently Wisconsin is fourth in the Big Ten with a 6-3 conference record and a 22-12 record overall.

Jared Abbrederis will sit out the remainder of spring practice with his foot injury. It goes without saying that we need Jared healthy for next season.

BadgerBlitz.com posted some photos taken at yesterday's football practice at the McClain Center.

Everything the Trotter twins do out on the football field is to honor their late brother, Lex.