Wisconsin Badgers news, 6/3: 2014 Big Ten, Heisman Trophy odds

The Big Ten's newly-aligned divisions could be a blessing in disguise for head coach Gary Andersen and his staff as they enter their second season in Madison. Are they the favorites to represent the West Division in the conference championship game? SB Nation's Bill Connelly has a preview of the Badgers.

The player who might be the most responsible if Wisconsin gets back to Indianapolis is Melvin Gordon, and the running back has the ninth-best odds to hoist the Heisman Trophy at 18/1, per Bovada. Gordon and his teammates are also listed at 3-to-1 odds to win the conference title. Ohio State takes the cake at 3/2.

As has been the case for the past several years, the Badgers' non-conference slate is filled with a whole lot of "cupcakes" this season, outside of LSU. Big Ten Network's Tom Dienhart breaks it all down. (Disclaimer: UW's non-conference opponents had a combined 2013-14 record of 26-25).

BT Powerhouse's Chris Novak takes an early look at a possible starting lineup for Bo Ryan's squad next season. Wisconsin State Journal's Doug Moe has a very heartwarming article on assistant equipment manager and official scorer for the men's basketball team, Otto Puls, who was a kid in a candy store when the team visited Miller Park last month.

Your recruiting update: Drew has another notebook outlining the recruits that have Wisconsin in their final list sbefore they make their commitments. Andersen has offered a scholarship to South Carolina-based offensive guard Zack Bailey ($), who holds offers from a bunch of top-tier programs. 247 Sports' Evan Flood believes if the Badgers offer Franklin High School offensive tackle Vincent Hughes ($), he'll commit. Wisconsin was one of many in the hunt for four-star quarterback Torrance Gibson, but that's no longer the case. Auburn and Tennessee lead the charge for the Plantation High School product.

Badgers in the NFL: Acme Packing Company's Tex Western looks at the game film of former UW and current Packers wide receiver Jared Abbrederis. It seems like the Wautoma native is fitting in just fine with his teammates and fans. Montee Ball is "not taking anything for granted" as he heads into his second season in the NFL. Plus, the playbook is becoming second nature to him. Travis Frederick is a very smart man, and we have the photographic evidence to prove it. Who would have thought James White would already be a prototypical member of the New England Patriots?

Quick Hitters

Athletic director Barry Alvarez completed the transition of merging the men's and women's track and cross country programs under one umbrella, letting go of tenured head coach Jim Stinzi, according to a university statement.

"We appreciate Jim's efforts as the women's head coach for the past 10 years but we feel that it is now time to have one head coach for our program," Alvarez said.

We have a dynasty on our hands, ladies and gentlemen. The Wisconsin's women's lightweight rowing team captured its fourth straight NCAA championship over the weekend.

You can vote for Wisconsin, or Auburn if you're a casual fan, in the Round of 32 for Sirius XM's Tradition Tournament.

Maybe Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis will finally like Wisconsin now [insert sarcasm]. His cousin, Elan Koenig, will be a member of the men's soccer team.

Big congrats to @BadgerMSoccer. You got a great one in my cousin @ElanKoenig! No one scores on Wisconsin for a while http://t.co/9Cpg27WNfv

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) June 2, 2014

ESPN.com is unveiling the top 50 coaches in the world of college basketball, and started with Nos. 50-26 on Monday. Big Ten coaches who made the cut include Minnesota's Richard Pitino (No. 49), Iowa's Fran McCaffery (No. 33) and Nebraska's Tim Miles (No. 32).