B5Q Blogopean Union: we’ve got a busy week ahead

Good morning! This is going to be a daily(ish) post that discusses the goings on of the rest of the Big Ten Conference, and the country as needed. Much like the European Union, the Big Ten is a loosely confederated group of entities that sometimes have the same goals (like free movement of people between countries or not winning national titles in football or basketball) and sometimes accept new members that they later regret (Estonia or Rutgers).

We hope that you will use this post to comment on things happening around the conference and also as a sort of daily open thread to discuss breaking news or argue about Spotted Cow (which we NO LONGER DO).

• Normally, a lot of the stuff in today’s Blogopean Union would warrant its own post, but we have got content out the wazoo for you today due to it being early signing day for men’s hoops and there actually being a football game on Saturday! So, let’s get to it.
• WR Kendric Pryor and ILB Jack Sanborn met with the media on Tuesday to discuss this weekend’s game against Michigan as well as how strange this season has been so far. Pryor noted that everyone in the locker room knows what is it stake the rest of the season.

Pryor also noted that while he tries not to look at things like rankings, it was hard to see the Badgers fall down them over the past two weeks while not playing.

The starting quarterback is unknown for the Badgers this Saturday, although the depth chart that was released on Tuesday still has Graham Mertz as the starter, but Pryor says that doesn’t matter to him because his job is to catch the balls that are thrown to him.

Despite having some trouble the last two weeks, Sanborn knows that Michigan QB Joe Milton is a good player.

He also mentioned the versatility of Michigan’s rushing attack, where as many as four guys see carries.

• Slowly but surely we are getting tv information for the first half of the men’s hockey season. Here are the games that will be on Big Ten Network:

Really weird that we’ll be able to watch Badgers hockey on Monday and Tuesday, but hey...sports on tv are sports on tv!

This weekend’s opening series against Notre Dame will be airing on NBCSN for the Friday game and streaming on the NBC Sports App for Saturday’s game.

• Jon Rothstein reported on Tuesday that Northern Iowa would be coming to the Kohl Center on Dec. 16th for a non-conference matchup. You may remember that we suggested this game a month ago in our post on an ideal Madison MTE. Right now, there are three other known games on Wisconsin’s non-conference schedule: Nov. 25th vs. Eastern Illinois, Dec. 4th at Marquette, Dec. 9th vs. Louisville and then the UNI game, which hasn’t been confirmed yet by UW.
• It is the first day of the early signing period for the men’s basketball team! Sounds like the three members of Wisconsin’s 2021 class are ready to sign on the doted line.

• UW continues to stay in contact with 2022 sharp-shooter Jaden Schutt. He would be a great addition to their roster imo.

• A fun trip down memory lane to the 1960 Floyd of Rosedale game between Iowa and Minnesota.
• Purdue will be down one member of their starting o-line for the rest of the year as they prepare for a critical B1G West showdown with Northwestern this weekend.
• I’m sure Urban Meyer saying bad things about Michigan will go over well in Ann Arbor.
• Five Big Ten teams were ranked in the women’s preseason AP hoops poll, including Northwestern at No. 17.
• Illinois DL (formerly RB) Johnny Newton wants to design cars!
• “If you don’t wanna play against good teams, there’s something wrong with you.” Mel Tucker spitting truth.