Rachel Bachman of the Wall Street Journal watched some football Tuesday and noticed that the Big Ten … well … sucks: For three quarters Tuesday, the Rose Bowl seemed like that Clint Eastwood commercial at halftime of last year’s Super Bowl about an auto-producing Rust Belt city rising up to reclaim its former glory. It […]

Gary Andersen, the reported new head coach at Wisconsin, is leaving Utah State in a fundamentally decent way: Hearing that Gary Andersen is still calling Utah State players this morning. Goal is to talk to every one. Not many coaches would do that. — Kevin Graham (@KevinGrahamKFAN) December 19, 2012   We noted last night […]

There are six Big Ten teams among the 20 most valuable college football programs in the country – and they are the six you would expect (though not necessarily in the order you may think). A report by Forbes shows Michigan climbed nicely while Penn State plummeted in the wake of the Sandusky mess. Ohio […]

Wisconsin appears to have a new football coach, the State Journal reports: The University of Wisconsin is set to hire Utah State’s Gary Andersen as the Badgers’ next football coach. A source close to the football program told the State Journal on Tuesday night it is a done deal: Andersen is UW athletic director Barry […]

  In the video above, former Ohio State running back and current ESPN analyst Robert Smith talks about why the Wisconsin job isn’t as attractive as you might think for a school coming off three straight Rose Bowls. Hint: It has to do with  money – and how much they pay assistants, compared to other […]

Barry Alvarez, who already makes $1 million a year as Wisconsin’s athletic director, will earn an additional $118,500 to coach the Rose Bowl. Which – in the screwy world of college athletics – makes perfect sense. In virtually any other field, it is asinine. Consider: Who would pick up the slack if one of your […]

In September, then-Wisconsin coach sent the following handwritten note to Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long, the man who eventually hired him away from the Badgers (via Arkansas News): Jeff, Just wanted to say that this note is long past due. As I watched your press conference this past spring I wanted to reach out and […]

Bowl season is nigh – and that means the unpaid student-athletes get free crap from the bowl organizing committees. Sports Business Daily breaks down what each bowl is handing out. Here is the Big Ten bowl SWAG: Minnesota, Meineke Car Care Bowl: Fossil watch, 32-inch flat-screen TV, belt buckle, T-shirt, lapel pin, backpack. Michigan State, […]

National Signing Day is just 57 days away (Feb. 6, if you choose not to do the math), and Big Ten classes are beginning to take shape. While there are plenty of commitments, de-commitments and switches to be made, here’s an early look at where each Big Ten team stands as signing day approaches (click […]

It’s always fun when universities post their head coaching opportunities just like any other job. We saw it last year with Illinois, and now here’s your chance to apply for the Wisconsin job: It goes on to say that applications must be received by Dec. 19, 2012. Does that mean the Badgers won’t be hiring […]

The latest out of Madison: Barry Alvarez says he won’t pursue Pitt coach (and Madison native and former Badgers assistant) Paul Chryst for the Wisconsin job. It’s official: Alvarez will coach in the Rose Bowl. Wisconsin quarterback Curt Phillips said Bret Bielema lied to him (though he said it more politely). Alvarez scoffs at Bielema […]

Some odd public relations out of Madison Fayetteville on Wednesday: Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez will return to the sideline to coach the Badgers against Stanford in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio, former coach Bret Bielema said at his introductory news conference at Arkansas on Wednesday. Sources confirmed to ESPN that Alvarez will coach in the bowl game […]

Arkansas superfan Lizhoney welcomes Bret Bielema down South with a song. It’s a hot mess and includes the lines “I’m in love with our new football coach”: (Via Kegs n Eggs.)

This Tweet came moments after the news broke that Bret Bielema is bailing on the Badgers for the greener pastures of Arkansas: Sad to see Bielema go ~ #ThingsNoBadgerAlumSays — Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) December 4, 2012 This, of course, is demonstrably silly and false – as evidenced by the quick and sarcastic responses to McCalvy’s […]

The Big Ten – in all its football excellence – is a cumulative 55-point underdog for its seven bowl games this holiday season. Better yet, not one Big Ten school is favored in any of the bowls. See: Bowl Big Ten Opponent Line Meineke Minnesota Texas Tech TT -13 Buffalo Wild Wings Michigan St TCU […]

Around 3:00 p.m. today, Pat Forde set the Twitter machine afire with this Tweet: Yahoo! Sports exclusive: Bret Bielema leaving Wisconsin for Arkansas.yhoo.it/TDY9yU More to come — Pat Forde (@YahooForde) December 4, 2012 Here are our favorite reactions: Sorry, Brett: Bo Ryan says you’ll have to sit out a year. — Hawkize (@hawkize) December 4, […]