When Barry Alvarez announced Bret Bielema would be taking over for him as the Badgers' head coach, there seemed to be a reluctant acceptance throughout Wisconsin. Badger fans knew the defense the year before; stars like Erasmus James, Jimmy Leonhard and Anttaj Hawthorne were stellar, but no one knew much about UW's defensive coordinator.
They knew he was young, they knew he had a Hawkeye tattoo on his calf and they knew his last name was difficult to pronounce, often confused with an eating disorder. But that was about it.
Alvarez was such an iconic figure both in his stature (his silhouette can be recognized anywhere in this state from Racine to Rhinelander) and what he means in the scope of Wisconsin sports history, in that he turned around an essentially dormant program. Replacing such an important symbol on the heels of the Badgers' improbable Capital One Bowl victory is no easy task.
Barry put his trust in Bielema and hoped Badger fans would welcome him with open arms. Badger fans welcomed him, but the openness wasn't there just yet.
Wisconsin didn't look so hot in the early going. Yeah, they won, but they won ugly over Bowling Green and San Diego State. Even yours truly questioned Bielema's seemingly nonsensical fourth-down strategies.
But a tough game against the possible National Champion Wolverines in Ann Arbor and subsequent blowouts of Indiana, Northwestern and Minnesota started rallying the troops around the rookie head coach.
An important win over Penn State at home, coupled with obtaining the elusive triumph over Iowa have cemented Bielema's place as ""the man"" in Madison.
When Badger fans shook off their Saturday night hangovers and rolled out of bed at 3 p.m.—just in time to shower and go see Bo Ryan's boys battle Mercer—many went right to the BCS rankings on their computers.
I, for one, knew the Badgers were 10-1, but never thought in my wildest dreams they would be No. 9 in the country. Sure, Texas, Auburn and Louisville lost, but over my four years at Wisconsin, I have seen the lack of national attention and respect for every sport at UW.
When the Badgers were 9-0 two years ago and No. 4 in the country, the lack of consideration given to them was mind-boggling at the time. In retrospect, it was probably rightfully so, as they lost their last three in depressing fashion.
Sure, he's made some enemies along the way—he infuriated Joe Paterno by exploiting the new rule on kickoffs. But his manipulation of the rule, finding the loophole, will most likely cause the NCAA to alter it. He angered his old friend Kirk Ferentz when he was running amok on the field, at one point almost immersed in a Badger/Hawkeye huddle. But who wouldn't want a coach ready to fight for his players?
Barring a monumental slip-up against Buffalo, the Badgers' season will be an amazing success. With no returning receivers, a freshman running back and two tight ends that had never stepped on the offensive side of a football field, he has blown through a weak Big Ten.
He's broken Wisconsin and Big Ten rookie records, but what's important is that he's won over the hearts of Badger fans and they know they have a rock on the sidelines for years to come.
Sam can be reached at sepepper@wisc.edu.
