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The Barry Alvarez era closed in fine fashion as the Badgers dominated the Auburn Tigers in the Capital One Bowl. It was a fantastic send off for the man that revitalized the Wisconsin Football program, and now he sits atop as the universities Athletic Director. He handed the reigns over to Bret Bielema who is the second youngest NCAA football Head Coach. He inherits a squad that returns 11 starters from last years 10 win team. His offense won’t come near the 34 PPG it averaged a year ago with mass defections along the O-Line and in both the WR and RB corps. Still, QB John Stocco is back for his senior campaign and experienced QB’s usually find a way to get offenses going no matter how young it is. The defense will be the Badgers strength in ’06. The D-Line looks to be the muscle behind this unit with all four starters returning anchored by HM B10 DT Nick Hayden. The back seven looks stout as well, and should see its numbers improve due to the strength of its front wall. The Badgers boast a pair of exceptional legs on special teams, but need to find another return man if they expect to rank near the top again this season.
It won’t be easy for Badgers fans to accept the new HC after watching Barry Alvarez roam their sideline for the last 17 years. However, HC Bielema was hand picked by Alvarez as his predecessor so the guy must be worthy of the role. With him being a defensive minded guy, look for the Badgers to have more of a ball control mentality looking to pin its opponent back rather than going for the quick strike. Their road schedule is vicious with trips to Michigan, Indiana, Purdue, and Iowa but they avoid both Ohio State and Michigan State overall. If they protect Camp Randall, they should go bowling in the first season of the Bielema era.
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