For all of Wisconsin's success under Bret Bielema -- 16 consecutive home victories, two New Year's Day bowl games and regular appearances in the national polls -- one glaring fact remains: the Badgers have not won a Big Ten Championship in a decade.
The last time the Badgers took over Pasadena, Ron Dyane was barreling through the Stanford defense and Bill Clinton was still in the Oval Office.
While the current championship drought is nowhere near as desolate as the 31 years it took before Barry Alvarez and his lunch-pail gang finally got the program back on top in 1993, it's still a difficult pill to swallow for fans that have become accustomed to success.
Expectations are high in Madison this year. Wisconsin was picked to finish second behind Ohio State in a pre-season poll of Big Ten Conference reporters and broadcasters. Living up to such lofty expectations could mean a return to Southern California, but there are an awful lot of question marks.
Defensively, Wisconsin is just as suspect as it was the last two seasons. In three of the Badgers' four losses last season, opponents scored more than 30 points. Those three losses -- at Illinois, Penn State and Ohio State -- effectively knocked Wisconsin out of BCS consideration.
The unit was one of the worst in the Big Ten a year ago and was 35th nationally scoring defense (allowing 23.15 points per game) and 38th in total yards allowed (356.62). Wisconsin allowed 56 plays for at least 20 yards. That, more than anything else, kept Wisconsin out of the title picture in 2007.
Quarterback Allan Everidge adds to the uncertainty. The senior won the starting job in training camp, but was far from overwhelming. His last starting assignment came in 2005, when he was a freshman at Kansas State. Offensive coordinator Paul Chryst was frequently unimpressed during training camp with the lackluster and inconsistent play from Everidge and backups Dustin Scherer and Scott Tolzien.
Everidge will have options to help ease the load, especially in tight end Travis Beckum. The senior from Oak Creek led the team in receiving the last two seasons, coming close to 1,000-yard campaigns each year.
The offensive line will be anchored by three seniors, giving Everidge protection and time to find Beckum and the receiver corps. And, it should be able to help return Wisconsin's running game to the bruising reputation it earned under Alvarez.
In the backfield, running back P.J. Hill is a bruising tailback that has, at times, conjured images of Dayne. Other times, though, he's had difficulty staying on the field. Zack Brown and John Clay stand ready, waiting in the wings. Brown picked up 588 yards last year filling in for Hill and during the suspension of Lance Smith (since booted from the team). The running backs will need to be on their game this year, especially considering Everidge's inexperience and a young group of wideouts.
Then there's Bielema, himself. Alvarez's handpicked successor has been far from a failure, but both of his first two teams have left the bitter taste of unfinished business in people's mouths. Alvarez didn't exactly leave the cupboard bare for Bielema, and it isn't unfair to expect an upgrade.
The head coach has done the right things -- he's shown he is a disciplinarian, for starters -- and he's said them, too -- his "1-0" mantra seems to work. But making January trips to Orlando and Tampa will soon wear thin on the Camp Randall faithful that don't ask for much more than a simple trip to Pasadena every couple of years.
It would be nice to say that a 51-14 victory over Marshall is a good indicator that the Badgers a poised to make a run for the roses this season, but the Thundering Herd -- though talented -- isn't exactly a good barometer for the level of talent found in the Big Ten or for that matter, in the Badgers' next opponent, Fresno State.
