Gridiron Grind

Here's how I see the race for the Big Ten Conference title playing out:1 -- Ohio State (8-0, 12-0)2 --  Wisconsin (6-2, 9-3)3 (tie) -- Penn State (5-3, 9-3), Illinois (5-3, 8-4) and Michigan State (5-3, 8-4)6 -- Purdue (4-4, 6-6)7 (tie) -- Michigan (3-5, 6-6) and Iowa (3-5, 6-6)9 (tie) -- Indiana (2-6, 6-6) and Minnesota (2-6, 5-7)11 -- Northwestern (1-7, 5-7)My take on the Badgers: It's never easy to predict in August what's going to happen in September, October and November. For now, I predict victories over Michigan, Iowa, Penn State and Illinois, even though I wouldn't be shocked if UW lost any of those games. And I predict losses to Fresno State, Ohio State and... READ MORE

UW coach Bret Bielema said Thursday that redshirt freshman Philip Welch will handle kickoffs in addition to extra points and field goals Saturday when the Badgers open the season against Akron.Welch beat out junior Matt Fischer for the starting spot, although Bielema said the coaching staff ``may work (Fischer) in on some kickoffs and depending on how the game goes work him into a field goal (or) PAT situation as well.''As recently as earlier this week, Bielema and assistant coach Charlie Partridge have been debating whether to use Welch on long field goals and Fischer on shorter field goals and kickoffs. But they decided that Welch had earned the nod in both roles.Since Welch received the news that he won the job, ``he's really take a huge step forward,'' Bielema said. ``It's really helped him confidence-wise knowing that he's got the job... READ MORE

UW senior tight end Travis Beckum was named to ESPN's preseason All-American team.It remains to be seen if Beckum, who was bothered by hamstring injury during preseason camp, will play Saturday when the Badgers open the 2008 season against Akron at Camp Randall Stadium. We should know more about Beckum's status when UW coach Bret Bielema meets with the media following practice Thursday night.I'm not quite sure what to expect from Beckum this season. At this time a year ago, I thought it was going to be hard to top the 61 receptions for 903 yards and five touchdowns he had as a sophomore in 2006. The Beckum proved me wrong, catching 75 passes for 982 yards and six touchdowns as a junior.So can he top last year's numbers?Here are a few things working... READ MORE

I couldn't believe it when I heard Travis Beckum was left off Playboy's 2008 All-American team. I had to see for myself. Luckily, a representative from the magazine sent a copy of the September edition to the office so I could review it.Research is a huge part of this job. And I've found over the years that it's important to be thorough when digging for facts. That's why I didn't rush through this project.Finally, on pages 76 and 77, there it was, the naked truth: Beckum wasn't one of the 26 players smiling back at me. Playboy went with Missouri's Chase Coffman at tight end instead of Beckum.In all seriousness, Coffman is a fine choice. The son of former Green Bay Packers tight end Paul Coffman had 51 receptions for 523 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games last season despite being the backup to Martin Rucker,... READ MORE

UW coach Bret Bielema provided an injury update at his weekly news conference Monday afternoon.Bielema listed sophomore cornerback Aaron Henry (knee) and freshman linebacker Kevin Rouse as ``out'' of Saturday's opener against Akron.He listed senior tight end Travis Beckum (groin), senior fullback Chris Pressley (thumb), senior linebacker Jonathan Casillas (knee) and freshman cornerback Antonio Fenelus (ankle) as ``possible.''Bielema said late last week that Pressley would miss the opener, but Pressley has been lobbying to play.``Chris has gone to myself and to (running backs coach John Settle) to appeal to the doctors to allow him to play,'' Bielema said. ``I'm still going to have a conversation (with the doctors). Obviously, we won't put him out there to ... put himself at risk, but if... READ MORE

We're not condoning gambling here on the Gridiron Grind blog, but a publicist recently sent me some odds courtesy of Bodog that I found quite interesting.The site lists the Badgers' odds of winning the national title at 30/1. USC (7/2) is the favorite, followed by Ohio State (4/1) and Georgia (5/1). There are 10 teams with better odds than UW and two others -- Virginia Tech and Tennessee -- also at 30/1.UW's odds of winning the Big Ten Conference title are listed at 7/2, behind only Ohio State (2/5). Minnesota has the worst odds at 55/1.Bodog placed the over/under for wins for the Badgers at nine. I'm not a betting man, but I'd advise people to stay away from this one. The tendency for UW fans would be to take the over because they're thinking... READ MORE

UW senior fullback Chris Pressley will miss the season opener against Akron with a thumb injury on his right hand. Pressley was injured earlier this week when a defender tried to strip a ball out of his hands. UW coach Bret Bielema said Pressley had surgery on Wednesday. ``He's got a pin that's exposed and they can't clear him to play'' against Akron, Bielema said. Bielema also said senior linebacker Jonathan Casillas (knee) is doubtful for the opener. Pressley, who was named one of the Badgers' four team captains earlier this week, said a bone was broken and a ligament damaged in his thumb. ``I didn't know. I just said, 'You can kind of tape me up,' But they said they're going to have to go in and do surgery,'' said Pressley, who missed the 2006 season with a lower leg injury. ``I can't (play) the first... READ MORE

At first glance, it was strange to see the defensive coaches on the UW football staff wearing headsets last Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.After all, this was just a scrimmage.But coaches need practice, too. And the defensive staff is led by a new coordinator (Dave Doeren) and includes a new member of the staff (defensive line coach Charlie Partridge), Doeren wanted to use the scrimmage as a test run before the Badgers open the season on Aug. 30 against Akron.Three members of the staff -- two graduate assistants and outside linebackers coach Randall McCray -- even sat up in the press box during the scrimmage.``Just a dry run,'' secondary coach Kerry Cooks said. ``We've got a couple of guys on defense that are new. We wanted to have a trial run with those guys in the box.``We just wanted to make sure that everybody was on the... READ MORE

UW coach Bret Bielema is expected to release a depth chart at 4 p.m on Wednesday. There aren't a lot of positions up for grabs, but the big one, of course, is quarterback. I'd be shocked to see anybody but Allan Evridge's name as the starter. Evridge was shaky during last Saturday's scrimmage, but he also had been limited in practice last week because of a hamstring injury. Bottom line: Evridge gives the Badgers the best chance to win, which is why I believe offensive coordinator Paul Chryst will go with him as the starter. Predicting who will be the backup isn't as easy. Does Chryst go with junior Dustin Sherer, who has been in the program the longest and has some playing experience -- albeit in mop-up duty the last two seasons? Or does Chryst go with sophomore Scott Tolzien, who may not be as talented as Sherer but is less prone to mistakes... READ MORE

The Badgers might be without their leading tackler from a year ago when they open the 2008 season against Akron on Aug. 30.Senior linebacker Jonathan Casillas injured his left knee during a scrimmage Saturday and is expected to be out 1-2 weeks.``He's probably going to be touch and go (right) up to the game,'' UW coach Bret Bielema said Monday night. ``I don't know if he'll get back there.''If Casillas can't play, sophomore Blake Sorensen would be the likely starter at weakside linebacker.In other news from Bielema's brief post-practice meeting with the media Monday night:** UW will name a starting quarterback on Wednesday. Bielema said it will be offensive coordinator Paul Chryst's call as to who the starter will be, although, like a year ago, Chryst and Bielema have had several conversations about the decision... READ MORE

UW's offense was rather pedestrian during Saturday's scrimmage, but it did have its moments.Here's a blow-by-blow account from one series that featured the Badgers' calling card -- a physical running game.Fullback Chris Pressley rush for 9 yards (to the 44) Tailback P.J. Hill rush for 4 yards (to the 48) Tailback Zach Brown rush for 8 yards (to the opponents' 44) Brown rush for 8 yards (to the 36) Brown rush for 7 yards (to the 29) Fullback Bill Rentmeester rush for 27 yards (to the 2) Brown rush for 1 yard (to the 1) Brown rush for 1 yard -- touchdown And there you have it, 65 yards in eight plays. There was no clock, but the drive would have taken at least 5 minutes off the clock.It made me wonder how many drives there are going to be like this one this season. Granted... READ MORE

Some news and notes from the University of Wisconsin football team's 90-minute scrimmage Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.Injury bug bites againBefore the Badgers even began the scrimmage, senior tight end Travis Beckum re-injured his hamstring running a pass route during 7-on-7 drills. It appears Beckum will miss at least the next week of practice. ``The biggest thing is, we've got two weeks'' before the Aug. 30 opener, said UW coach Bret Bielema. ``Hopefully, we'll be able to get him involved in our game prep, starting the Wednesday before.''Senior linebacker Jonathan Casillas injured his left knee during the scrimmage. Casillas was on crutches at the end of practice, but Bielema said the initial reports were positive. ``It really looks to be first degree, so something that will probably take a week... READ MORE

UW senior quarterback Allan Evridge didn't want to miss any practice time after re-injuring his hamstring earlier this week. Of course, the other option was playing through the pain and risking the chance that the injury would get worse.Evridge chose the latter option during last year's training camp, and he said his play suffered because of the injury. It likely cost him a shot at beating out Tyler Donovan for the starting position.This year, Evridge and the coaching and training staff decided to give his hamstring some rest. Friday morning was Evridge's first full practice since sustaining the injury, and he said he felt good.``I don't like missing practices,'' said Evridge, who tried to stay sharp during the week by taking mental reps. ``Actually, the first practice I've ever missed in my college career was a couple days ago. In that... READ MORE

It's looking more and more like the starting cornerbacks for the University of Wisconsin football team when it opens the season on Aug. 30 will be freshman Mario Goins and sophomore Niles Brinkley.UW coach Bret Bielema didn't come out and say that Thursday, but he did say that Goins and Brinkley have been ``running with the ones,'' although Bielema later mentioned that senior Allen Langford has been seeing time with the No. 1 defense as well.There was always a chance UW would head into the season with inexperienced cornerbacks starting because Henry and Langford were coming off ACL injuries. Henry will undergo surgery on his right knee and miss at least two weeks and apparently Langford, who has 31 career starts, hasn't won his job back through the first two weeks of camp... READ MORE

One of the benefits of being a member of the Football Writers Association of America is I'll get random media guides mailed to me each summer.This week I received one from Washington. Normally, I don't pay too much attention to these media guides because I'm too busy covering the Badgers in fall camp, but I had a pretty good reason to pick up the Huskies' media guide and page through it:Former Wisconsin assistant Brian White is now an assistant at Washington after spending the last two seasons at Syracuse.White is in a new role out in Seattle. After spending the last nine seasons as either an offensive coordinator or co-offensive coordinator, White was hired by Washington coach Ty Willingham as a special teams coordinator and tight ends coach.One of the items in White's profile that I had forgotten was that he was named the Division I... READ MORE

Junior O'Brien Schofield, a potential starter at defensive end for the University of Wisconsin football team, injured an ankle in practice Wednesday and will be out 1-2 weeks, according to coach Bret Bielema.Schofield was injured during a goal-line drill. True freshman Brendan Kelly got some work with the No. 1 defense in Schofield's absence.In other injury news:** Sophomore defensive end Kirk DeCremer (back) missed another practice and may sit out until early next week. ``We're really trying to back off him, let him kind of settle down and see where he's at Monday,'' Bielema said.** Senior quarterback Allan Evridge (hamstring) missed both practices Wednesday but told Bielema he expects to be back in the lineup either Thursday or Friday.Meanwhile, Bielema said he's been happy with the way junior Dustin Sherer... READ MORE

UW football coach Bret Bielema said Tuesday night that Allan Evridge will miss a few practices after re-injuring his hamstring while rolling out for a pass during Monday night's practice. ``Indications are that's probably going to be a day or two at max, hopefully have him back for Friday or Saturday's practice,'' Bielema said. Bielema and his staff have shown they don't want to rush players -- especially key players like Evridge -- back from injuries. That said, Saturday's practice figures to be pretty important because the Badgers are expected to scrimmage. Clearly, you'd like to have the frontrunner for the starting quarterback position in the lineup on that day. It should be pointed out that Evridge was neck and neck with Tyler Donovan for the starting spot last year at this time. Then Evridge sustained a nagging injury and Donovan... READ MORE

It wasn't long ago that John Settle, the running backs coach for the University of Wisconsin football team, had four healthy and talented tailbacks at his disposal. At the time, people were wondering how Settle and offensive coordinator Paul Chryst were going to spread around the ball and keep all four of those backs happy. Times have changed in a hurry: On Monday, only half of that quartet -- junior P.J. Hill and sophomore Zach Brown -- participated in the Badgers' two practices. Junior Lance Smith was kicked off the team last week, and freshman John Clay missed practice Monday after spraining his left ankle during a scrimmage on Saturday. Clay was seen wearing a stabilizing boot following Monday's practice, although the injury doesn't appear to be serious. UW coach Bret Bielema said late Monday night that Clay should be back in the lineup... READ MORE

Matt Shaughnessy, a senior defensive end for the University of Wisconsin football team, returned home to Norwich, Conn., on Saturday after his older brother Jamie died a day earlier. Jamie Shaughnessy battled for his life last fall after a bout with blood cuts that cut blood flow to his vital organs. Matt Shaughnessy left the team briefly, flying home from Las Vegas after UW's victory over UNLV on Sept. 8, to be with his brother, who was 24 at the time. UW coach Bret Bielema said Shaughnessy likely won't return to training camp until next Thursday... READ MORE

Freshman punter Brad Nortman has made quite an impression during his first week as a member of the University of Wisconsin football team. On Friday, following the Badgers' fifth practice of the 2008 season, UW coach Bret Bielema all but declared Nortman as the winner of the competition to replace four-year starter Ken DeBauche. Ken's younger brother, Brad DeBauche, was Nortman's main competition. ``It's not a battle anymore,'' Bielema said. ``Brad's running away with that thing.'' Not only has Nortman won over the coaching staff, he's also impressed his teammates with his big leg. During the special teams portion of practice, the Badgers apparently gather around to watch Nortman. ``It's kind of energizing to watch our guys,'' Bielema said. ``Anytime Brad gets ready to punt the ball, they all... READ MORE

Almost eight months after Yahoo! Sports published a report that cast suspicion on the integrity of one of its veteran referees, the Big Ten Conference has finally issued a statement after investigating the matter. To review: Steve Pamon, a Big Ten official since 1988, served as the head of an officiating crew that was involved in a pair of controversial games near the end of the 2007 season. Following a 26-19 loss at Penn State on Nov. 3, Purdue coach Joe Tiller filed a grievance with the league due to an ``inordinate amount'' of missed calls. The league apparently agreed with Tiller and, according to several reports, suspended Pamon's crew for the final week of the season, but not before Pamon and Co. worked a game between... READ MORE

The University of Wisconsin football team was without its biggest playmaker Thursday, but don't be alarmed. Senior tight end Travis Beckum missed practice with what coach Bret Bielema described as ``tightness in his lower body.'' It seemed to be more of a precaution than anything. It's clear Bielema and Co. aren't taking any chances with injuries this fall. Friday is UW's first day in full pads and it has a scrimmage scheduled for Saturday, so it made sense to rest Beckum in hopes he'd be ready for practice on those days. In other news, third-year defensive lineman Brandon Hoey's playing career is over because of a back injury. Hoey had surgery in the spring and said he hoped to be ready by fall, but he came to the conclusion Wednesday that wasn't going to happen. It's a shame because Hoey, a... READ MORE

UW football fans have no reason to whine that the national media isn't paying enough attention to the Badgers. Sports Illustrated came out with its preaseason Top 20 and Bret Bielema's crew comes in at No. 10.SI projects the Badgers to finish 10-2 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten Conference. As for bowl destinations, SI has UW in the Rose Bowl against USC.If you've been reading this blog, you know I believe the Badgers should be somewhere in the 15-20 range, but I also wouldn't be shocked if they proved me wrong.Meanwhile, the Badgers have gone through two days of preseason training camp and you can tell they're anxious to get the pads on and do some hitting. UW... READ MORE

Here are some highlights from UW coach Bret Bielema's time with the media following the Badgers' first practice Monday. ** Lance Smith - and this isn't a shocker -- is no longer a Badger. Bielema suspended Smith on July 24 after Smith was booted out of the first-offenders program. Truth is, Smith has been in and out of Bielema's doghouse throughout the past two seasons. It's probably best for the Badgers and Smith that he's moving on somewhere else. From the sounds of it, Smith didn't put up too much of a fight when Bielema kicked him off the team. ``It was my decision,'' Bielema said. ``It was supported by everybody that was around him. I think obviously anytime you remove yourself from the program there are going to be certain feelings that you go through and I would say Lance was very short-lived in those feelings and... READ MORE

Running back Lance Smith, who was suspended from the University of Wisconsin football team last month, was not on the 105-man training camp roster that was released Monday at the start of the team's first practice. Two other players of note -- cornerback Josh Nettles and defensive end Richard Garner -- are also not listed on the roster. UW coach Bret Bielema will address the media following practice at approximately 6 p.m. Smith, who would be a junior this fall, was suspended by Bielema on July 24 after being terminated from the first-offenders program. Smith was placed in the program in 2007 after he pleaded guilty last October to misdemeanor charges of battery and disorderly conduct following a dispute with his girlfriend in July 2007. The incident with his girlfriend also led to a five-game suspension last season in which Smith missed each of... READ MORE

A few days ago, I questioned the voters in the coaches' poll for placing the Badgers at No. 12 in the preseason rankings. I said they should have been lower, like somewhere in the 15-20 range. Well, there's a Web site called stassen.com that reviewed all the preseason college football magazines in order to find a consensus of where teams were ranked. And, guess what, the Badgers came in at No. 12. Click here for the chart. In the six preseason polls studied, UW was ranked anywhere from No. 11 (Lindy's) to No. 21 (Phil Steele). Of the eight preseason rankings studied for Big Ten rankings, four publications had the Badgers picked to finish second in the league; two had them picked to finish third; and two had... READ MORE

When the coaches' poll was released Friday, my gut feeling was that the University of Wisconsin football team, at No. 12, was receiving a bit too much respect from the voters. I'm not saying the voters were way off. I'd put the Badgers somewhere in the 15-20 range. As Bret Bielema said last week in Chicago, a lot of voters base their rankings on last year's results and how many starters a team has returning from that team. In that regard, No. 12 seems about right since the Badgers were 9-4 last season and return a ton of key players from a 2007 squad that was disappointed by its performance. But there are other factors to consider:  1) How healthy are the Badgers? Several key players were injured during the spring, leading to major depth issues along the defensive line and in the secondary.  2) How will Allan... READ MORE

The Sporting News' Matt Hayes doesn't expect Joe Paterno to be roaming the sidelines at Penn State beyond this season. Hayes isn't alone in that belief. What may surprise some people -- especially UW fans -- is one of the names that appears on Hayes' short list of potential successors to Paterno: That's right, at No. 3 on the list, it's the Badgers' Bret Bielema. I don't see this happening for several reasons. First, history suggests it's almost unheard of for a coach to leave a program for another one in the Big Ten. Plus, you have to wonder whether Penn State would even consider Bielema. Even though he's produced a 21-5 record in two seasons at UW, the jury is still out on Bielema because he's won with Barry Alvarez's players. But,... READ MORE

 In the past, the quarterbacks for the University of Wisconsin football team never had to worry about being hit by their teammates in practice. They even wore green jerseys that served as a reminder to defensive players that the quarterbacks were off-limits from contact. That may not be the case any longer, according to UW coach Bret Bielema. After a conversation with offensive coordinator Paul Chryst, Bielema says he's considering the idea of allowing the defense to make contact with the QBs. ``We're looking at the possibility,'' Bielema said Friday at the Big Ten Conference preseason media event in Chicago. ``What we're trying to do is make it as game-like as possible. Paul actually threw out the idea to me, and we'll kind of see how it goes. I don't want to get anybody hurt.'' Bielema said that when he was a player at Iowa, he... READ MORE

A year ago at the Big Ten Conference preseason media event, UW coach Bret Bielema said he had a hard time envisioning anybody but Tyler Donovan being the Badgers' starting quarterback. Bielema didn't come out and name Donovan the starter, but he made it clear Donovan was in the driver's seat. Donovan went on to start all 13 games ahead of transfer Allan Evridge. A year later, Bielema made it clear that the starting quarterback position is Evridge's to lose. Dustin Sherer and Scott Tolzien are also in the running for the starting spot.  ``If you were a betting man, I think you would have thought that T.D. was going to be the guy (last season) and Allan had to beat him out,'' Bielema said Thursday. ``This year I think the table has flipped. I think that Allan is probably the guy and the other guys have to try to beat him out. ``I... READ MORE

UW coach Bret Bielema's formal meeting with the media Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Hotel here in downtown Chicago began with him telling us how much he missed us. It was delivered with tongue firmly planted in cheek, of course. Bielema's session, which lasted about 15 minutes, actually may have been the most entertaining of the six coaches that spoke before the lunch break. Bielema was actually a little bit feisty. After back-to-back questions about Michigan, he said ``it's good to be at a Michigan press conference.'' Later, Bielema was asked if he believed if the competition in UW's nonconference schedule is below what should be expected from a program that is a perennial contender for the conference championship. ``Do you want to answer your question?'' Bielema asked the reporter. ``Or do you want me to... READ MORE

I just arrived in Chicago for the Big Ten Conference football preseason media event and picked up media guides for each of the teams. There are four senior players featured on the cover of the University of Wisconsin's guide: defensive end Matt Shaughnessy, guard Andy Kemp, linebacker DeAndre Levy and tight end Travis Beckum. On the back cover are three seniors -- fullback Chris Pressley, defensive tackle Mike Newkirk and linebacker Jonathan Casillas -- and junior tailback P.J. Hill. Coach Bret Bielema is on the front inside cover, while there are five players on the back inside cover: senior offensive tackle Eric Vanden Heuvel, senior defensive tackle Jason Chapman, senior cornerback Allen Langford, senior guard Kraig Urbik and junior safety Shane Carter. This is such a deep senior class that it couldn't have been... READ MORE