How the Wisconsin Badgers Can Play in the First Ever Big 10 Championship Game

To get from Madison to Indianapolis, take highway 90 to 290 to 294 to 65. In about eight hours, you should find yourself in front of Lucas Oil Stadium, the site of the inaugural Big Ten championship game.

For the much-hyped Badgers, though, this is not simply a road trip but a chance to prove the off-season talk was more than idle chatter.The Dairy Land boys can run the ball, but they need more than Montee Ball's feet this season. They need a little luck, a little extra effort and a lot of Nick Toon.  

Russell Wilson is in the driver's seat.The bus is gassed up, but the team has some intriguing destinations to visit and challenges to meet before setting out for Indianapolis on December 3.

Stay Healthy

College football's professional brethren has been wrought with injuries. The NFL has already seen torn MCLs and ACLs cause more trouble this year than a slippery streaker at Wrigley Field.

The collegiate ranks are by no means less susceptible, and the Badgers are now painfully aware, especially the defense. 

Devin Smith, a senior cornerback, will  miss the rest of the season with a foot injury suffered against Oregon State. His backup, Marcus Cromartie, has a huge upside but has had durability questions of his own.

You can see the Wisconsin faithful cringe when LBs Chris Borland and Mike Taylor make a tackle because their health histories read like an orthopedic surgeon's marketing brochure.

Health can make or break any team. Just ask Purdue or Iowa.  

Embrace Expectations

High expectations have been Wisconsin's downfall in previous years. A 2008 team was almost as ballyhooed as this year's squad and they fell woefully short (it took an overtime beast mode run by John Clay to save the team from a loss to Cal Poly).

Bret Bielema has taken a decided turn from the coaching norm and embraced the hoopla. The Badgers will not play the part of the underdog, because underdogs rarely win.  

From the outset of the season, this seems like a team bent on redemption and Rose Bowl revenge. While last year's Pac-12 foe, Arizona State, took the Badgers to the brink, this year's team blanked Oregon State in a blowout. 

Perhaps Bielema realizes the road to a national championship needs to take a pit stop in Indiana's capital city before this team's potential can be fully realized.   

Spread the Wealth

Wisconsin is a system with a reputation of recruiting blue collar athletes. Like a beacon for unheralded recruits, lunch pail players seemingly flock to Madison for a chance to get on the field.

The result is a team happy to contribute in any way they can, and it shows.

The defensive line rotation gets into the double digits while the offensive line works like a well-oiled factory line. While not nameless cogs, most of the newest starters on both sides spent time as a stop gap during an injury.

The coaching staff needs to maintain the rhythm it has created in order to keep the Badgers healthy both physically and mentally for a long Big Ten season.   

The Nick Toon Show

When you think of Wisconsin football, you think of the run game. While the offensive strategy of the Badgers will stay on the ground, Russell Wilson's accuracy and Nick Toon's skill is forcing opponents to consider the aerial threat the Badgers can bring to the table.

Teams will continue to stack the box in hopes of stopping the run, but that is just fine for Wilson ( a play action Houdini) and his crew of pass catchers.

Tight end Jacob Pedersen is a legitimate red zone weapon and the next in a long line of talented players at that position for the Badgers. Jared Abbrederis remains a good open field receiver with great top-end speed.

But 2011 will be Nick Toon's breakout year and having him line up in the slot will keep defenses honest and defensive coordinators sweating.

The Road

Camp Randall may as well still be a fortress, because other teams simply can't leave win there. The raucous confines on Breese Terrace gives the men from Madison an invincible and well-documented swagger.

If only every game could be played there.

The Badgers play back-to-back road games against Michigan State and Ohio State respectively. Regardless of Ohio State's standing, the Horseshoe is a tough venue with a passionate fan base looking for revenge for 2010.

The Spartans have also historically played spoiler to dream seasons for Wisconsin. A late season trip to visit Illinois could also prove to be a trap game against an improved team looking to reclaim some respect. 

For this team to get to Indianapolis, they have to go through Columbus, East Lansing and Champaign first.