COMMENTARY | Last year, around this same time of year, the Wisconsin Badgers football program was poised to claim an appearance in the second annual Big Ten championship game. As the last leaves of the season finally swirled to the ground in 2012, the Badgers would also find themselves claiming their third straight Big Ten championship and third straight Rose Bowl berth. Despite some recent failures in Pasadena, there were high hopes in Wisconsin that the Badgers could finally win a game at the “Grandaddy of Them All” — the Rose Bowl. However, between the team’s qualification for the 2013 Rose Bowl and their actual participation, the Arkansas Razorbacks pulled off what they likely considered a minor coupe by hiring Bret Bielema as their new head coach. By most accounts, the reception to this news was mixed across the state of Wisconsin. Although many residents shared a common reaction of surprise, the feeling of disappointment was far less universal. Likely unbeknownst to the University of Arkansas and the rest of the nation, many fans in Wisconsin didn’t necessarily feel Bielema was the optimal choice to lead the Badgers — on or off the field. Those intimately familiar with the Badgers program also were well aware that the three consecutive Rose Bowl appearances weren’t quite as sterling as one might think from the outside looking in. In 2012, the Badgers actually backed into their appearance in the Big Ten championship game because of sanctions placed on the Ohio State Buckeyes. Bielema didn’t lead the team to that opportunity through extraordinary coaching, but, rather, by extenuating circumstances. The Badgers went 8-6 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten conference in 2012. Moreover, in the two years prior, when the Badgers made two Rose Bowls without the help of sanctions, the team’s offense was led by the savvy Paul Chryst. Chryst, a holdover from the Barry Alvarez era, was widely regarded throughout the country as one of the better offensive minds in the game. He, along with more than a few assistant coaches, left the Badgers after the 2011 season to rebuild the program in Pittsburgh. Due to these developments, the Badgers were left without Chryst or Bielema to take the reins of what had become one of the country’s more consistent programs. Fortunately, for Wisconsin, a very well-coached Utah State team had come to Camp Randall in 2012 and nearly upset Bielema’s squad. Barry Alvarez, the current athletic director at Wisconsin, apparently took extensive notes during that contest. Shortly after Bielema left for Arkansas, Alvarez contacted the head coach of Utah State about his new vacancy. The rest, as they say, is history. Barry Alvarez was able to convince Gary Andersen to leave Utah State to come tend the program in Madison. Certainly, this development now serves as a lesson in the potential for positive outcomes after sudden, unexpected change. …
Continue Reading: Wisconsin Badgers: Coaching Carousel Delivers Winner in Gary Andersen (Yahoo Contributor Network)
