An early look at the Big Ten: Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Badgers

Location: Madison, Wis.

Distance from Lincoln: 481 miles

Best way to get there: There are seven direct flights per day that run from Omaha to Milwaukee on both Air Tran and Midwest Airlines. The drive time from Lincoln to Madison is about seven and a half hours.

Offensive scheme: Power based pro-style

Defensive scheme: 4-3

Rivals.com past recruiting rankings: No. 87 (2010), No. 43 (2009), No. 41 (2008) and No. 34 (2007).

The Badgers have five commitments for 2011, one of which is a four two and two that are three stars.

Wisconsin's history against Nebraska

For two teams that somewhat resemble one another, it's interesting that the last time Nebraska and Wisconsin have played was in 1974. NU holds a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series, but the Badgers won the last match-up in Camp Randall 21-20. It's safe to say this match-up is long overdue.

Why this game could be a potential rivalry

There are a lot of things that could make this game a rivalry. Besides the obvious fact that both Nebraska and Wisconsin present their stadiums as the "sea of red" on game days.

However, the best storyline right now would be the natural connection of former Badger head coach and current athletic director Barry Alvarez. The legendary coach played for Nebraska under Bob Devaney, which should really give Husker fans something to latch onto when these two teams meet on a regular basis.

Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini and Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema are also very good friends from their years in the coaching business.

Stars to watch for in 2011

The Badgers are a pretty young team heading into 2010. Right now they have just three senior starters on defense and five on offense.

Most notably the Huskers could have to worry about running back John Clay, who rushed for 1517 yards and 18 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2009. At 6-foot-1, 250 pounds Clay is a classic Wisconsin style running back that the Badgers have always had success with.

They also traditionally have one of the best offensive lines in the country. Former five-star recruit Josh Oglesby will be one of the players NU will have to worry about in 2011 assuming he doesn't declare for the draft.