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The old saying goes that familiarity breeds contempt, but in the world of college football, it often breeds classic moments between well-known combatants. That's certainly the case in the Big Ten, which remains rooted in rivalries despite changes in everything from its membership to the offensive and defensive schemes employed by its teams. Wisconsin's coaching staff has seen those changes -- and those constants -- up close across several eras. Â | Â From Varsity Magazine
BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
TThe arrival of another Big Ten Conference football season drew an interesting insight from Wisconsin offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph.
Where many inject loathing and torment, he invokes the notion of family.
"The neat thing about the Big Ten is how well, traditionally, teams know one another, and that type of competition is pretty fun," Rudolph said.
"It's just a different tone. It's like going in the backyard and competing against your brother. You know him. He knows you. You know it's going to be a battle and nobody wants to relent one ounce of anything.
"It's what makes the Big Ten kind of a fresh start for some. It doesn't really matter beforehand what you've done. It's about Big Tens right now."
The 11th-ranked Badgers begin chasing their 15th conference championship Saturday when they face eighth-rated Michigan State at Spartan Stadium.
The assignment can be measured in a variety of ways.
UW not only drew the defending league titlist in the opener for the first time since 2005, it kicks off a stretch where it will face three consecutive opponents currently ranked in the top 10.
The Badgers (3-0) will next play Oct. 1 at Michigan, currently rated fourth, and then host Ohio State, presently ranked second, at Camp Randall Stadium on Oct. 15.
The matchup Saturday in East Lansing, Michigan, also highlights two of the most consistently decorated programs in the Big Ten.
UW and the Spartans (2-0) have both won 73 games since the start of 2009, an average of 10 wins per season. They also have combined to win five of the last six Big Ten titles. Both own three given they shared the championship in 2010.
The Wisconsin-Michigan State game also pits schools that fit in the category of rivals.
"Recent memory fuels a lot of that," Rudolph said.
He's referring to a four-game stretch from 2010 to '12 when the stakes were high and drama even higher.
In 2010, Michigan State won the regular-season meeting at home 34-24, but the teams shared the Big Ten title with 7-1 records and the Badgers got the Rose Bowl nod by virtue of their higher ranking in the old Bowl Championship Series rankings.
In 2011, the Spartans won the regular-season duel 37-31 on a final-play Hail Mary at home, but UW rallied for a 42-39 victory in the inaugural Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis.
In 2012, Michigan State got a tying touchdown in the final 68 seconds of regulation, then prevailed in overtime 16-13 at Camp Randall Stadium.
Rudolph served as tight ends coach for the Badgers from 2008 to '11, while current head coach, Paul Chryst, was the offensive coordinator.
"It was fun to play those games because you knew you had to be on and you knew you'd be challenged," Chryst said. "I think we knew each other well."
But the emotions of this UW-Michigan State rivalry can be traced back a couple of eras.
Rudolph was a standout guard for the Badgers from 1991 to '94. UW clinched a share of the Big Ten title in 1993 with its 41-20 victory over the Spartans in Tokyo, Japan. The teams shared a jumbo jet back and forth, which made for some awkward moments.
"It's like going in the backyard and competing against your brother. You know him. He knows you. You know it's going to be a battle and nobody wants to relent one ounce of anything."
Ross Kolodziej, the strength and conditioning coach for the Badgers, was a starting defensive tackle from 1997 to 2000. UW won a second straight conference championship in 1999 thanks to 40-10 blowout of Michigan State, then became the first Big Ten entry to win consecutive Rose Bowls.
Jim Leonhard, the UW secondary coach, was an All-America safety from 2001 to '04. His teams split four meetings with the Spartans while generating some uniquely staggering moments.
The Badgers lost 42-28 in 2001 even though they had a 200-yard receiver (Lee Evans) and a 100-yard rusher (Anthony Davis).
UW also lost 49-14 in 2004 even though it went into the game 9-0 and ranked fourth in the nation.
Wisconsin prevailed 56-21 in 2003 thanks to a career day by Evans, who set school records for receiving yardage (258) and touchdown catches (five).
The Badgers won only two Big Ten games in 2002, but one was a 42-24 decision over Michigan State on the road.Â
"The reason why I love college football and love the Big Ten is the rivalries and the stadiums and the energy week in and week out," Leonhard said.
Going to a place like Spartan Stadium -- UW hasn't been there since 2011 and not won there since that outing in '02 -- is an epic challenge.
"For the most part it's just the guys on the sidelines and you've got to pull together and find a way to win," Leonhard said.
Rudolph debuted in the Big Ten when it was a 10-team league and eventually saw an unbeaten national champion emerge when it expanded to 11: Penn State in 1994.
Kolodziej played during a stretch when there were two three-way ties for the Big Ten title -- Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin in 1998; Michigan, Northwestern and Purdue in 2000 -- and saw an unbeaten national champion come to life: Michigan in 1997.
Leonhard played during a run when four schools won Big Ten crowns -- Illinois in 2001, Iowa and Ohio State in '02 and Michigan in 2003 -- and also got a look at an unbeaten national titlist: Ohio State in 2002.
Now the Big Ten has 14 teams and two divisions. Two years removed from Ohio State winning the inaugural College Football Playoff and now with four schools ranked in the top 11, what's the perception of the league?
"I think you're seeing, I don't want to say a rebirth, but I definitely think Big Ten football is cycling through," Kolodziej said.
Outside of its membership, has the Big Ten changed a lot?
"The Big Ten has been fun because different teams have risen up and challenged," Rudolph said, referring to the fact that nine programs have won league titles since 2000.
"They all are very similar schools as far as what they're about and their approach to the game is," Leonhard said. "That's what makes it fun. Familiar opponents that you know."
What about schemes?
"The game's opened up a little bit more," Leonhard said, noting that more Big Ten teams employ variants of the spread offense compared to his time when Purdue and Northwestern were the lone practitioners.
Have the Badgers, who have had four coaches since 2005, changed their approach on offense?
"I don't think we have a new play in the playbook since I was here," Leonhard joked.
The list of rivalries for UW remains intact. Rudolph mentioned Minnesota and Kolodziej referenced Iowa.
Leonhard intimated that Michigan State should be included, especially if a Big Ten championship is on the to-do list.
"One of your goals is to win that Big Ten championship," he said. "Obviously you've got the biggest goal, to win a national championship, but now you're locked in for the rest of the year chasing one.
"You know a team like Michigan State's going to be a factor. They're going to be in the picture at the end of the season."
That's why this meeting Saturday has so much riding on it.
"They're built very similar to us as far as being physical and wanting to run the football," Leonhard said of the Spartans. "Passing the ball when you have to -- when you want to -- off of that and playing physical defense."
That's how it was when Leonhard suited up for the Badgers and set a school career record with 21 interceptions.
"It was almost like looking into a mirror," he said. "It was going to be whoever executed better that day was going to come out and get a victory."
Not much will change when the Badgers open the Big Ten season in very hostile territory.
"It's going to be straightforward," Leonhard said. "You just have to go out and play well and execute."
