Russell Wilson is taking his talents to State Street – what it means for the Badgers and the Big Ten Online Sport Betting

Posted on June 27 2011 by Caitlin Carver

Russell Wilson is taking his talents to State Street – what it means for the Badgers and the Big Ten

College football isnt normally a sport associated with free agent signings. Rather, it is usually recruits out of high school or the junior college ranks who comprise teams classes of incoming players from year to year.

As highly touted as any signee might be out of the prep or even JC ranks, one doesnt know how good that player will be until he steps out between the lines in front of 80,000 fans on Saturday. This time last year Cameron Newton was not even a household name (unless you are one of those obsessed souls in the South that breathes SEC football 24/7/365).

With that said, the Wisconsin Badgers just scored an amazing coup by getting Russell Wilson final year of eligibility under what is known as the graduate student exception.

Immediately, Wilson to Madison becomes one of college balls biggest storylines for 2011.

If the name sounds vaguely familiar its probably because of the experience Wilson already has under his belt being a three-year starter for North Carolina State.

In three seasons with the Wolfpack, Wilson threw for 76 touchdown versus only 26 interceptions, and in 2008-09 he threw 389 passes without a pick, the longest such streak in NCAA history. Accounting for his rushing stats, Wilson accumulated over 9,600 yards and 93 touchdowns in his time at NCSU. Already graduated after three years, Wilson is also the grandson of Harrison Wilson, who was the president of Norfolk State University from 1975 through 1997.

So why was Russell Wilson out on the open market? Wilson also happened to be a baseball prospect who was spending his summers in the Colorado Rockies organization, against the wishes of the NC State football staff, who ultimately released Wilson from his scholarship earlier this year.

Upon reporting to Spring Training, Wilson said:

At this point in my life, the best thing for me is to concentrate fully on baseball in the same way that I concentrated fully on football. Ultimately, decisions about my athletic future will be made based on my potential to succeed at the highest professional level.

Two plus months of hitting around .230 in A ball proved to be a good reason for Wilson to look back at the gridiron. With the option of being able to play immediately for any school in the nation, many had Wilson potentially succeeding Cam Newton and moving on to Auburn.

That was before Wilson was won over during a recent trip to Madison, and ultimately he decided to sign with Bucky, where he will also be taking graduate courses.

Take that SEC; take that Paul Finebaum.

But the signing brings up curious bar-stool talk in Sconnie, one usually reserved for the schools down south.

For the first time since Barry Alvarez arrived at the Wisconsin Athletic Department in 1990, an African-American will be under center for the Badgers, though the meaning of this pales in comparison with Auburn and the SEC, where the color barrier in athletics was not broken until 1970. In the Civil Rights Era, Bear Bryant was urged by Governor George Wallace to employ an all-white squad. It took a snub by voters towards Alabama after an undefeated 1966 season and a beatdown by the USC Trojans at Legion Field in 1970 for that program, and the rest of the SEC, to finally change course. Meanwhile Texas and Arkansas closed the 1969 season playing a de-facto National Championship game with all-white squads in a contest billed as Dixies Last Stand.

Also, Wisconsin was the first Big Ten team to employ a black QB in 1956, that same year the Badgers took scheduled games against LSU off the schedule rather than abide with a Louisiana state law which outlawed integrated athletic events.

The situation with Wisconsin not having a black QB over the past 20 years is for the most part coincidental, but also partially points to a system thats utilized game-managers at QB, and difference makers at other positions. The Badgers first enjoyed success in the 1990s with Darrell Bevell under center, who has since gone on to a NFL coaching career (Vikings and now Seahawks offensive coordinator). Brooks Bollinger and Jim Sorgi are some of the other notables since then.

The Badgers blueprint has historically featured a smash-mouth running game (Brent Moss/Ron Dayne/P.J. Hill/John Clay, and an occasional speedster like Michael Bennett) although there have also been stars at wide receiver (Lee Evans and Chris The Time Has Come Chambers) and at tight end (Owen Daniels). And then there is the offensive line where Joe Thomas, Mark Tauscher, Gabe Carimi and Casey Rabich are among those who have advanced to the next level.

Meanwhile, the likes of Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, or even Tim Tebow would be considered round holes in the square peg that is the Barry Alvarez template.

Russell Wilson, conversely, does fit the qualifications and will easily fit into the Wisconsin system.

At 511”, he will be frowned upon in 2012 NFL Draft discussions. But this isnt about the NFL Draft, this is about the Wisconsin Badgers winning this season, and winning big.

The new divisional set-up in the Big Ten has placed the Badgers in what I personally call the Southeast Division with Penn State and Ohio State. In case you have not heard, there is a lot of turmoil in Buckeye-land these days, which makes the Badgers front-runners to win their division and to ultimately play the winner of the Northwest Division (Iowa/Michigan/Nebraska) in the conference title game.

Sampling some of the other columnists, expectations are now sky high at Wisconsin. The usual 9-3 or 10-2 and the Citrus Bowl will not cut it. The Rose Bowl (or other BCS bowl game) is not even a lofty expectation. 12-1 (minimum) and a conference championship is where the bar is now set, along with BCS title game consideration (although there will be an SEC and possibly Pac-12 representative doing their usual posturing).

Let the hysteria, Heisman hype, and Championship talk begin. The best part is now we know where Russell Wilson will be playing, and unlike the NFL, we KNOW there will be a college football season.

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