Badgers' coach wants everyone seeing red
MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema doesn't want his players dwelling on the Badgers' 11-game winning streak.
He doesn't want them worrying about dropping two spots to No. 7 in the AP poll this week, despite a 2-0 record.
Mainly, he doesn't want them thinking Saturday's opponent, The Citadel, will be an easy win just because the team comes from the Football Championship Subdivision.
Instead, Bielema wants his team to see red.
"I'd love to walk into Camp Randall (Stadium) and see a sea of red," Bielema said Monday. "One of the things I began to see and experience in college football is people walk into an environment like that, with everybody all in one color, it's kind of an overwhelming thing for everybody to be a part of."
Bielema broke with tradition for the Badgers' home opener two weeks ago against Washington State, dressing the players in all red instead of red and white. While the new uniform drew a mixed reaction from fans, the players loved it, and Bielema said it will be back against The Citadel.
"I love to see just red swarming the football," Bielema said. "As this thing hopefully gains momentum, it will have a huge effect at Camp Randall."
While time will tell if Bielema's color scheme catches on, the Badgers are riding an 11-game winning streak that is tops in the nation. Bielema, calling the streak a "big thing," said he talked to his team about it on the plane after the Badgers returned from a come-from-behind 20-13 victory against UNLV on Saturday night.
"I knew they were going to hear it, so I wanted them to hear it out of my mouth first. ... I wanted them to have it in the context of the way we think around here," Bielema said.
Not taking anything for granted is the message this week as Wisconsin plays The Citadel for the first time. Like Appalachian State, which shocked Michigan with a victory in Ann Arbor on Sept. 1, The Citadel is a member of the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division I-AA.
The Citadel knows all about making history, too. It's 76-0 thrashing of Webber International on Saturday was its highest scoring game since 1909. The win puts The Citadel at 2-0, the best start for the Southern Conference team since 1997.
Despite dropping two spots in rankings, Bielema said he's not thinking about trying to make a statement against The Citadel.
"I don't even worry about stating the case. I worry about one game at a time," Bielema said. "If we ever begin to think about a statement or thinking beyond where we're at right now, we'll never get there."