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Current Video:Big Ten Media Day: Bret Bielema|

Hear Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema's entire press conference from Big Ten Media Day.

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Automatically Generated Transcript (may not be 100% accurate)

This is. An exciting season for two reasons -- first off we have a lot of good players coming back. Hum and that and I really think that the players we have returning it for the first game or the first meeting that we had in January. We I have little tradition -- will come back our first day classes and we'll start off of that afternoon meeting with the entire team in there and then as. I'm meeting winds down and -- keep all of our seniors all the guys that. Are going to be seniors for this upcoming season. After for a few minutes and in one of the first things that jumped out to me as as a rest of the team left. All sixteen guys who were in those first two rows in my meeting room at all started a game. During their time here at the university Wisconsin many of them had been multi game starters but every one of those seniors. It started a game and an in my entire coaching career that's ever happened. You know it's very unusual to have that many guys that have played such a significant role. During their time already before their senior year so it's it's exciting for me because all those seniors are in that room because I have I'm offered them a scholarship or allow them an opportunity. To be there and that's the first time I can say that since been head coach of Wisconsin this will be my first senior class that's come full circle. I live and gets exciting isn't you know because of those players that we return and because of the way that we have finished the season a year ago there's a lot of high expectations and a lot of people -- nice thing about us but. It's another thing that we really try to install since January to where we are today. Is he'll awaken your guarantee small successes to put your working today in and I think our guys have really bought into that I know that they really. Well competed well for our strength staff and during the -- -- some work out. I was really excited about the way they competed during spring drills. You know from an injury standpoint most of our guys should be a 100% healthy might have a few guys we limited -- Mike Taylor and Chris Borland -- -- linebackers it will place and have to -- force. Come off some major surgeries there might be a little limited and as far as double day practices. As far as the opening their -- their full go John -- on an -- to visit with him later is -- 100%. Full -- is ready as well so. It's it's an exciting -- deciding time for us to Wisconsin and and for the most part should be something that we hold -- excitement hopefully for very long time going into the year without opened up for any easy questions. Again trying to keep in mind we're trying to build a better stronger relationships -- These -- you can get a question only get a microphone to you. Question about expansion. It would be. You have to long term rivalries of Minnesota and Iowa. How important is that the fabric of Wisconsin so all of those continue or is it that it could be on the wayside not a big deal of the program. Well as all of you in this room really I haven't had. Much communication about. You know this this part of it you know we just gotta get the news as you guys reported who might have certain meetings you know advanced two or three years out where we got to discuss things but. I did like because the commissioner's you know one of his first -- he talked about was competitive balance for them you know keeping the rivalries intact as we currently have them. And the third part B and geography so. As a pertinent as a person that participated here in a conference as a player I know how important is rod whose work you. And it it it jumped out to me on during my first year at the University of Wisconsin. One of the traditions a coach Alvarez has was he would allow the seniors. But the team took a season goals and and that year we had a young man from Indiana of all places Jason close jacket tied enforce. He raised his hands and quite simply want his senior season goals he wanted was to beat Iowa and Mike if this is a kid from. Indiana playing a Wisconsin -- his season goals was to beat Iowa the -- huge statement to me. About the impact of that rivalry you know today young men and I think that's a case you -- we have a longstanding rivalry with with -- Iowa and also Minnesota Minnesota won the longest in the history of college football so that's one that we would like to keep. Intact but I think because it is a new conference you're gonna have new rivalries in you know whether if you do follow. You know I tweaks you know not -- -- really good at it but alone the first things that we did was. You know of Nebraska has come normally you do need to have them maybe as an in season rivalry game because we don't have that currently. We we've we kind of rotated between now in my time as a coordinator -- as a head coach. And what our season ending game is and if you know I'd I'd I'd love the Ohio State Michigan -- -- -- before I was -- college football I watched that game it's it's what it is and I'd. Like to have that tradition for ourselves -- Wisconsin whether it's. Minnesota whether it's Iowa where there's Nebraska but they come up something now some all game but but let's have something -- with a hopefully guys out of form with the first question would be. My -- common thing. Years ago it. Any questions. And yes. Coach mentioned just now he -- Can you talk to me about how that's changed the game without you. Talk to your players. About allowing information out -- -- to -- and it is you know and the probably came to light more so last fall for me than anything as we we constantly monitored you know used to be FaceBook we have to monitor that and. You know making kids understand -- realize that anything that put out there and her personal life for anything beyond that is gonna become. Well public knowledge so that was the FaceBook was kind of warmup for -- but I think he came full circle when. I kind of let it be known it during fall camp last year I was gonna give them a evening. Off and and and them. You know I let them know -- a couple days in advance of guys wanted to you know make some plans to go home -- we've been in camp grinding pretty hard. Well by following all of our players Twitter page you know we found out that they were going to be attending a concert in Milwaukee. Of them which is about an hour and a half drive from from Madison. In so my point was to these guys if I'm given you time off on the job they're run around here you know. I don't know what's gonna go on at a concert but I have a good idea it was going to be good there. A very good thing for us because football player to be doing so. I kind of didn't say anything until I was gonna let everybody go that night -- -- hey -- read a couple Twitter pages it coming guys are going to concert tonight you know. Didn't get a lot of hands in the air like he got to realize I've -- five weeks now where he -- going to be involved so that's when they caught on first off had to be careful with what I knew. But on same south side of it hum. You know today's world is so different if I have to get all of a kid I don't column -- -- text them. In the NCAA puts certain rules on what what we. Can do with -- recruits but in dog its its system much usually communicate especially with kids that are so. -- adapting and and technology is that is what is their friends so. You know I don't put -- parameters I just you know what point are stupid tweaks lunacy when I had freshman. Who played no role in a game that we won last year early in the season in this week was simply. Yes that's right we did it again I'm like. I read it and read the author and everybody chased him for about you know the next hour so that eliminated any stupid texting weaving them. But -- on every -- little bit different. And I'm. Brett you've dealt with a high expectations before I do referenced that with the players and you talk about how maybe this have to be different this year. Yeah Womack 2008 we've had some high expectations were fortunate to start the year off right and ran into a little bit of a slide. Early on the season I did like the fact that we responded but. You know it even know when we went. And twelve I won my first year I guess 2006. I I very seldom ever -- that season again with our guys because what's what's history is history -- -- will learn from -- we can read about it but it does nothing to affect the future. I do like the fact that I think our kids the majority of our players that are. Going to be significant players in this this year's senior class all went through the scars of that season themselves in addition to myself and several my coaching staff so. Yeah woo -- look. Make notify any mistakes were made a year but. You know again the 2010 season is based on individuals are in that room and we'll -- -- move ourselves forward. It's their right. -- coach particularly when you get together with other coaches this week is the first topic will be more expansion or how the divisions are gonna be. Drawn up on her some else you know what I'm glad I read and it's ever really seen many other coaches yet today but. I don't think so I think when you come this meeting as coaches you're gonna be so locked in on. On what you know we have we come to camp next Sunday so and I think everybody in this room unless somebody else has some meetings and I'm not aware of that they don't ask us you know. At least I don't ask me maybe this is -- personal thing but it was that they. They're gonna make those decisions and move themselves forward I loved just the excitement of trying to find things out figured but I haven't really spent a lot of time. You know -- us -- what I think it's gonna be it's just more of how it's gonna affect us I -- expansion Nebraska for one reason to me it opens up more recruiting possibilities to the west. In in in addition to. You know the ability to recruit more into the Minnesota in the Dakotas and Nebraska itself and might open up some more channels to the west. And also just brings that value of our league -- what I mean you had Nebraska. I've proven an -- an age where it was it was. You know always on TV and somebody was always playing in -- championship game and you know personally for me it just brings so much value to our conference -- you can't you can't buy anything like that. -- and. Coaching heading into the last three seasons he faced a lot of uncertainty at the quarterback position what's it like this year. Having a veteran coming back and coming off a really good. It's very. As a head coach it's it's an unbelievable feeling to know that answers started there and in good to have that answer B Scott -- For -- -- interviewed -- he is a perfectionist he's a detailed guy I think as a person he's really grown. Even from Europe go to where we are today so much. He's got unbelievable confidence is personality I do believe one of the things that he really struggled with a year ago was he was so successful high school academically and athletically. That he had never experienced failure he never experienced you know anything that kind of was a bump in the road and then when we had a couple those are -- really took him back. And he's really done a good job of observing I thought the best quote I saw him from out of season was somebody asked him about you know what he learned during a when her film studies and he's in Columbus finally happy that the got film's many in the and I thought those an interesting perspective because. He's speaking the truth you got to watch himself perform and oppressors -- were involved and it's it's open may have a better player. Thought of that adding a conference championship game and then what are the positive and negatives of having a permanent location for that game. You know. Myself. Before I went to the Big 12 Conference I've been a player in his Leonid you'll only know what you know and I'm in a lot times coach is brainwash kids. Not saying I do but a lot of people do in and one of those things you really felt. Is you had a certain way of doing things in the conference that was the best way to do it. Don't know -- to the Big 12 Conference and had an opportunity of playing a big twelve championship game earn a BCS berth because we beat Oklahoma who was the number one team in the country. They give us an opportunity to. To get into that BCS game play your way into and it was an exciting time in our program not just the game itself but the two weeks leading into it. The build up of trying to get to that game we lost to. Games early on in the fall season that we felt Dillon way we can get to BCS game most get to the big twelve -- of game and beat. The southern opponent which we did. So I was very excited but I distinctly remember coming into this conference I can't believe it's been five years ago now as a head coach. And I remember the first time we talked about championship games it was something that we really wanted to have. And the news that the coaching guard was a little bit different than you know coach Carr was Lloyd Carr was head coach Michigan -- traditionally been a Michigan. The way of thinking in a way that it always been. Fortunately you know long standing programs can always but one of the people really liked. For me personally I think would be very very exciting thing. Last question out of him. -- -- And I wanted to and Q is it true that you've approached league officials about possibly playing Nebraska in the league finale every season. Well -- again I was used to the Twitter generation and one of the things that I treated right out well actually we try to schedule Nebraska two years ago. It was. Coach Alvarez because of his history and tradition of playing in Nebraska. Thought it would be -- crossover game for us we were trying to get a home and home as a nonconference schedule. And then none and it really excited me I -- bowl Colombo actually was a GA. Allows a player Karros was clean and I have a little bit of history and shared a common among a group of friends and then when this. McCain came to life when was true we are going to be adding Nebraska I'd. We did it right away and I followed up with a a text to a mark rudner and and they asked for that take into consideration I'm sure he was inundated and in. Took about five seconds of elite attacks but it was it was something I really felt strongly about -- to be neat so yeah I would like to do.

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