A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 2006 Wisconsin Badgers football | |
|---|---|
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Capital One Bowl champion | |
Capital One Bowl, W 17–14 vs. Arkansas | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 5 |
| AP | No. 7 |
| Record | 12–1 (7–1 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Paul Chryst (2nd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Pro-style |
| Defensive coordinator | Mike Hankwitz (1st season) |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| MVP | John Stocco Joe Thomas Joe Monty Mark Zalewski Joe Stellmacher Roderick Rogers |
| Captain | John Stocco Joe Thomas Mark Zalewski (4th captain named each game) |
| Home stadium | Camp Randall Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Ohio State $ | 8 | – | 0 | 12 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Michigan % | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 7 Wisconsin | 7 | – | 1 | 12 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 24 Penn State | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 2 | – | 6 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 1 | – | 7 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 1 | – | 7 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2006 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by first-year head coach Bret Bielema, the Badgers completed the season with a 12–1 record, including a 7–1 mark in the Big Ten Conference, good for a second-place tie with Michigan.
The season was one of the most successful in Badgers football history. The 11 regular-season wins and 12 overall wins were both single season records for the Badgers, and the season ended with a second straight victory in the Capital One Bowl, over Arkansas, 17-14. The Badgers, who were not ranked in the preseason and were expected to finish in the middle of the Big Ten, surprised many with their success and ended the season ranked #7 in the AP Poll and #5 in the Coaches' Poll.
Preseason
The Badgers were picked to finish in the middle of the Big Ten conference and were not ranked in the preseason for a number of reasons. Early defections to the National Football League by second-team All-Americans Brandon Williams and Brian Calhoun left the Badger offense with only three returning starters. Additionally, with the departure of Barry Alvarez – who had just completed his final season with 10 wins and a Capital One Bowl victory – the head coaching job was taken over by Bret Bielema, then the youngest head coach in Division I-A football.
Bright spots for the Badgers included returning All-American offensive tackle Joe Thomas, who was coming off an ACL injury. John Stocco resumed the starting position at quarterback for his senior season, and P. J. Hill, Jr. won the starting tailback job. The defense was to be led by senior linebacker Mark Zalewski and senior strong safety Joe Stellmacher. The special teams unit was considered strong, with All-American candidate Ken DeBauche punting the ball.
Some sportswriters felt that the non-conference schedule was fairly weak. Early in the season, the team's non-conference schedule was placed on the "waiting list" of ESPN.com's Bottom 10 rankings.[1]
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2 | 6:00 p.m. | vs. Bowling Green* | ESPN+ | W 35–14 | 30,307[2] | ||
| September 9 | 2:30 p.m. | Western Illinois* | ESPNU | W 34–10 | 80,845[2] | ||
| September 16 | 2:30 p.m. | San Diego State* |
| ESPN+ | W 14–0 | 81,090[2] | |
| September 23 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 6 Michigan | ESPN | L 13–27 | 111,058[2] | ||
| September 30 | 11:00 a.m. | at Indiana | ESPN2 | W 52–17 | 32,142[2] | ||
| October 7 | 11:00 a.m. | Northwestern |
| ESPN360 | W 41–9 | 81,704[2] | |
| October 14 | 11:00 a.m. | Minnesota | No. 25 |
| ESPN | W 48–12 | 82,010[2] |
| October 21 | 11:00 a.m. | at Purdue | No. 21 | ESPN | W 24–3 | 58,111[2] | |
| October 28 | 11:00 a.m. | Illinois | No. 17 |
| ESPN2 | W 30–24 | 81,300[2] |
| November 4 | 11:00 a.m. | Penn State | No. 17 |
| ABC | W 13–3 | 81,777[2] |
| November 11 | 11:00 a.m. | at Iowa | No. 16 | ESPN | W 24–21 | 70,585[2] | |
| November 18 | 11:00 a.m. | Buffalo* | No. 12 |
| ESPNU | W 35–3 | 80,850[2] |
| January 1, 2007 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. No. 12 Arkansas* | No. 6 | ABC | W 17–14 | 60,774[2] | |
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Roster
| 2006 Wisconsin Badgers football team roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
Offensive Line
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