In the past decade, Wisconsin football fans have witnessed the end of legendary coach Barry Alvarez’s career and the beginning of a new Bret Bielema era, and they have witnessed plenty of winning seasons along the way.

Under Alvarez, the Badgers kicked off the decade with a win on New Year’s Day in the 2000 Rose Bowl. UW defeated Stanford thanks to first-year starter Brooks Bollinger and Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne’s MVP performance.

It would be the final game of Dayne’s storied collegiate career, but the running back tradition at UW was far from over.

The following year, led by running back Anthony Davis, the Badgers won the Sun Bowl, but the next few seasons were difficult ones for UW. From 2001 through 2003, the Badgers finished no better than seventh in the Big Ten.

In 2004, the Badgers climbed back into the Big Ten title race, finishing third in the conference with John Stocco as the new signal caller and defensive end Erasmus James combining with safety Jim Leonhard to anchor a relentless defense. A loss to Georgia in the Outback Bowl ended the season for UW, but the 9-3 season featured a much-improved football team.

In 2005, the Badgers built on that success.

Brian Calhoun stepped in to replace Davis, and he produced over 1,600 yards and 22 touchdowns as the Badgers reeled off another nine-win regular season. This time, UW capped the season off with a victory as Wisconsin beat Auburn in the Capital One Bowl despite being heavy underdogs.

The victory over Auburn would be Alvarez’s last as a head coach. Alvarez — the most successful coach in Wisconsin football history — became UW’s athletic director, a position he still holds today, and he handpicked young defensive coordinator Bret Bielema as his successor.

The new head coach was nearly perfect in his first season.

True freshman running back P.J. Hill took over for Calhoun, who left early for the NFL, and Hill produced a season good enough to be named National Freshman of the Year. The Badgers would only lose once in the 2006 season as UW tied for second place in the Big Ten and earned another invitation to the Capital One Bowl.

Same bowl, same result, but this time the Badgers beat Arkansas en route to a school-best 12-1 season.

The Badgers went 9-4 in 2007, losing to Tennessee in the Outback Bowl, and in 2008, the Badgers suffered through a dreadful 7-6 season that culminated with a blowout loss to Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl.

This year, the Badgers are once again heading to Orlando for the Champs Sports Bowl, but a much different team is making the trip. The Badgers entered the 2009 season with a renewed focus, and with John Clay leading the way as Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, the Badgers finished the regular season with nine wins.

The past decade has been one of the most successful eras in Wisconsin football history with Alvarez leading the way and Bielema taking over as the new face of the program.

With a lot of young talent, strong recruiting classes and a maturing coaching staff in place, Badger fans should expect that success to continue into the next decade.