Danny O’Brien means nothing to the University of Wisconsin football team. He has not taken a snap; he has not hooked up with Jared Abbrederis for a long score.

Granted, a strong showing from the quarterback could suggest big things for the Badgers next season, but for now, he is stuck at Maryland finishing his spring semester.

We have all heard the Russell Wilson comparisons–both players transferred from Atlantic Coastal Conference teams and received ACC rookie of the year awards. Graduating in three years, both players are exceptionally bright. However, O’Brien is not Russell Wilson, and he uniquely differs from Wilson in several ways.

First, O’Brien lacks the polished, diverse presence of Wilson. O’Brien rushed for 57 yards last season, whereas Wilson rushed for 338. Wilson brought a special ability to evade pass rushers and pick up first downs with his feet when necessary, like his quick sidestep of Jared Crick and countless other defenders against Nebraska.

Second, O’Brien lacks the experience that Wilson brought to Wisconsin. O’Brien won only two road games in his career at Maryland, both coming against sub .500 ACC teams in 2010. In addition, O’Brien will only be a redshirt junior this season, so he doesn’t have as much experience starting at quarterback as Wilson did coming to Wisconsin a year ago.

Third, O’Brien’s statistics last season were rather dismal. He threw for 1,648 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Although many have attributed his lackluster season to the spread offense that he went to Maryland to avoid, O’Brien was still calling plays under center, and playing the quarterback position, so one has to question whether his season was really a fluke or indicative of his talent at quarterback.

With that reality check in place, let’s optimistically look towards what he can provide the Badgers in 2012.

O’Brien means nothing to UW, but UW means everything to O’Brien, which is very telling. O’Brien turned down the chance to follow James Franklin (his 2010 offensive coordinator at Maryland) to Vanderbilt, and turned down an offer from Penn State.

Although O’Brien lacks the mobility of Wilson, he isn’t a sitting duck in the pocket. A quick check on Youtube for O’Brien’s highlights shows him making a myriad of throws both on the run and in the pocket. His hookups with wide receiver Torrey Smith in 2010 resemble some of the connections Wilson and Abbrederis made last season.

ACC quarterbacks transferring to Wisconsin bear semblance to AL pitchers moving to the NL, except O’Brien receives a mammoth offensive line and a Heisman caliber running back instead of the removal of a designated hitter. The tools at O’Brien’s disposal cannot be overlooked. He played with Smith in 2010, but really lacked any other offensive threats. This season, O’Brien will have multiple threats at running back with Ball, James White, Melvin Gordon and Jeff Lewis. He will also have ample receiving options with Abbrederis, Jacob Pederson, and emerging role players at wide receiver in Jeff Duckworth, Marquis Mason and Manasseh Garner.

Thus, like Wilson, O’Brien will likely benefit from a deadly play action game, allowing new offensive coordinator Matt Canada creative avenues to get the ball to playmakers on offense. Montee Ball’s passing prowess could once again be on full display this season with O’Brien on the receiving end. He did have one receiving touchdown for Maryland in 2010.

For the Badgers, O’Brien’s signing represents the persistence of UW on the national stage. The Badgers lured in a quarterback that many other schools wanted, in situations that may have been more comfortable for O’Brien. While the Badgers will always have Jump Around and the Fifth Quarter, the acquisition of transfer quarterbacks isn’t something Badger fans want to see become tradition. However, the unique injury situation at quarterback left head coach Bret Bielema few viable options. Rather than suggesting a weakness at recruiting the quarterback position, O’Brien’s signing should suggest UW’s rise to power in the Big Ten.

Perhaps the most revealing moment of Wisconsin’s rise came in the final moments of the Halloween loss at Ohio State last season. The Buckeyes fans stormed the field after beating the second place team in the Leaders division. A team that had won or shared the last six Big Ten titles celebrated on the field after upsetting the 15th ranked team in the country.

Ohio State and Michigan were down, but recent coaching changes have both programs seemingly in position to contend for Big Ten titles. Add in dangerous teams in Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State, Penn State, and a potential sleeper in Purdue, and the Big Ten seems to be a muddled assortment of teams capable of winning any given week.

But this is what makes the acquisition of O’Brien so significant. The Badgers stole O’Brien from a fellow Leaders division team. They filled a position that many people doubted going into the season. O’Brien allowed UW to once again assert its prominence on the national scene, and he may even provide a glimmer of hope for the national championship. Even if it’s only hope, the fallback option of Pasadena probably sounds pretty welcoming to Badger fans.