Well, I’ll admit it. After seeing the UW football team score 44 points against Wofford last Saturday, I must say, I’m impressed.

Take away those six fumbles and you’ll see the Badgers played a strong game from start to finish. Sure surprised me.

After barely squeaking by Cal Poly last year thanks to a few missed extra points, when I learned of the Terriers’ “Wingbone” triple option system, I figured we would have another high-scoring affair on both sides of the ball.

Well, after giving up a mere 46 receiving yards against Wofford, it seems like the UW cornerbacks may have learned how to stay in front of a receiver. I mean, how can you not be happy with a defensive performance that didn’t allow a reception until the third quarter and only three over the entire game.

Hate to break it to you though, but Wofford is no Michigan State. Simply put, playtime is over.

This week, when the Badgers take on the Spartans at Camp Randall, they won’t only be playing in their first Big Ten game of the season, but they’ll also be playing to prove to everyone they’re either contenders or cellar dwellers.

Last year, we all remember how the Badgers stumbled out of the conference gates, first blowing a 19-point halftime lead to Michigan, then falling to Ohio State, Penn State and Iowa without much of a fight.

Perhaps that experience last year will give UW a certain confidence going into this Big Ten season. Granted, the Badgers’ schedule isn’t nearly as tough, but with a defense filled with new starters and a very questionable secondary, winning these early games might not be as easy as some may think.

Michigan State is by no means a powerhouse, so the Badgers won’t have to worry about facing as formidable an opponent in their first home game this year. In fact, the Badgers would have won last year had Bret Bielema not made the worst coaching mistake in his career: calling a time out with seconds left to give the Spartans an easy game-winning field goal.

But now, it’s apparent the Badgers have learned from at least some of their mistakes.

Mind you, it is early. And Wisconsin hasn’t looked amazing. In their games against FBS opponents this year, the Badgers looked slow in the secondary and really only got great play from their two captains on defense, O’Brien Schofield and Chris Maragos.

On offense, Scott Tolzien has surprised many (well, me, anyway) and hasn’t made any terrible mistakes since his interception that nearly led to a Northern Illinois comeback in week one. John Clay and Zach Brown look like an impressive tandem in the backfield, and Nick Toon, dropped catches aside, has made some huge plays.

But for some reason, I’m still skeptical. Maybe it’s the way the Badgers played the first two games or maybe it’s the replays of Devin Smith getting burned for 70 yards, over and over again. Regardless, there need to be some changes if Wisconsin thinks they can get off to a good start. Bielema and Co. know it, too.

In fact, Bielema said right after the game that during halftime, he told his players if they continued to fumble the ball, they would get back on the field to practice right after the game.

“I announced it at halftime,” Bielema said. “‘Anybody having fumble exchanges issues in the second half, we’re going to go out there and we’ll suspend Fifth Quarter and work on making sure we have ball security.'”

That’s what I like to see! At this point in the season, very few head coaches can be pleased with the way his team is playing, especially with as many problems as the Badgers have had recently. I’m willing to bet those fumbles won’t be an issue this week and if they are, expect those players to be benched for their inability to hold on to a football.

It’s starting to look like the Badgers could win their next two games, putting them in position to be undefeated when they face Ohio State in a few weeks. While that game is far away, take a moment to think about those implications. Coming off their worst season since 2003, Wisconsin has the opportunity to defy the odds — or really, just take advantage of an easy schedule — and make people take a look toward Madison.

But at the same time, losing to Michigan State would be a devastating loss for the Badgers. The Spartans have already lost to Central Michigan and are a much weaker team than they were last year. Wisconsin will also want some momentum going into Minnesota, which will surely be a hostile environment in the Gophers’ new stadium.

Nevertheless, while some might view this game as another one of those 11 a.m. Big Ten bums showdowns, this game has major implications for the Badgers. Let’s hope the UW coaching staff has learned from the team’s mistakes last year. If they haven’t, it could be another long season in the Big Ten.

Jonah is a junior majoring in journalism and Hebrew and Semitic studies. Think the Badgers are ready for Big Ten play? What implications does the first conference game have? Send your thoughts to [email protected].