When the green grass and warm summer days transform into the colored leaves and cooler temperatures of fall, it can only mean one thing: It’s finally time for football season.

At the University of Wisconsin, however, this means more than just heading down to the southwest end of campus on Saturday to pack into Camp Randall for a few hours each week to watch a football game.

Here, Wisconsin football is a culture, full of traditions and experiences that often become some of the most defining moments for students in the short amount of time they get to spend in this beautiful college town.

After three years here, I feel confident saying this is a pretty special place.

I mean, where else do you get to “jump around” after the third quarter?

Count for Bucky as he does push-ups after a Wisconsin touchdown?

Or hang around for an extra fifth quarter just to sing and dance to your favorite songs with the UW marching band and 80,000 of your closest friends?

I’ll answer that for you: nowhere. (If you couldn’t tell already, I will be a senior this fall, and the nostalgia is starting to kick in hard).

UW is regularly ranked near the top when it comes to the best college football towns, most recently earning a No. 1 ranking from USA Today this spring.

And the football isn’t half-bad either.

Coming off three straight Rose Bowl appearances, the Badgers return a number of key players from their 2012 Big Ten Championship-winning team, including many already on preseason watch lists for prestigious awards at the end of the season – James White, Jared Abbrederis, Ryan Groy and Chris Borland, to name a few.

Sure, a fourth-straight Rose Bowl (knock on wood) will be no easy feat, especially when Wisconsin heads into an all-important matchup with Leaders Division foe Ohio State September 28, but anything is possible and crazier things have gone Wisconsin’s way in the past.

For some of you, the Wisconsin football team may have been a deciding factor in your decision to attend UW this fall, and for others, the fact that UW even has a football team may be news to you.

Either way, a day spent basking in the sun out in the bleachers at the north end of Camp Randall is something that has to make its on to your bucket list at least once during your time at this world-class university.

And in between those precious few hours each Saturday when the Wisconsin football team graces historic Camp Randall with its presence, I hope you will look for The Badger Herald online and in stands each week to tide you over with content on your favorite team until the next game.

This year, the Herald is your source for award-winning coverage of the Wisconsin football team – having received numerous awards from both the Milwaukee Press Club and Wisconsin Newspaper Association for its in-depth coverage of the Badgers over the years.

Furthermore, in the coming weeks the Herald will be entering a new era as we move to a 24-hour newsroom model to provide you with the best coverage of the football team each day, as it happens.

Outside of the gates of Camp Randall, the Herald sports department is also committed to bringing its readers exclusive content from UW’s many other fall varsity sports as well: including the men’s soccer team’s attempt to finally qualify for the elusive NCAA Tournament and the volleyball team’s first season with new coach Kelly Sheffield.

So as you count down the days before you finally make the pilgrimage over to Camp Randall for the first time Aug. 31, just know we have it circled on our calendar too.

We’ll see you there!

Nick is the sports editor and a senior majoring in journalism. What are you most excited about as the 2013 Badger football season approaches? Send him an email at [email protected] or tweet him @np_daniels.