It is kind of like that feeling you get after a spring break trip in Mexico. The week was relaxing, setting your own agenda wasn’t a problem at all, and it was incredibly easy to score.

You survived a couple of close calls with the local police, and a few rough nights in the clubs left some bruises on your recently tanned body.

Despite being a little worn out, you feel refreshed, energized and confident in finishing the home stretch of second semester strong. The only problem is that this endeavor presents a slightly greater challenge than the one you just endured.

Although not entirely similar, the Wisconsin football team finds itself in a somewhat parallel situation. After dodging the perils of their cushy five game non-conference schedule, the Badgers dive straight into the teeth of the Big Ten schedule, hosting a Penn State team next Saturday that embarrassed national runner-up Nebraska 40-7 just two weeks ago.

In the blink of an eye, the Wisconsin football team will transition from preparing for a team like Northern Illinois to a team like Ohio State. The team will have to switch from worrying about some guy named Michael “Burner Turner to focusing on the likes of a Charles Rogers. From vacationing out in glamorous Las Vegas for a road game to battling the 110,000 Badger haters in the Big House.

Yeah, I’d say UW’s vacation has definitely come to a screeching halt. It’s finally time to face the harsh realities of the college football world.

Next week’s game against the Nittany Lions will be interesting in many aspects.

We’ll finally be able to see just how good these 5-0 Wisconsin Badgers really are. The only teams that have tested them so far have been the lowly Fresno State Bulldogs and the Northern Illinois Huskies — not exactly the most nationally renowned football programs.

They looked impressive in their 31-10 cakewalk over Arizona last week, but even that team probably doesn’t hold a candle to the lower-tier teams of the Big Ten like Indiana and Northwestern.

Despite their undefeated mark, the Badgers have received minimal respect at the national level, and the Badgers are eager to silence their antagonizing critics.

Doing this is going to be a lot easier with the supposed return of star receiver Lee Evans who, sidelined with a knee injury, has been banking on an Oct. 5 return since the middle of the summer.

The spark of Evans might be exactly what this team needs to catapult its play to the next and necessary level of Big Ten play. Along with providing the offensive backfield with one of the most dangerous weapons in the nation, he will also anchor a potentially dominant receiving corps that has been primed to make some serious noise when lined up with opposing secondaries.

The entire Big Ten season for Wisconsin will pivot around the play and poise of Brooks Bollinger, who enters his fourth year of conference play as starting quarterback. Already known for his uncanny mobility in the pocket, Bollinger’s air attack over the last three weeks has seemingly opened up a new dimension for the usually run-happy signal caller.

Equally as important as his play on the field will be his leadership off of it. Bollinger is the only player on the Badger roster who saw significant playing time in Wisconsin’s ’99 Rose Bowl run. That marked the last year Wisconsin experienced a great deal of success in the Big Ten, the caliber of play this year’s squad strongly believes they can attain.

If his winning attitude and conference experience can spill over to the underclassmen, who are taking their first realistic shot at a conference title, the Badgers could be poised to make a serious run.

The most pertinent distinction between non-conference play and the Big Ten schedule for the Badgers will be the exorbitant increase in the cost of making mistakes. While the offense has avoided committing too many turnovers in the first five games and the defense has forced quite a few of its own, missed field goals and inconsistent play will not go unforgiven.

While Wisconsin managed to escape the claws of defeat from Fresno State and NIU, last minute heroics in the wake of costly mistakes come much tougher against the Michigans and Ohio States of the conference.

But despite the increased perils the conference schedule presents the Badgers remain confident in their chances in the Big Ten. They’re ready for it in all aspects of their game and they’ve put in their time preparing for it.
It’s now do or die and back to reality for the undefeated Badgers, as the sun has set on their five-week honeymoon.