While Barry Alvarez is already searching for Bret Bielema’s replacement as head football coach in Madison, and Wisconsin’s athletic
Barry Alvarez
director may pick himself to coach the team in the New Years Day Rose Bowl game against Stanford in less than a month.
According to story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, reporter Jeff Potrykus says the tip comes from a source close to the UW program.
Bielema took the head coaching job at Arkansas on Tuesday, met with his Badger players early Tuesday evening, then boarded a plan for Arkansas.
According to some of his former players in Madison, Bielema saw the opportunity to go to Arkansas as a better chance to win a National Championship than he had in Madison.
AUDIO: Montee Ball asked why Bielema left Wisconsin :02
In an Arkansas release on Tuesday night, Bielema said, “I am very humbled and honored to become the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. During my conversation with Jeff (Long) he described the characteristics for the perfect fit to lead this program. It was evident we share the same mission, principles and goals.”
Bielema will get a big payday from the move. He’s expected to sign a contract that will pay him more than $4-million a year.
Following Bielema’s meeting with Wisconsin players on Tuesday night, the players said all the right things, but as expected, their disappointment was clearly evident. And how could it not. The man who has promised them everything is now walking away. That’s the way it is in big time college and professional sports. It’s uncertain whether or not Arkansas will give Bielema a better chance to win a National Championship than Wisconsin. But he now has 1.5-million more reasons to see it through.
Now the Badgers, whether it’s with Barry Alvarez, or a coach already on staff, have to put this behind them, and focus on getting ready to win the Rose Bowl and avoid a 3rd straight defeat in Pasadena.
AUDIO: Center Travis Frederick on how they get ready to play in less than a month :07
Bielema is overrated as a coach, and now Arkansas will find that out too. He had the horses to win a BCS Championship at UW too; don’t tell me when you have talent like JJ Watts, Montee Ball, Russell Wilson and all those magnificent linemen that are all over the NFL, that you couldn’t have won a BCS Championship. Where was the imagination they showed vs. Nebraska when they played Oregon or TCU, or when they lost to Michigan State when they had Wilson?!?
I will say one thing: Barry Alvarez knows how to win Rose Bowls; can’t say that about Bielema.