BuckAround: A Wisconsin Badgers Football Podcast

With the Badgers' 2016 Spring Game just days away, Rich and Max wrap up their discussions of spring practice with a look at the latest developments from camp including the apparent shuffling on the offensive line going into the fall and answer some big picture listener questions. Don't forget to send us your spring game thoughts for next week's show! SHOW NOTES 2:00 Apologies for the delay 4:30 Bill from Neenah and scheduling 8:30 Dylan from PA and coaches getting paid 23:00 Dylan from PA and if UW is a basketball or football school 27:00 Dylan from PA on hating coaches 32:30 Are the OL's dark days over? 37:00 Max is attending the spring game... As am l 43:15 Talking Max's new favorite team, Illinois, and the loss of Dudek

Rich and Max are joined for the first time by John Veldhuis of BadgerBlitz.com. John gives an update on spring practice to date including his analysis of the quarterback race, the progression of the offensive line, and what the defense will look like under Justin Wilcox. SHOW NOTES 2:45 The Buckaround is back... And ready to talk NIU football 5:30 Welcome John Veldhuis of BadgerBlitz.com 6:45 How are QB's looking? 10:00 Why is Houston the favorite? 12:00 Are either of them better than Stave? Will they be in the future? 17:00 Who is the third string QB? 20:00 What to make of Taiwan Deal? 23:30 Will Dare be the third down back? 25:30 Leon Jacobs... FB? 30:30 Define legitimate and the depth at WR 36:30 Anything of note (aka noteworthy) at TE? 37:45 Back to "normal" at OL? 40:00 How deep will the DL go? 50:45 How will Wilcox's D compare to Aranda's? 52:00 Is TJ Watt a difference maker? 57:00 Who will replace Hillary? Is that even possible? 1:04:45 China Bob wants to talk Titus Booker 1:07:00 Who will return punts? 1:11:30 We're caught up

Mark Rudner, Senior Associate Commissioner of Television Administration for the Big Ten Conference, joins the show to educate Rich and Max on the finer points of how television and college football work together. The conversation ranges from when and how kickoff times are established to what the future of televisions sports is in the age of cord cutting. The show is closed with a discussion of the first day of spring practice. SHOW NOTES 2:15 Welcome Mark Rudner from BTN 3:15 How does college football scheduling work? 17:15 How does that change with out of conference games? 19:00 How much input does a school have? 22:45 How has the conference network landscape changed? 27:00 Why has BTN had better market penetration than PAC 12? 30:15 Was BTN's reach better than projected? 33:00 Where is hockey heading? 36:00 Hockey expansion? 37:00 SEC bias? 40:00 When will BTN be on Apple TV? 42:45 What is the next big thing? 44:15 Looking at the next cable deal 51:30 Spring practice is here 52:30 Ryan Ramczyk... Starting LT 54:30 Who are you and what have you done with negative Rich? 56:30 A glimpse at the LB's 58:45 Walker Williams and Arthur Goldberg 1:00:00 Is the only drama at safety? 1:03:30 upcoming schedule

The Badgers hit the field on March 16th to officially begin the 2nd season of Paul Chryst's tenure as Wisconsin head coach. Max and Rich ready themselves for the next month of practices with discussions of the quarterback race, what the future holds for Taiwan Deal, and how much we can really learn about Justin Wilcox's defense in spring. They close the show with a listener voicemail and analysis of the hire of Lovie Smith. SHOW NOTES 1:30 Old business and new business 4:45 How will Paul Chryst handle the QB's? 9:00 Is Taiwan Deal the most interesting man in Madison? 11:00 Rich is puzzled by Leon Jacobs 13:15 Rich is a Badgers fan. 13:45 Will a clear starting 5 emerge on the OL? 19:00 The uncertainty in the secondary 24:00 Who will emerge as a playmaker? 28:00 How much can we learn about Wilcox in the spring? 30:00 Tookey Monster on why Wilcox might be hated 32:30 Max doesn't think the Badgers can beat his favorite team in '16 37:00 Illinois has gone crazy... Or big?

In what is (hopefully) the first of many installments, Rich and Max are joined by Bill Connelly of SBNation and Football Study Hall Fame to get a crash course in advanced stats and talk about his newest book project. They close the show with some listener mail and talk the hire of Jim Leonhard - something neither of them saw coming. SHOW LINKS: BACK BILL'S BOOK!! BILL'S TOUR OF THE B1G SHOW NOTES: 4:00 Welcome SBNation's Bill Connelly 5:00 Least valuable stats? 6:15 Which stats should be used less? 8:00 The 5 factors of S&P+ 9:30 How did Bill get involved with advanced stats? 13:15 Defining success rate 15:00 The randomness of being... And the randomness of turnovers 17:15 How F/+ combines two systems 18:45 Preseason rankings 23:00 Accounting for coaching turnover... Or not 26:45 A statistical look at Stave 28:15 A brief history of Wilcox 30:00 Andy in Chicago and the limitations of football stats 32:15 Dan in DC and why the NFL is more pass heavy 34:15 THE BOOK! BUY IT! 43:00 Brin from Madison corrects Rich and Max on QB depth 49:00 Keelon Brookins moving back to safety 49:45 The Badger coaching all stars 52:00 Max went to Cornell? Yet denies his FCS heritage? For shame

In a jam packed show, Rich and Max analyze the impact of the departure of Daronte Jones and FINALLY get to their backlog of listener mail. Those segments bookend their detailed projections for what the Badger defense will look like in 2016. SHOW NOTES 1:30 Getting back to our roots... And talking weather 3:30 The loss of Daronte Jones 8:00 The Defensive depth charts 8:30 The DL 14:45 The ILBs 16:00 The OLBs 19:00 The CBs 24:00 Safety 32:15 Kicker 32:30 That was quick... Now the returners 33:45 Punter 35:00 The holder... seriously... The holder 37:00 A shoutout for the sensitive Bizarro Max 37:30 Eric from Becker, MN on kickers 40:00 Nick from SW Wisconsin on Kare Lyles 42:45 Tyler from Stevens Point on Wilcox 45:30 Max is glad about Wilcox... Want easy access to this 47:00 Aussie Luke on why he is a Badger fan (hint: it's about a girl)

It's time to start looking ahead to 2016! Rich and Max are by themselves this week and give their best guesses as to what the Badger offense will look like in the coming season. SHOW NOTES 2:00 Looking at projected 2016 offensive depth chart 3:30 QB Depth Chart 7:15 RB Depth Chart 11:30 FB Depth Chart 16:15 The fellas show a poor grasp of the BSAPM 17:30 WR Depth Chart 27:00 TE Depth Chart 36:14 OL Depth Chart - Where there are some differences 42:30 How do we feel about this offense? 44:45 Who did the offense lose?

Another signing day, another wall-to-wall, information packed recruiting wrap with Evan Flood. Evan breaks down Wisconsin's recruiting class including the sleepers, steals, and question marks in Paul Chryst's first full class as head coach. Evan has always been a listener favorite and doesn't disappoint. SHOW NOTES 1:15 Housekeeping 5:00 Finally the (Evan) Flood has come BACK... To the Buckaround 6:00 Was this cycle indicative of Chryst's future recruiting style? 7:45 Is the lack of drama reminiscent of the Bielema days? 9:00 Why did Antonio Williams decommit? 11:30 Could the Badgers have handled the RB situation better? 14:00 How far down the list was Brodner? 16:00 How close were the Badgers to landing Nate Stanley? 18:30 Jacob Caesar 20:15 Are the Badgers leaning toward a certain DE prototype? 25:45 Will any DL recruits move to OL? 26:45 Why is it so hard for the Badgers to recruit CB's? 29:00 What is Chryst looking for in his QB's? 31:00 Biggest sleeper on this class? 34:00 What gaps remain unfilled? 35:45 Grading John Settle 37:30 Who, besides Rudolph, did well recruiting? 40:00 Why the lack of hat drama? 41:45 What impact will Wilcox have as a recruiter? 44:00 Leon Jacobs at RB 46:00 How big will the 2017 class be? 46:45 What is Chryst's ceiling as a recruiter? 50:00 Coming next week... Angry, negative Rich (not really... Maybe)

The end of 2015 - from a BuckAround perspective - is here. Rich and Max hand out their post season awards and close the book on the season that was, but not until they reveal the results of the prop bet competition with friend of the show Andy Schaaf and discuss possible reasons behind the mysteriously quiet (and long!) search for a new defensive coordinator SHOW NOTES 1:30 Putting 2015 in the rear view 5:00 Recapping the Over/Unders with the illustrious Amos Schaff 16:15 Host Over/Under champ? Max 19:00 WHY is there no DC yet? 21:45 The Golden Buckys 23:15 MOP: Ray Ball... Just kidding it's Schobert 25:15 Offensive MVP: Rich: Dare Max: Erickson 29:00 Defensive MVP: Rich: McEvoy Max:Caputo 32:15 Unsung Hero: Obasih 34:30 Freshman of the Year: TJ Edwards 37:45 Future Star, Offense: Rich Benzschawel Max: Ingold (NIU bias) 39:15 Future Star, Defense Rich: Sagapolu & Dixon Max: Jamerson 43:00 Biggest Disappointment: Rich: Figaro Max: Clement 45:00 Worst Game: Rich: Iowestern Max: Northwa 45:45 Play of the Year: Rich: Wheelwright one hander Max: Rafa's 2nd chance FG 49:30 Game of the Year: USC 51:45 Coach of the Year Rich: Gilmore Max: Aranda 56:00 The end of the #questforfun

Getting into the home stretch of their 2015 wrap up, Rich and Max are joined by long time listener Jon from Minneapolis to discuss the Badger offensive line from 2015. HE bring his background as a player and coach to break down their scheme, technique and condition. Rich and Max also carve out a few minutes before his appearance to talk about the emergence of Tim Tibesar as the leading candidate for the Wisconsin defensive coordinator job before finding out at the end of the show it may well end up being Justin Wilcox. SHOW NOTES 1:45 We want to hear from our listeners... We miss you 3:15 Tibesar leading the DC search? 10:30 Stop with the Bostad 16:30 The world renowned Jon from Minneapolis 18:00 What changed from the Andersen regime to the Chryst regime? 21:00 Did Voltz and Marz plateau this year? 24:30 Marz compared to recent LT's 27:15 Grading Dieter vs Voltz 29:15 Is the C position in good hands with Dieter? 31:30 Thoughts on Jacob Maxwell 34:45 A look at Walker Williams 37:00 Micah Kapoi's upside 38:30 How does the logjam in the interior shakeout in '16? 40:30 How did the strength and conditioning impact the Badgers in '15? 42:45 How much of the OL's struggle was due to the RB's? 44:00 MGIII's NFL struggles 44:45 Did Dare actually improve? 46:15 TE usage 51:00 Justin Wilcox leading the DC search?

2015 was a weird season. There's no way of getting around that. But with that in mind Rich (flying solo this episode) tries to make sense of the year that was with Jason Galloway of Madison.com. He gives his take on the career arc of Joel Stave, the division of labor on the Badger coaching staff, and how he grades out Year 1 of Paul Chryst. SHOW NOTES 1:30 Old business 5:15 Welcome back Jason Galloway 6:15 Stave legacy... Galloway edition 8:15 The WR's jump forward 11:30 Evaluating Joe Rudolph 13:30 Chris Haering's role 15:30 Tibesar and the LB's 17:45 Unsung hero 19:30 Why the lack of turnovers from the CB's? 22:00 Does Daronte Jones get enough credit? 23:30 Who made biggest jumps from spring to fall? 26:00 Did 2015 team feel different than 2014 team? 28:00 Grading Paul Chryst 30:00 Plans for offseason football coverage 31:45 Why didn't Galloway let the dogs out?

It's finally come to an end. Over 4 seasons Joel Stave has been a point of controversy amongst Badger fans. With his career as a Badger over, Rich and Max try to make sense of his time in Madison and figure out how he will be remembered. SHOW NOTES 2:00 Welcome to the offseason 4:30 Prepare for some cold takes on Stave 8:00 Jarrett from Wauke$ha... What if Stave had gotten some breaks? 12:15 Um... Rich used to be positive?!? The year was 2012. It was a simpler time... 19:00 Travis from THE St Louis 21:30 Matthew from Stave's alma mater 27:00 Stave's legacy... Brusky edition 29:45 Stave's legacy... Branch edition 36:00 Future plans

Winning bowl games is fun, and making podcasts about teams winning bowl games is also fun! Rich and Max carve out some time to discuss the Badgers thrilling victory over USC before diving into a discussion of the departure of Dave Aranda and what it means for the future of Wisconsin football. SHOW NOTES 1:00 Happy New Year!!! 1:45 A new co-host ain't walking through that door!!! 2:30 The tinder of podcasts 3:45 Voicemails 8:45 A microcosm of the season 9:45 The 2015 Badgers D... An effort wasted? 14:00 Corey Clements (sic) looked okay 17:00 Let's back up the Stave praise 20:00 Missed opportunities in the red zone 22:00 Rich eats crow... Or does he? 24:00 Rich turns on Hillary like he stole something 27:00 UR Players of the Game 32:30 Fare thee well David Aranda and Badger coach pay 43:00 A reminder that the Badgers are in the "B" tier 45:15 Basketball distracting Iowa fans from their train wreck Rose Bowl 54:00 The upcoming schedule

Filling out the BuckAround's Holiday Bowl preview, Lindsey Thiry joins Rich to discuss the state of USC heading into the December 30th matchup. Lindsey breaks down common threads in USC's 5 losses, what coaching changes mean for the Badgers in the bowl game, and the level of motivation for USC will be in the bowl given the high expectations going into the season.

Rich and Max join forces to preview the Badgers' matchup with USC in the Holiday Bowl. They measure Wisconsin's secondary against USC's passing attack, the battle along the line of scrimmage, discuss the latest developments with Corey Clement and Dave Aranda, and open the show with a listener submitted, Badger-themed haiku. SHOW NOTES 1:15 A Badger Haiku for you and yours 4:30 Hotel, Motel, Holiday Bowl 6:30 What to watch 9:00 The quarterbacks 11:00 USC doesn't have bad losses 13:30 How will the Badger D perform? 16:45 How will the Badgers CB's hold up? 18:15 Key matchup 21:30 Containing Adoree Jackson on special teams 23:00 The Aranda thing 26:30 The Clement thing 30:15 Max's vanity project... Big Ten Chat 33:15 Rich's vanity project... Being the first to hear Big Ten Chat

Surprise! Max was lucky enough to secure and interview with former Badger and NFL fullback Cecil Martin. We discusses his favorite coaches at Wisconsin, how recruiting has changed for players, and his time spent on the Allstate Good Works Day!

The Badgers closed the regular season with a convincing 31-21 victory over the Golden Gophers of Minnesota. They break down the "return" of the Badger running game, the defenses' turnover filled afternoon, Max's surprise pick for under the radar player of the game, and compare Thanksgiving recipes. SHOW NOTES 1:45 The sad tale of the scalloped oysters 4:15 The Badgers win at an 85% sold out TCF 5:30 The RB's get back on track 7:30 Rich points out all the Gophers DT's were hurt 12:30 The second half was ugly 15:45 Leidner is a less athletic, less electric Taylor Martinez 20:15 The Badgers improved pass rush 22:00 Gophers coaching shakeup 24:00 Cichy's Targeting penalty 26:30 Was this game chippier than a normal Axe Game? 28:30 Rich wants to talk awards!!! Not really, but he humors us 30:15 Corey Clement's "suspension" 34:30 UR Players of the Game 37:00 The B1G Championship 40:00 The Holiday Bowl 43:15 We shall return... But not til the 21st. 45:45 The Buckaround recommends...

With the game overshadowed by questions about officiating, Rich and Max delve into the chaos that was the Badgers' 13-7 loss to Northwestern. They discuss the bevy of officiating controversies in the game, the bevy (I'm liking this word today!) of turnovers by the Badgers, and the dominating performance by the defense. They finish the show with a visit from Bizarro Max, a preview of the Minnesota game, and explore Max's Thanksgiving menu. SHOW NOTES 2:30 It's a montage!!! 6:45 Dude, Matt Millen 8:00 Dare's spike 9:45 The Jazz non-TD (Max isn't taking it well...) 16:00 The Erickson non-TD 19:00 If they wanted to win they shouldn't have turned it over 5 times 24:30 The Badgers gave up 3 TD's at Camp Randall... And lost twice 27:15 Attempting to make sense of RB usage 29:30 Clement's promising post game comment 30:30 Who did the bye week benefit? 32:15 Yet another is this OL good conversation 37:00 If we had listened to Rich earlier maybe we could have saved Ray Ball... 41:30 Who's gonna take over at LT? 43:00 UR Players of the Game 45:00 Bizarro Max and Iowa talk 54:30 It's Axe Week 1:05:30 We lied... We're not changing the intro. 1:06:15 Max's Turkey Day menu... Featuring scalloped oysters

As the Badgers prepare to take on Northwestern off the bye week, Rich and Max take a look at what Saturday's game will bring. They discuss the Wildcats' inconsistent offense, their stingy defense, and how much of a factor Corey Clement can be in this game. They also find time to discuss Tom Oates' latest column on the state of the Badgers before closing the show with a set of lightning round questions from the audience and an update on the prop bet competition. ​SHOW NOTES 1:30 The team is back 2:00 The TalkAround (72)-77B-UCKY 3:45 Bizarro Max 5:30 The Badgers are gonna play Northwestern 7:15 Max gets his NIU reference in early 11:15 How much can the Badgers score? 16:30 Jarrett from Wauke$ha 18:00 The athletic department's handling of Clement's hand situation 22:00 Tom Oates' Andersen article 36:00 Big games in the B1G 41:45 Lightning round 44:30 Prop bets 48:30 Prediction time

The Badgers head into the bye week with a tighter than expected 31-24 victory over Maryland. Rich and Max discuss the unexpectedly less than dominant performance from the defense, the schizophrenic performance from the offense, and special teams that were a puzzling mix of both good and bad. All this plus Rich's in person experience at Byrd Stadium. SHOW NOTES 1:30 Welcome to the bye week 3:00 Call us!!! 720-77-BUCKY 4:00 Is this the blueprint for attacking the Badgers D? 10:30 What happens when the Badgers play real offensive talent? 11:15 Your #MACtion interlude 12:30 The Maryland DL 13:45 The RB situation 16:00 Stave went streaking 19:30 Rich misses DJ Gillens 22:00 We've gotta talk about Joel Stave 29:00 SPECIAL teams!!! 36:00 Good coaching is about what you do when your plan doesn't work 39:15 UR Player of the game 40:30 Let's talk about Iowa... Or, let's listen to Max talk about Iowa 43:15 Rich goes to Maryland 49:45 "It's better than Rutgers?"

Rich and Max examine the Badgers upcoming matchup with the Terrapins of Maryland. They discuss the relative lack of playmakers on the Maryland offense, the threat on special teams posed by Will Likely, and how they see the coaching staff dividing carries amongst the running backs once (if?) everyone is healthy. Finally, Rich breaks down his "tailgating crisis" for the weekend's game in College Park. SHOW NOTES 2:00 HOLD YOUR HORSES!!! The new intro will be after the season 3:15 Call us!!! (720) 77-BUCKY 5:15 Let's talk Maryland 10:30 How much will Clement play? 14:15 How will the Badgers split carries if/when Clement is healthy? 17:15 Will we see more Gillins? 19:30 Is McEvoy a viable draft prospect? At what position? 24:15 Big games in the B1G 31:30 Let's talk about Nebraska 37:00 Prediction time 39:30 Rich's Maryland situation

Off the Badgers' 48-10 stomping of Rutgers, Rich and Max have plenty of positives to discuss. They examine the return of Corey Clement, another dominating performance from the defense, and the curious case of DJ Gillins. All this and more but not before Rich issues a heartfelt apology at the top of the podcast...again. SHOW NOTES 1:30 Matt Millen 3 weeks in a row 3:00 Rich makes a public apology 10:00 Let's get happy and talk about the game 11:30 The return of Corey Clement 15:30 Dave Aranda's Madison tenure 16:15 Joel Stave. Joel Stave. 21:00 Four thoughts on Rich's Iowa 24:15 Ho Hum the Badgers D played well 30:45 DJ Gillens is jumping people 33:15 Fourth Downs 38:30 UR Players of the game 43:00 Big games in the B1G

With Badger football fans abuzz with talk of a budding quarterback controversy, Rich and Max share their perspective but not before previewing "Rich's Iowa" (a.k.a Rutgers), look at how the team compensates for the loss of Dan Voltz and Rob Wheelwright, and deal with some misconceptions about the "disaster" that was Gary Andersen. Finally, they close the show looking at the potential dearth of bowl teams from the B1G West. SHOW NOTES 1:00 Welcome to Rich's Iowa 4:00 Rutgers Al isn't Rutgers Al 5:45 Talking the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers 10:00 The Rutgers QB situation 12:00 The worst defense in the B1G 14:00 Could the Badgers score 40?!? 16:30 What do the Badgers do without Wheelwright? 22:00 The MASH unit that is the OL 25:45 WiscoBiscuits wants to talk Stave vs Houston 30:15 Travis wants to talk lack of playmakers 38:45 Big games in the B1G 49:15 Prediction time

Rich and Max break down the Badgers win at Illinois – including the quarterback non-controversy that “developed.” They also talk about how the near-historic rash of injuries to each teams’ players affected the game. Finally, Max shouts out a fan of the show – who wore a BuckAround t-shirt to the game – and the merits of RVs at a tailgate. SHOW NOTES 1:30 No champagne in the BuckAround 3:15 Max saw a cat in a BuckAround shirt 4:45 Rich plans his Maryland trip 6:30 A new intro?!? 9:30 Down goes Stave... 15:45 What changed when Houston came in? 21:00 An epic post game interview, bro 22:30 Why was Erickson always open? 28:00 Illinois' DL had NFL bodies and NFL abilities 29:45 Was the defense different without Goldberg? 33:00 Rich offers fashion advice... And wants all the kids off his lawn 34:15 Chris Orr saw less time 35:00 Where will Badgers turn without THE Darius Hillary in '16? 40:30 Sahil, who is not going to College Park, wonders if Caputo is having less impact 44:45 UR Players of the Game 51:00 Max's stories from Champaign

With the Badgers still fighting to stay in the fight for the B1G West, Rich and Max preview their next opponent: Illinois. Max admits to his growing fascination with the Illini while giving a detailed rundown of the team on both sides of the ball. They then respond to some listener mail and delve into a discussion of what the decommitment of Antonio Williams means for the Badgers, and give their take on the state of Badger recruiting. SHOW NOTES 2:00 The many rooting interests of Maxwell Brusky 6:15 Let's talk about Illinois in an orderly fashion 8:45 Geronimo Allison can make every catch 11:15 Is Wes Lunt good? 13:45 Does Illinois have a DL? 15:00 Will Clement play? 18:45 Max mistakenly asserts anyone could be as good as Darius Hillary 19:00 DJ Gillins... Wide Reciever 27:00 To win the B1G West or not to win the B1G West 32:15 Did the Badgers miss a windo to break through? 35:00 Andersen's offensive recruits haven't been game breakers 40:15 18 year olds can be flaky 41:00 What to make of Chryst the Recruiter

After a one week hiatus Max returns to the show to dissect the Badgers' uninspiring 24-7 win over Purdue. They look at another stellar outing from the defense, talk about the relative performances of Walker Williams and Micah Kapoi as they played side by side, and what it means to get a "Good" Stave. SHOW NOTES 1:00 The one... The only... Married-er Maxwell Brusky 4:15 Hard hitting Purdue analysis 7:45 The offense isn't good 11:00 Plenty of good Stave 16:15 The snake bitten RB's 18:15 #TeamWalker vs #TeamKapoi 25:15 Purdue is a good MAC team but NOT on the Northern Illinois level 26:15 Defense was awesome 28:00 The 0-4-7 30:00 The starting OL 33:30 The Alec Ingold Experience 35:00 We join our regularly schedule Hawkeyearound already in progress 37:00 UR players of the game 41:00 Big games in the B1G

With Max off this week celebrating his nuptials, Rich runs the roost with a VERY special guest host that long time listeners should know (and fear). They talk about the resurgence of Joel Stave, Paul Chryst's game management, Rafael Gaglianone's inconsistent but ultimately triumphant day in Lincoln. SHOW NOTES 2:00 Welcome Skinlamp Nate to the pod! 3:00 Let's talk Stave... Is he better? 10:00 Are the WR's any good? 18:15 Jazzed about Peavy? 19:15 Are the Badgers a passing team now? (Spoiler... NO!) 27:30 Thoughts on Jafa and 2 pods per week 31:30 ANOTHER solid performance by the defense 36:45 UR player of the game 42:30 "Want to know something interesting about Purdue?" 44:15 Are the Badgers better off finishing 2nd in the West this year? 49:00 Tune in next week to hear all about Iowa, Northern Illinois and Darius Hillary!

With the Badgers sitting at 0-1 in conference, Rich and Max examine the showdown in Lincoln Saturday with Nebraska. They discuss which is worse: Nebraska's pass defense or Wisconsin's pass offense, whether or not Nebraska will run the ball, and if this is truly a "must win" game for the Badgers if they still want to win the west. They close the show with a discussion of what a poor performance from Joel Stave could or should mean for his future and where the team goes from there. SHOW NOTES: 1:30 Who's a bigger mess? Wisconsin? Nebraska? 4:30 Where are the Badgers weakest on offense right now? 5:30 How should Nebraska attack the Badger D? 6:15 What should we think about the Husker running game? 9:00 This IS an elimination game... Right? 12:45 Max is one of THOSE guys. The kind that gets married during football season. 13:15 Who will step up? 14:30 REALLY bad injury luck 17:00 It's time to adjust expectations 20:30 Fourth down watch 25:30 Could this devolve into a mess? 30:45 If it does, do they change the QB? 40:15 Surveying the landscape of the B1G 43:45 Prediction time 46:30 Who do you want to see perform well? 49:00 Only one show next week

Coming off a turnover-laden clunker of a loss to Iowa, Rich and Max discuss the what went wrong Saturday at the hands of the Hawkeyes. There is lots of Stave talk, the inconsistent running game and the all world effort of the defense, headlined by Joe Schobert's headline-grabbing day. Max wraps the show with a quick breakdown of his trip to Madison. SHOW NOTES 2:30 The Staviest thing that ever Stave'd 5:00 Rich did prep work! 7:35 Rich talking Hillary is the new Max talking Iowa 8:15 How good is this defense? 10:30 Joe Schobert making the leap 13:00 The listeners want to talk about the offense 24:00 Sneaky bad 27:00 Listener attempts at rationality 28:30 Will this line be good? They are young, but ARE they good? WILL they be good? 33:30 With Erickson and Traylor out, unexpected players will have to step up 37:00 How good is Iowa? 40:30 The B1G West is terrible 41:00 UR Player of the Game 43:30 Games from the B1G (formerly Big Games from the B1G) 47:30 Jordan's B1G Pub

The entirety of 100+ episodes of the podcast have boiled down to this: it's Iowa-Wisconsin in Camp Randall and you-know-who can barely contain himself. There is no need for a summary of the show here because you know what's coming: Max talking about Kenny Chesney. No, really. SHOW NOTES 2:00 Everything in your life builds up to Iowa 3:45 Do you want to bask in Max's glow? Go to Jordan's B1G pub! 6:45 Gather round boys and girls. Max will tell the story of Iowa. 11:30 A look at the Iowa run game 14:00 How good is the Iowa DL? 17:00 The Hawkeyes have a very good secondary 18:30 The Iowa segment is the song from Barney... It goes on and on my friends 21:47 Max's Iowa talk makes Rich yawn 23:00 Do you buy the Badger D? 26:00 Examining the Badger WR's 29:00 This game will show if Stave has made progress 31:30 How much have the Badgers held back? 33:30 Will Clement redshirt? 41:00 Talking about position changes 45:30 Big games in the B1G

Wrapping up non-conference play, Rich and Max review the Badgers' convincing 28-0 win over the Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii. They discuss the dominant performance of the defense, the solid effort in the ground game, and he up and down afternoon through the air. Let be honest here. This is all just a prelude for Max to lose his mind in the Iowa preview in episode 102. SHOW NOTES 2:00 Meetup with Max near Camp Randall 5:45 Recapping Hawaii 6:15 A look at the secondary 15:00 Not much to discuss with the front 7... Which is a good thing 16:15 A look into the future at LB 18:30 The inverted wishbone is back!! 21:00 Rich has concerns 23:30 Alec Ingold means 4 years of Northern Illinois references 26:15 The OL looks better 29:15 Talking about the throw game 40:00 Jazz' hands on punt returns 45:00 J Leman stares into your soul 46:00 Drew Meyer and the Shanks (album coming to stores soon) 49:00 UR player of the game 51:15 Were there big games in the B1G?

100 Episode? 100 EPISODES!! Rich and Max ring in triple digits with a look ahead to the Badger's final non-conference matchup with Hawaii. They discuss what Norm Chow's team brings to the game, the apparent move of Lubern Figaro from safety to cornerback, shifting Caleb Kinlaw to defense (whoops, recorded this before it was announced), and how the B1G conference schedule is downright awful this week. Finally they close the show with some listener reactions to last week's Michigan State discussion before a major show announcement in celebration of episode 100. SHOW NOTES 2:15 Max's special relationship with Hawaii 4:45 Talking Rainbow Warriors 9:45 Will Clement play and allow an honest look at the O Line? 11:00 Where will Walker Williams line up? 12:30 The tale of Figaro 15:00 The future at safety is not Farrar away 17:00 The topic where Rich is wrong the fastest... Caleb Kinlaw 21:00 Big games?!? In the B1G 26:00 Feedback on Sparty vs Bucky 41:30 The most authentic coach in college football 44:30 The BuckAround gives back

Rich and Max examine the Badgers' 28-3 win over Troy. They talk about the dominating defensive performance, why the team scored so few points, Chris Orr's arms (or lack thereof - TBD) and the Jabbawockeez. SHOW NOTES 2:00 Who is listening in Hong Kong? 5:30 Chris Orr's sleeves 6:30 The Brusky Scale of Arm Power Measurement (BSAPM) 11:45 Chris Orr's play... Evan Flood is smart 13:45 Thinning the herd at ILB 19:00 McEvoy's usage 21:00 The O-Line in flux 25:15 The Deal vs Dare debate... Or lack thereof 28:30 Is UW's offense fools gold? 35:00 UW on 4th down 40:00 UR Players of the Game 42:30 Big games in the B1G 52:00 Max didn't talk about NIU in the OSU recap enough... So he's doubling down 52:45 Cue the Iowa music

Preparing for the 2nd installment of what is the Badgers de facto preseason, Rich and Max look at Saturday's game against the Troy Trojans. They highlight what the want to see from the run and pass game, as well as where the defense can improve. They also look at the rise of Michigan State and why the Badgers haven't been able to match their meteoric climb to the top of college football. SHOW NOTES 2:15 It's 2015... You don't need to listen to football on the radio 3:30 What do we know about Troy? 6:00 Troy's air raid 9:15 What to expect? Probably a replay of Miami 11:30 If Ray Ball is healthy, how much time will he see? 16:30 If Clement is marginally healthy will he play? Should he? 18:15 Dod Caputo return too soon? 22:15 What to make of Kinlaw? 26:00 Big games in the B-1-G 33:45 We're not gonna get into Rutgers... For more than 3-4 minutes 37:45 What caused the seperation between Bucky and Sparty? 49:15. We're gonna skip predictions... Here are our predictions 49:45 Rich gets taken to task

The Badgers rebounded from the defeat in Dallas to pulverize the Miami Redhawks. Rich and Max talk about the dominating defensive display, things to like about the passing game, and what they took from the up and down day on the ground. SHOW NOTES 2:00 Max is a homer... But for who? Badgers? Hawkeyes? Huskies? 7:30 58-0 provides a lot to talk about 9:30 The defense was really good 15:30 Schobert > Biegel 19:00 Is McEvoy good at safety? 22:45 McEvoy at QB, will that be a thing? 27:00 Special teams have been... Special 31:15 In case you hadn't heard Arkansas lost to a MAC contender 32:15 They're not gonna break the seal on Penniston 34:00 The throw game 44:30 Let's talk about the bad stuff... O Line 52:15 UR players of the game 57:45 Big games in the B-1-G 1:06:30 The B1G... Hey, it doesn't look like crap

Looking to rebound from their season opening loss, the Badgers return to Camp Randall to take on the Miami Redhawks in what fans hope will be an exorcism of their Dallas Demons. Rich and Max discuss what they want to see from both sides of the line of scrimmage, in the passing game, and what lingering injuries may mean for the Badgers through the rest of non-conference play. Finally, the close the show with a discussion of Max's well publicized trip to see the mighty Huskies of Northern Illinois. SHOW NOTES 2:45 #noteworthy 3:30 Max on the MAC 5:00 Northern Illinois defense reference 7:00 Miami is not a MAC powerhouse (not an ACC one either) 9:00 Keyboard broke from sheer volume of NIU references 10:00 What should we expect from the Badgers? 11:00 Will Clement play? Should he? 14:30 How will the WR's perform? 17:15 Will Caputo play? 20:30 Watch Sheehy and Musso 25:30 Big games in the B-1-G 32:15 The lesson, as always, Iowa is awful 39:30 Max's trip to DeKalb 46:45 Picks for UW vs Miami

Fresh off the season opener, Rich and Max delve into the finer points of the Badgers 35-17 loss in Dallas to the Crimson Tide of Alabama. They discuss the anemic Badger ground game, how optimistic they think fans should be about the passing game, and where to look for improvement in the ground game. SHOW NOTES 1:00 Good... Morning?!? 5:00 General reactions to the D 21:15 What do you do with McEvoy? 25:00 A Tale of Two Halves... The Joel Stave story 30:00 Taiwan Deal and his arms 32:00 Do you feel good about the OL? 36:00 The WR's look like WR's 38:30 Under the Radar Players of the Game aka UR Players of the Game 48:00 The Big Games in the B-1-G 1:00:30 Takeaways

Rich and Max close out the offseason (hallelujah!) with their final thoughts on the Alabama game. They discuss where each team has advantages, how the Alabama quarterback situation could affect the game, and what a Badger win could mean in the larger picture. The show closes with a series of major statements from Max...well...you've just gotta listen to this one. SHOW NOTES 1:30 Rich's "interesting" observation 4:00 Alabama's QB concerns are the new Wisconsin's OL concerns 10:00 Are you nervous about this game? 13:45 The blueprint to a Badger win 16:00 It's about the players 19:15 Rich discusses what has been haunting my dreams.. Derrick Henry 21:45 Worry about the Badgers OL 24:30 The WR rotation 26:30 Where did Nick Thomas go? 28:00 Does Arranda want a bigger defense? 30:15 You're not gonna get Rich to be optimistic! 31:30 Lane Kiffin's tendencies 33:15 What is an acceptable result? 36:30 Max's bachelor party AND Iowa game reference AND NIU game reference... If you listen to nothing else LISTEN TO THIS!!! 40:30 Would You Rather?!? Badgers Edition

The season is finally here! Heading into the opener, Rich and Max are joined by Drew DeArmond break down Saturday's matchup in Dallas. Drew discuses Alabama's major issues at quarterback, the strength of the Alabama defensive front, and who will catch passes with the departure of Amari Cooper. SHOW NOTES 1:30 Congrats to friend of the show Jesse Temple on his new gig 4:45 It's game week!!!! 5:15 Welcome Drew DeArmond to the show 7:30 How do Alabama fans see this game? 10:45 What does Alabama want out of their QB this year? 13:15 How will Bama's WR's look this year without Amari Cooper? 16:15 What is OJ Howard's role? 18:45 What makes Bama's DL so special? (Hint: the 9 NFL prospects) 22:00 Is the news better for Badger fans at LB? (Spoiler: Nope) 25:15 So maybe there's weaknesses in the secondary? 29:00 Where are the biggest advantage and disadvantage for Alabama? 31:30 How have the Alabama QB's done protecting the ball in practice? 34:15 Prediction time 40:15 New Buckaround format

It's the 3rd Annual Prop Bet Competition! In a change of format from last year, Rich and Max invite Andy Schaaf to Emcee the Prop Bet competition as they are matched against one another to see who can better predict the 2015 Badgers. They talk Tanner McEvoy as a wide receiver, who leads the team in tackles, and spend way too much time talking about John Settle's twitter. It's a great show.

The season is less than 2 weeks away! As the Badgers enter the home stretch of fall camp, Rich and Max are joined by Jason Galloway of Madison.com. They discuss the growth of Joel Stave, how the offensive line is shaping up, and how the defense is taking shape. To open the show, the guys catch up with Dave Bartoo, creater or the College Football Matrix, to get a sense for how he thinks the Badgers' season will play out and what to expect from Paul Chryst. Patience Grasshoppers, the season is almost here! SHOW NOTES 2:00 Rich is obsessed with Iowa 6:00 Welcome back Dave Bartoo, creator of the CFB Matrix 6:15 What is the CFB Matrix? 8:30 How does the Matrix view Chryst versus Andersen? 13:00 What about Aranda staying? 14:45 How will the B1G play out? 16:45 Where to find the CFB Matrix 19:30 Just when you thought Rich was going to be negative... 24:45 The one and only Jason Galloway of Madison.com ... It's a website 26:15 Is there anything other than injuries happening at Fall Camp? 28:15 Talking Stave and the throw game 30:30 How is Stave's chemistry with the WR's? 31:30 McEvoy will be a WR... Why? 33:00 What is McEvoy's best position? 34:00 All you need is Love? (Spoiler: you need more) 35:15 Will Trezy see the field? 37:00 Who will return kicks? 38:30 Is/Should the OL be a huge concern? 40:30 Did Ball miss his chance to lock up a OG position? 42:45 The DL looks good 44:30 Is the ILB depth real? 46:15 Dare vs Deal 48:00 The TE position 50:00 Who is a written off player that will emerge? 52:00 Could UW make the playoff with one loss? 57:00 The 2nd Annual Over/Under prop bet pod is on deck!

Wrapping up the last conference opponent on the Badgers' schedule, Rich and Max are joined by Bob Asmussen of the News-Gazette. He discusses the return of Wes Lunt, the rise of Jihad Ward, and what the future holds for Tim Beckman at Illinois. They close the show with a discussion of the latest news from Badger Practice and some listener mail SHOW NOTES 1:30 Tee shirts have shipped 2:45 Welcome Bob Asmussen of the News-Gazette 3:15 Illini 2014 recap 3:45 What is Wes Lunt's ceiling? 5:15 How will the WR position play out? 6:30 Why did Aaron Bailey transfer? 7:30 Who is behind Ferguson at RB? 8:45 Who will start on the O Line? 11:00 Are the DB's a strength? 12:30 Are the LB's even stronger? 15:00 Will the DL improve? 16:15 Explaining the coaching turnover 18:15 Is this staff more cohesive than in the past? 19:00 How has the administration handled the off field stuff? 20:45 No quit in the Illini 22:00 2015 outlook 24:45 Rich has Illini thoughts 27:00 Where do the Illini fall in the Chicago radio pecking order? 28:00 Rich and Max go to camp... Not really but they talk about it 33:00 Pumping the brakes on the McEvoy hype 35:00 Pronunciation with Dr Watson 36:15 Listener Iowa punter reference 38:30 A look at the OL 42:00 Two pods next week

Rich and Max are joined by Zachary Pereles of InsideNU to discussion the 2015 version fo the Northwestern Wildcats. Zach shares insight into the quarterback race, the depth at the skill positions, and how he sees the defense holding up against the rest of the conference. They then close with a discussion of who to follow on twitter and some listener mail. Two shows in a week yet again! 1:30 A Rich initiated Iowa reference?!?!?!? 3:45 Zachary Pereles of InsideNU 4:00 2014 Northwestern recap 6:30 Who is the NU quarterback at Northwestern? 8:00 Is this the deepest collection of skill players Fitzgerald has had? 10:00 A look at the O Line 12:15 New faces among the LB's 14:30 Old faces on the D Line and in the secondary 17:30 What to expect in 2015 19:45 A look at Northwestern's rivalry games 21:20 Zachary makes an Iowa reference?!?!?!? 22:00 Northwestern recruiting 24:40 Max makes a long awaited NIU reference 30:30 Buckaround approved Twitter follows 31:30 Badger follows 35:00 B1G follows 38:30 National follows 44:30 Beer at Camp Randall 50:30 Max's buzzer beater Iowa reference 52:00 Illinois next week

With fall camp opening today, Rich and Max lead a listener-driven preview of Badgers fall camp. They talk about development on both lines, the questions at wide receiver, and various other areas of concern going into 2015. Just don't forget the slogan for 2015: The #QuestForFun 1:30 #QuestForFun 5:30 Fall Camp is here 7:30 The Paul Chryst press conference 13:00 Where will Tanner McEvoy end up and the impact 17:37 Iowa Heisman reference 20:40 Thoughts on a couple RS Freshmen 28:00 How will the backup RB shake out? 31:00 Will Chryst help Stave emerge? 36:30 Drew Meyer is the punter 37:15 Alec James is an Adonis 39:00 Will the changes in position coaches be noticeable? 42:45 Hawkeyearound 46:15 Hokie Magic? 48:30 Will Kyle Penniston have an impact in 2015? 50:45 How much will Kellen Jones play? 52:00 Over/Under on next UW admissions academic issue 54:15 Gaglianone's personal #QuestForFun

Rich and Max add to the 2015 B1G Picture catalog with a visit from Kyle Goblirsch of Gopher 247. He talks about how the team improved in 2014, if Mitch Leidner is ready to make major strides in 2015, and if Minnesota's defense can complement what looks like an elite secondary. They close the show discussing the Jordan Stevenson fallout, what the latest roster changes mean for the team, and Rich's various (unnecessary) Twitter beefs. SHOW NOTES 1:00 Banter 4:00 Bret Bielema fears the Buckaround 7:45 Kyle Goblirsch (aka Bizarro Evan Flood) of Gopher 24/7 8:00 Gopher 2014 season recap 10:15 The development of Mitch Leidner 13:45 Who will catch the ball? 17:15 Who will replace Cobb at RB? 21:00 Are the Gophers going no huddle? 22:15 Will the secondary be anything short of dominant? 25:15 Who will step up in the front seven? 27:45 The state of Gopher recruiting 28:00 Max makes a Northern Illinois reference without saying Northern Illinois 31:00 Is this the year the Gophers get the axe? 38:00 B1G Media Days takeaways 46:00 Devin Gaulden transfers out 48:15 Kellen Jones transfers in 51:00 Jordan Stevenson... Husker and the ramifications 59:00 Northwestern is next week 59:30 Listener feedback: What are you watching for in camp? 1:00:30 Celebrity doppelgängers

The second episode in a 2 show week, Rich and Max (in spirit) deliver the promised Nebraska preview with Mike'l Severe of The Bottom Line at Omaha.com. They talk the biggest questions on offense and defense and why Mike Riley isn't an "Energy Vampire". They close the show with a preview of B1G Media Days which include questions they would like asked of Paul Chryst by the media as well as drinking games for those [crazy enough to be] watching at home. SHOW NOTES 1:45 Apologies for the Jordan Stevenson comments 2:45 A BuckAround welcome to Mike'l Severe 3:30 2014 Huskers recap 4:45 How will Tommy Armstrong fit into Mike Riley's system? 8:00 Will the RB's carry the offense? 10:45 Questions on the OL 12:00 Two solid WR's... And then what? 14:00 Is the DL the best defensive position group? Not according to Mike'l. 15:20 Who will play LB for the Huskers? 18:45 What brought Riley to Nebraska? 22:00 Welcome back Max!!! 22:45 Last chance to get your LIMITED EDITION BUCKAROUND tees!!! Rich MEANS it!!! 28:30 A self aggrandizing NIU mention 30:30 B1G Media Day and it's flaws. 33:30 Questions the Buckaround would ask at Media Day 44:45 I repeat. The "skill position revolution" will NOT be televised.

In the wake of the Jordan Stevenson news, Rich and Max share their thoughts on what can be learned from the entire experience. They examine his late rejection from the university, what it means going forward, and if this is the true legacy of Gary Andersen at Wisconsin. Finally they close the show analyzing current and future defensive depth where Max somehow compares Iowa to Alabama. SHOW NOTES 3:15 Is the Buckaround coming to your CIT-TAY (if your city is College Park, MD)? 7:00 Have you ordered a Buckaround shirt? Time is running out. 11:15 Jordan Stevenson isn't walking through that door 16:30 Why did the Chancellor reject Stevenson? 19:00 Why did no one confirm Stevenson's test score hype earlier? 22:00 Can we get some new Chryst photos?!? 23:30 How Stevenson could bring the admission conversation to the forefront 27:00 How does this change the RB depth chart? 29:30 A look at the defensive depth charts 30:45 Defensive End 37:15 Nose Tackle 41:30 Outside Linebacker 45:45 Inside Linebacker 50:00 Ludicrous Iowa mention 51:30 Cornerback 57:30 Safety 1:02:45 Next episode is Nebraska. No really... We mean it.

Another week, lots more content! Mike Carmin returns to the BuckAround to update Rich and Max on the Boilermakers. He discusses the battle at quarterback, who the "ball carrying" standouts will be, and who he thinks is a future All-B1G player on the defense. Rich and Max close the show with their present & future position strength analysis on the offensive side of the ball and some listener mail. SHOW NOTES 2:00 Corrections 5:00 Welcome back Mike Carmen to talk Purdue 5:45 2014 Purdue recap 7:30 Issues with closing out 2014 games 9:45 How significant was QB change? 14:30 How will the 2015 QB competition play out? 17:30 How will the OL scheme change impact the running game? 20:40 Balancing the roster you have with the scheme you want 22:45 A look at the WR's and TE's 26:15 Are the young Lb's the strength of the defense? 30:15 What defensive improvement would have the biggest impact? 33:30 How does this team make a bowl? 36:45 Does Hazell keep his job with 5 wins? 39:45 Subtle Northern Illinois mention 40:00 How does Purdue escape the bottom tier of the B1G? 44:30 Max's "ball moving positions" revolution will NOT be televised 45:45 Buckaround tee shirts. Buy them. 49:00 A look at the offensive depth chart 50:30 QB 54:00 RB 57:30 FB 1:00:00 TE 1:04:00 OL 1:10:15 WR 1:16:45 Listener mail 1:24:00 Nebraska next week. Please send questions.

Because they simply had too much to be contained in one show, Rich and Max return so that Max can share his thoughts after a 3 week hiatus. He gives his predictions for Iowa in 2015 (what else is he really going to talk about?) and reviews Phil Steele's predictions for the Badgers in '15 as well. The hosts close the show with some podcast and television recommendations for listeners of a certain demographic. SHOW LINKS: How to Be Amazing Origin Stories Odd Squad SHOW NOTES: 1:15 Max breaks the Internet... And other technology 3:00 Alcohol preferences 5:15 There's a new way to get your Buckaround fix 12:15 The third to last reminder to get your Buckaround shirt 15:15 "This is the only thing I'm going to say about Iowa tonight." 19:30 Max defends the big uglies 22:15 It's time for the #Maxminute 32:00 Rich has issues with the layout of Phil Steele's magazine. 39:30 Rich relents and allows Max to participate in BS from the JS 46:00 Recommendations 53:30 Talk to you later

Always the BuckAround's most requested guest, Evan Flood returns to the podcast to give Badger fans an update on what's happening on the recruiting trail with Wisconsin. He talks the decommitment of Craig Watts, the coaching staff's role in recruiting, academics, apparel, and how he expects the recruiting class to play out on signing day. 1:30 Catching up 5:30 Seriously... Order your Buckaround shirt 7:50 The one and only Evan Flood 8:15 What happened to Craig Watts? 10:15 Compare and contrast Chryst's recruiting with Andersen's 12:45 Division of labor on the staff 17:25 How has covering recruiting changed with the Chryst hire? 22:30 What happened with Bredeson? 25:30 Impressions of in state recruiting 27:45 We offer HS freshmen now? 29:30 Who is handling recruiting coordinator duties? 32:15 Is Bradrick Shaw the most overlooked incoming Fr? 34:00 How will DB recruiting play out? 35:30 Who are the top 5 remaining realistic targets? 38:30 Is Antonio Williams still solid? 39:45 Is there a disconnect between admissions and the staff? 43:45 Is UW perceived as more rigorous academically than rivals? 46:00 How important is apparel affiliation to recruits? 48:30 How has Badger recruiting changed in the last 5 years? 51:00 Over/Under... Final recruiting rank 52:15 How does 2017 in state class look? 55:45 What did we learn? 58:30 Max doesn't pee