S
econds after quarterback Taylor Marti- nez took a knee in a victory formation
― sealing a stirring comeback from a 17-point third-quarter deficit in the Big Ten opener ― Nebraska coach Bo Pelini
planted a seed with his Wisconsin counterpart, Bret Bielema. While shaking hands at midfield, Pelini confid-
ed to Bielema that he entertained thoughts of a re- match between the Cornhuskers and the Badgers in the Dec. 1 Big Ten championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. "I was hoping we would be there,'' Pelini recalled,
"and I have a lot of respect for that (Wisconsin) football team. I thought they would be there. Bret is a helluva coach; they've got a heckuva program. That's what I thought was going to happen and here we are.''
Bielema confirmed the exchange. 32 » VARSITY NOVEMBER 29, 2012
"I've known Bo for a long time ― he and I ran
with the same circle of friends in the coaching pro- fession ― and I've got a great amount of respect for him,'' he said. "When we shook hands at mid- field, he smiled and said, 'Let's meet back in Indy.' "I really didn't want to hear it at the time. "But I'm excited to meet those guys back there.'' Not that anyone should be surprised over the rematch. Over the last four seasons, Wisconsin and Ne-
braska have had a "run'' of success. Even though they each have their own signature running model, they have won the same number of games. Since 2009, the Badgers are 39-13 and the Huskers are 39-14.
But since their late September meeting in Lincoln, they have taken much different paths to Indy; one has found a way to survive in hard fought games, and the other hasn't; repeatedly
