Clock ticks on Rebels-Badgers

MADISON, Wis. -- From the power outage at Sam Boyd Stadium in 2002, to the UNLV upset in 2003, to the near-shocker by the Rebels in 2007, the football series against Wisconsin has been among the nation's oddest, most unexpected and overlooked rivalries.

But when Camp Randall Stadium shakes and the press box begins to sway tonight as Badgers fans jump up and down between the third and fourth quarters, the rivalry could be down to its final 15 minutes.

It's a series both schools say they want to preserve, but neither has gone beyond casual conversations to keep it alive after today's 5 p.m. PDT season opener. ESPN will televise the 10th and perhaps final meeting on a variety of platforms, including 3-D.

Much is expected from an 11th-ranked Wisconsin team that received a major offseason boost in picking up quarterback Russell Wilson, who transferred from North Carolina State. He passed for more than 3,000 yards each of the past two seasons.

But the Badgers are defined by their running game, and backs James White and Montee Ball combined to rush for 2,048 yards and 32 touchdowns last year.

UNLV sophomore Caleb Herring makes his first start at quarterback, and he typifies the young team the Rebels will field.

The 35-point underdogs aren't expected to slow a Wisconsin offense that averaged 41.5 points last season, and the story line probably will revolve more around Wisconsin's margin of victory rather than who wins.

The storyline also goes beyond this game to the series itself.

Both teams' respective conferences have undergone change, so that has made scheduling out-of-league games even more difficult.

But powerhouse teams such as Wisconsin also don't fall into line with the philosophy UNLV coach Bobby Hauck and athletic director Jim Livengood share regarding scheduling.

Hauck has worked with Livengood to lessen the strength of future schedules. Home-and-home series are set against Louisiana Tech and Utah State, and the Rebels also scheduled single games with Southern Utah and Western Illinois.

"When you look at the people over the years who have tried to get their programs going, scheduling that gives you a chance to compete ... has been a big part of that," Hauck said. "If you look at Kansas State or Oregon State or some of the people that struggled for numerous years and got it going, that's kind of the common denominator."

Wisconsin, though, could be an exception to how Hauck and Livengood formulate schedules. The Badgers routinely sell out Sam Boyd Stadium, and a special connection has existed since Wisconsin and UNLV Hall of Famer Tom Wiesner helped arrange the series between his alma mater and his adopted Rebels.

"I don't think you ever say it's the last time we will play them," Livengood said. "We work on future schedules all the time, and we'll do what fits best with our program and the future of our program."

Hauck sounded as if he would prefer to wait until his program is on more solid ground before playing Wisconsin again. The Rebels went 2-11 in Hauck's first season last year.

Badgers coach Bret Bielema said, however, he would like to see the series continue, though his motivation might be slightly different than Hauck's.

"I know Bobby has expressed an interest in it, and I've got a tremendous amount of respect for him and his program," Bielema said.

Wisconsin is one of those opponents for which UNLV players don't need to manufacture enthusiasm. They want to see how they measure up.

"Every competitor would," Herring said. "I think this is what we all had dreams of as players, to play on the biggest stage we can. Right now, Wisconsin's the biggest stage we've been on."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.