The 2014 Big Ten football schedule is out... Time to get our reaction and thoughts on what it means for you the Badger fan. 

Check out our reaction here: 

The Big Ten released it's 2014 football schedule on Thursday afternoon and Wisconsin will have an interesting mix of games to say the least, but they also dodged a bullet or two as they won't see Michigan, Penn State, or Ohio State out of the East division. 

Instead they will face newcomers Maryland and Rutgers, doing so in back-to-back weeks actually. Additionally the Big Ten has gone all in on the rivalry tip, putting the biggest rivalry games in the final week of the season. For UW that means a date with Minnesota for Paul Bunyan's Axe and the chance at a decade of domination for the Badgers in that rivalry. 

Also of note is that Wisconsin's three biggest games inside the West division come down the stretch as it'll be back-to-back-to-back games against Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota. Without the big four schools from the East on the schedule that stretch should get the juices flowing, regardless of how good or bad Iowa and Minnesota may be in 2014 - that's three rivalry games in a row and if you as a fan can't get up for that, I'm not sure there's much in the way of help we can offer you.

Here is Wisconsin's full 2014 schedule as it is known now (courtesy of FBSschedules.com):

Multiple outlets are reporting that Wisconsin has gotten a fifth verbal commitment from an in-state recruit for the 2014 class. This time it's Hartland (Arrowhead) HS defensive end Billy Hirschfeld committing to the Badgers.

#Badgers pick up their 5th commitment in the 2014 recruiting class, as Hartland Arrowhead DE Billy Hirschfeld commits to UW

— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) May 15, 2013

In-state defensive end Billy Hirschfeld commits to #Wisconsin. wisconsin.247sports.com/Article/Three-… #Badgers

— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) May 15, 2013

Hirschfeld is a 6'6", 270lbs. defensive end and is rated as a three-star prospect by the 247compsite rankings and is a three star by 247sports, Scout, and Rivals. 

He joins Craig Evans, Jaden Gault, Conor Sheehey, and fellow Arrowhead teammate George Panos as Wisconsin commits just from the state of Wisconsin alone. It's the 3rd defensive recruit to commit to Wisconsin from the state and it may not be the last recruit of the week for UW according to reports as well. 

Be on the lookout for a possible commitment soon from a prospect out of Utah.

Enjoy a look at Hirschfeld's recruiting video to make your own judgments:

Rainy conditions did their best to damper Wisconsin's spirits this weekend.

HUNTINGBURG, IN. - The beginning of the Great Lakes Regional tournament in Huntingburg, Indiana served as a perfect snapshot of the frustrating 2013 club baseball season for the University of Wisconsin Division I team. The UW club team (10-3 overall, 6-2 Great Lakes – West)  made the 7.5 hour trip to southern Indiana last Thursday evening with its sights set on taking on top-seeded Bowling Green State University (22-3, 14-1 Great Lakes - East) at 2pm on Friday.

Mother Nature had other plans – the players spent nearly all day on Friday shuttling back and forth from the hotel to the field. A logistical snafu meant that the regional organizers had not protected the field from the threat of rain, and they had not contacted nearby schools about using drier fields. Wisconsin players spent time in the morning covering home plate and the pitcher’s mound; a few hours later they made themselves useful by raking and removing water before finally starting their long-awaited contest at 7:30 PM. The players truly embodied the spirit of club baseball on Friday; they went to extreme measures to prepare the field for play despite the fact that at least three players had final exams to take by midnight on Friday, while the other three participating teams had finished their exam periods.

To add insult to injury, the game against BGSU was suspended in the bottom of the third inning when the skies opened yet again. At that point, the Badgers trailed 1-0 and had stranded two runners in each of their first three at-bats. It was an ominous sign of things to come.

Over the past few days there was a nice back and forth via the wonderful world of Twitter and it got me to thinking.... thinking about the awesomeness that was the 2010 Badgers running back stable. Why was I thinking about that season? Well, because the 2013 version of the Badgers backfield has enough talent in it to wonder how they'll be used and 2010 could be the blueprint for that season.

What's that... You don't remember that 2010 season? Well, then let me refresh your memory. That backfield featured junior John Clay, sophomore Montee Ball, and freshman James White - names that should sound familiar, right? 

Even more important are the numbers behind that first of three Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl season as it could provide an exact blueprint to what 2013 may look like. In 2010 all three had 156 carries or more on the season with John Clay leading the way in carries with 187. 

Additionally, here are the rushing totals for that season: James White - 1,052; John Clay - 1,012; Montee Ball - 996.

The Big Ten's 2014 basketball schedule hasn't been released in full, something we can likely expect tomorrow, but earlier today the single games for the upcoming season were released and per Jim Pozlin of the Wisconsin State Journal it will look like this:

UW's single plays for the 2013-14 season are Ohio State (home), Michigan State (home), Nebraska (away) and Penn State (away).

— Jim Polzin (@JimPolzinWSJ) May 14, 2013

For Wisconsin this has to be some great news to say the least. Getting two title contenders in Michigan State and Ohio State at home and just once in the regular season, could it get much better? 

Sure it could, UW gets two teams that aren't likely to be in the mix for anything but a break even record in Nebraska and Penn State on the road. However, Penn State at any point in recent history has to give UW fans some pause for concern. Happy Valley and PSU haven't been that nice to UW as of late. 

Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez has a history of telling people the truth and not what they think they want to hear and clearly he's one of the most respected AD's in the Big Ten. He's got the name recognition and frankly when he speaks people listen. 

That continues today as the Big Ten meetings get underway in Chicago. 

Alvarez has shed some light on a few topics that are of interest to Badger fans and could have a major impact on the landscape of FBS football as a whole. 

First, he spoke in regards to the proposed and already thought to have been locked in stone Big Ten ban on playing football games against FCS opponents. 

Wisco AD Alvarez says "we have to be smart" about potential ban on FCS games. Says could be "lack of inventory" w/FBS foes.

— Teddy Greenstein (@TeddyGreenstein) May 14, 2013

Wisconsin football has long been active in the Madison area community and the state of Wisconsin at large and 99% of the time we hear nothing of it. Whether it's visiting sick kids at the Children's hospital or helping food banks or whatever it may be chances are you and I never will know about it and that's the way it should be most of the time. 

However, on Wednesday one of those rare times where we should know about it will take place as fourteen year old Madison native Darien Moran will have his wish come true courtesy of Wisconsin football, local businesses, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

Darien's wish? It could've been the Super Bowl, a trip to the Rose Bowl, instead he chose to have a room makeover done in a football theme. 

Why the football themed room makeover and the wish being granted?

Darien has always been active on the football field, wrestling mat and soccer field. When he began experiencing hip and leg pain in the summer of 2011, doctors first suspected it was a sports-related injury. After several physical therapy sessions, Darien's symptoms were gradually worsening and his Aunt Terry Soerens noticed he was losing weight. Further testing revealed a far more serious diagnosis; Darien had a rare autoimmune disease called histiocytosis. This was another devastating blow for a kid who had already endured the loss of both his parents by the time he was five years old. Darien began a year of chemotherapy to treat the histiocytic tumor in his hip and pelvic bone. Yet six months later, he was sidelined again with a tumor on his skull and is currently undergoing three consecutive, daily regimens of chemotherapy every 28 days.

The Badgers 2013-14 men's basketball schedule is coming together quite nicely. After making it known earlier this year that UW would participate in the 2013 Cancun Challenge the athletic department announced that Wisconsin will take on St. Jon's to open up the season on Nov. 8th. 

However, this isn't a home or away game, instead the two will face off in Sioux Falls, S.D. at the Stanford Pentagon facility. 

I know what you are thinking... Why the heck is this game doing being played in Sioux Fall, S.D. of all places? 

Well, UW associate head coach Greg Gard gave us all some insight into this game happening. 

“In terms of locale, Wisconsin fans from around the Midwest will have the opportunity to travel to Sioux Falls and watch the game, and it just made sense for us in terms of intelligent travel for our team,” UW associate head coach Greg Gard said in a statement. “We’ve been approached by several broadcasting networks to play a neutral site game around the world and we felt that given the time of when it needed to be played, the location and the opponent that this was a great fit for us.”

The game will played in a 3,250 seat arena on the sprawling 160,000-square foot facility that is the Stanford Pentagon. 

According to the schedule the Badgers will be the home team but will be a neutral court game for competitive purposes. TV and time have yet to be announced for the game.

This will be the fourth meeting between the two teams, with Wisconsin being 3-0 all-time against the Red Storm. The last game between these two was a 2002 NCAA Tournament game, which UW won 80-70. 

The offseason (and we're talking football and basketball here) can be a quirky time to say the least, but one constant seems to be the debate as to conference supremacy. It usually falls along the line of the SEC is the best... The Big Ten is a sinking ship... yada, yada, yada. We've heard the arguments over and over, time and again and that's not what we are here for. 

Instead, the debate should really be if you are a fan of Team X should you be rooting for team's A through Z in your conference. After all, a rising tide lifts all boats, right? 

On the other hand, why the hell should Wisconsin fans give a crap if Indiana or Purdue are winning some mediocre bowl game against another MAC opponent? It's a good debate to be sure, but those of you who know me also know that I run Bloguin's Big Ten blog The B1G Time and you can guess from there where my flag is planted. 

Yes, I'm a fan of the Big Ten conference, but with a rooting interest based off of my coverage and fandom for the Badgers.

Unlike those in the SEC who seem to jump on whatever ship is doing well and ride their coat tails of success at all levels (do we need to go over the S-E-C chants that pop up every time a school wins a bowl game or a NCAA Tournament game?), the Big Ten needs to be smarter than that, and let's face facts.... we all know who the giant of the academic world is between the two... It's not even close. 

That said, being a Wisconsin fan as you are most likely if you are reading this, here is our guide to rooting for the rest of the Big Ten should you chose to root on the league that houses the Badgers.