Monday afternoon Wisconsin Reading Room: All about Bret Bielema

Less than a half-hour after Wisconsin beat No. 1 Ohio State, 31-18, Badgers Coach Bret Bielema was thinking about Iowa, his opponent this Saturday.

This excerpt is from Tom Mulhern's story for the Wisconsin State Journal:

"I've already had my first thought (about Iowa)," Bielema said after the game. "This is a game, I believe in my career, we're 2-2 (against the Hawkeyes). I'm sure you guys will write about it all week.

"Iowa is a program, much the same as Ohio State, that we have a lot of respect for because of the way they handle their business, the way the execute."

Mulhern also wrote this story about Saturday's Ohio State game being one that Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez really wanted to win.

(Bielema) mentioned athletic director Barry Alvarez talking to the team on Thursday. Alvarez, who had a 3-1 record against Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, offered a few of his thoughts on what it takes to beat the Buckeyes.

"He's been speaking to me a long time about winning this game," Bielema said. "We always have a little handshake before the game. The last thing he said to me was `(It's) a field-position game.' "

So, when he made the bold decision to go for it on fourth-and-inches from the Ohio State 31-yard line in the fourth quarter -- quarterback Scott Tolzien picked it up with a sneak -- Bielema joked he could hear Alvarez's voice disagreeing in his ear.

"I could hear him in my ear whether to go for it, but I felt pretty good about that quarterback wedge," Bielema said.

Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has one of the best college football blogs in the Big Ten. He's a straight-shooter, a good reporter, and fair. He has a very interesting blog post about Bielema and the Badger fans who don't care for the coach. An excerpt:

UW could beat Iowa this week and it wouldn't sway your opinion. UW could go on to win a share of the Big Ten title and it wouldn't be enough. You'd still be talking about the loss to Florida State in the 2008 Champs Sports Bowl. You'd still be asking: If he is so good, why did they lose to Michigan State this season?

Bielema and I have had our differences. For example, I wouldn't have gone for two against the Gophers. I don't know him all that well personally but my job isn't to spend quality social time with the subjects I cover. My job is to critique their on-the-job performances.

Is he flawless as a coach? Of course not. But if you can't see that he's growing into the job and maturing, something I'm still doing in my world after more than two decades in journalism, then it isn't about the product UW puts on the field. It's that you don't like him.