UW grids to honor 14 seniors before Northwestern game

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MADISON - Fourteen seniors will play their final home football game Saturday for the Wisconsin Badgers. And they hope to achieve something that hasn’t been done since 1999.

That was the last time the Badgers won at least a share of the Big Ten championship – and they would do that Saturday with a victory over Northwestern. Safety Jay Valai says it would be great to leave the legacy of a Big Ten title and quote, “having a rose in my mouth.”

But the Badgers won’t know until the 2:30 p.m. kickoff whether they have a chance of making the Rose Bowl. If Michigan State wins and Ohio State loses in the early games, the Badgers would be eliminated from Rose Bowl contention. In that scenario, the Spartans would get the invite because they beat the Badgers in the conference opener almost two months ago.

Head Coach Bret Bielema will take part in Saturday's Senior Day ceremony for the first time, as he says goodbye to his initial recruiting class. He says he’ll greet each one of the seniors as they come onto the field for their introductions. Bielema said they’ve all had trials and tribulations but quote, “They’re all survivors.”

The 2:30 p.m. Badger game against Northwestern will be nationally televised on ABC.

Tags: wisconsin sports, proam, football, badgers