Is Boise State's Chris Petersen on His Way to the Big Ten?

Wisconsin needs a coach now that Bret Bielema has taken the job at Arkansas, and according to reports out of Madison, Boise State head coach Chris Petersen is the guy they would love to hire.
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Petersen has been coveted for a long time, but has turned down any overtures from other schools and stated he’s happy in Boise.

However, “The Big 1070 Badger Insider Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that there is “mutual interest” between the two sides.”

With an 83-8 record since taking over at Boise State in 2006, Petersen remains one of the games most underrated and under-appreciated coaches in the nation.

He has two BCS bowl wins–the first being the memorable win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl that showcased the creative and imaginative side of Petersen where his team used a hook-and-ladder play to set up a touchdown and a “Statue of Liberty” play on the winning two-point conversion to cap an undefeated season in his first year as coach.

He would add a 14-0 record in 2009 when he won his second Fiesta Bowl.

One has to wonder how long Petersen stays in Boise before taking a job at a major program, and the time may be time for Petersen to make the switch from blue turf to the green field at Madison.

I remain skeptical whether Petersen actually leaves Boise for Wisconsin, but interviewing suggests he is clearly intrigued and interested in coaching for the Badgers and working in the Big Ten.

If the Badgers can lure Petersen to Madison, that would be an absolute coup for the program and an upgrade over Bielema–who has brought the team to three straight Rose Bowl’s–that’s how good Petersen is.
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Bielema said Friday on the Dan Patrick Show that Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez is very persuasive, and that certainly will be put to the test in Monday’s interview.

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Patrick is a diehard Chicago sports and an avid college football fan, and the host of “The Wake-up Call,” a weekly sports show on Sportstownchicago.com airing live on Wednesday mornings from 8-10. View his show’s website here.