Back to Camp Randall West: UNLV

It's a wonder why Wisconsin doesn't just build a training facility in Las Vegas. Since Bucky spends so much time in Sin City, and again this year groves of cardinal and white will be flooding the Vegas strip.

For the first time since 2007, and trust me that's a long hiatus from Vegas for Bucky, Wisconsin will be heading back to Camp Randall West (Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas). Waiting for Bucky in Vegas will be a team that has experience on the field in some areas, but lacks experience at the BCS level on the sidelines.

The season opener will be the first game new UNLV head coach Bobby Hauck. The new job will not be the first head coaching job for Hauck who comes to Las Vegas after spending seven seasons in Montana. As head coach for the Montana Grizzlies Hauck went an impressive 80-17 and won three national titles in the College Football Championship Sub-Division.

The experience for the Running Rebels this season will be their 19 seniors. But the experience from last year may not have proven to be the greatest. In the 2009 season UNLV went 5-7 and gave up almost 35 points a game while only coring 24 points per game.

Defense will be the determining factor in this game if the statistics remain true from last season. Last season the Running Rebels gave up over 200 yards rushing per game, and average over 450 yards of total offense per game. Opening up the season against a team that returns John Clay, Nick Toon, and Lance Kendricks should mean a big loss to open the Hauck Era in Las Vegas.

The test for the Badgers will also be on the defensive side of the ball. Over the past few years the Badgers have been abused at times by teams that throw the ball around the field. That is exactly where UNLV found it's offense in the 2009 season. The Rebels piled up almost 225 yards per game thru the air; while only racking up 120 on the group per game. So, expect a team that returns both of it's quarterbacks that make up the tandem they used last year to be a threat to a Badger secondary that at times can be a SIEVE.

Overall, the major question for this game is on the sidelines...not the field. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered regarding UNLV's new head coach. While the Wisconsin coaching staff can look at film of both UNLV and Huack's days in Montana; the question remains of how he will operate his system with the talent he has now.

A key to remember is that it is not just a new system for Wisconsin to study, but also a new system for UNLV to learn as well. I expect Wisconsin to have a successful day running the football, and to control the clock keeping the defense fresh. This game should be no problem for Bucky in what will at times feel like a Badger home game in the desert.

Boynton's Badgers Prediction: Wisconsin 24 UNLV 6