B1G Media Day Primer: Everything you Need to Know Before Wisconsin's Appearance in Chicago

Many often refer to a conference's media days as the "unofficial start" of football season, and for good reason.

Wisconsin football has a short break before head coach Luke Fickell and three of the team's leaders travel to Chicago to represent the Badgers at the annual sprawling media event. Shortly after that, it's back to campus, where fall camp begins during the first week of August.

With Big Ten Media Days just around the corner, here's everything you need to know before Wisconsin takes the podium.

Who's representing the Badgers in Chicago?

Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Sebastian Cheeks. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Three fifth-year seniors will represent Wisconsin football alongside Luke Fickell at the Hilton Chicago: outside linebacker Sebastian Cheeks, safety Matt Jung and wide receiver Chris Brooks Jr.

Wisconsin won't send a quarterback to media days for the second time in the Fickell era. They're one of six Big Ten programs to leave their signal-caller on campus, along with Northwestern, Nebraska, Indiana, Rutgers, and Iowa.

When will Wisconsin speak?

The Badgers have been assigned to day one of the event: Tuesday the 28th. Fickell will give his podium press conference from 12:15 to 12:30 p.m, and he'll be the fourth coach that day to do so. Fickell will then be made available to all media at an individual podium from 2:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Cheeks, Jung and Brooks will also be made available at individual podiums, and they'll speak to reporters from 3:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

The Big Ten Network will air Fickell's podium presser live, and at some point from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m, the Badgers' representatives will appear on the network's set. Mike Hall and Jake Butt will anchor the press conferences, while Butt, Dave Revsine, Rick Pizzo, Howard Griffith, and Gerry DiNardo will facilitate the on-set interviews.

Key Storylines

Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph. | Christian Borman.

Wisconsin football has arguably the most exciting quarterback it's had on the roster since the Fickell era began. But Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph will be back in Madison when the conference descends on the Windy City, and that lines up with what Fickell has said this offseason about the leadership group that was already in place on the team when Joseph arrived.

Thus, expect to hear a lot about leadership and maturity from the Badgers. It's something that's been sorely lacking in recent seasons, and one of the big factors driving internal optimism within the football program.

The magnitude of this season, not just for Wisconsin football but really, for the athletic department as a whole, also shouldn't be lost on anybody when the Badgers take the podium. This is an absolutely make-of-break year for Fickell and company, and with a new athletic director in town in Shawn Eichorst, the added pressure to have a successful season is significant.

Another perhaps slept-on aspect of the Badgers' rebuild this offseason was the re-tooling of the coaching staff, which now features no less than five new position coaches. The front office has also undergone sizable change, as there's a new general manager in the building (Morocco Brown) as well as a director of alumni relations in Bradie Ewing.

It'll be interesting to hear how those additions have impacted the football program, and in what ways. New hires and change overall should be another big theme for Wisconsin.

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