MADISON, Wis. — The stage is set for both teams and the stakes are high, certainly higher than it appeared they would be just a few weeks ago.

Hawaii enters its regular-season finale Saturday night (6:30 Hawaii time, ESPN2) needing a victory over visiting Wisconsin to secure a berth in the Hawaii Bowl. The Warriors would face SMU, which, coincidentally, is coached by former Hawaii coach June Jones.
“They’ll be playing for a bowl game,” Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema acknowledged. “They’ll be playing on Senior Day. It’s a very emotional day and they’ll have a lot riding on it.”
As will Wisconsin.
The Badgers have had nearly two weeks to stew over their 33-31 loss to Northwestern in the Big Ten Conference finale Nov. 21.
A loss to 6-6 Hawaii could deny the Badgers (8-3) a berth in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1 in Tampa, Fla.
A loss to Hawaii would end their hopes of reaching the 10-victory mark this season, something only five UW teams have accomplished.
“It’s a big game for them but it’s also a big game for us,” junior quarterback Scott Tolzien said. “It’s another opportunity to play and get better.
“A 10-win season is definitely a statement. For us to do that we’ve got to play our best football against Hawaii and go from there.”
And if UW loses?
“If we did lose, that would be two straight and prevent us from getting that 10-win season,” Tolzien said. “Things were going real well at times this season. That would definitely be a fly in the ointment.”
A loss to Hawaii, coupled with a loss in a bowl game likely would overshadow the progress made this season and give Bielema’s detractors even more ammunition.
Coming off a disappointing 7-6 finish last season, the UW players and coaches vowed to work in unison to build a tougher, more disciplined and more competitive team in 2009.
Despite the back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Iowa in Weeks 6 and 7, that has been accomplished.
However, UW did not play well against Northwestern, a loss that removed some of the luster and goodwill built up through the first 10 games.
A victory over Hawaii would help restore both.
“It is important to win this game . . . to close out the regular season strong we need a victory,” senior defensive end O’Brien Schofield said. “We have to finish strong.”
Tolzien has as much reason as any UW player to want to get back onto the field after the Northwestern loss.
UW’s offense had three chances in the fourth quarter to move into position for a game-winning field goal.
The first ended with a third-down incompletion because Tolzien missed Nick Toon’s route and threw to the sideline while Toon came open on a post pattern.
The second ended with John Clay’s fumble on third down.
The third ended when Tolzien gambled and threw deep to Isaac Anderson on first down. His final pass of the game was intercepted.
“We’re all competitors in this thing,” Tolzien said, “and any time you lose you’re kicking yourself. And the way that game ended definitely put a sour taste in my mouth.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to get back. It seems like we haven’t played in forever. It will be fun to play Saturday.”
It won’t be fun if UW can’t defend the pass better than it did in the loss to Northwestern.
Wisconsin surrendered 364 passing yards and three touchdowns. Hawaii enters the night third nationally in passing offense (348.7 yards per game).
“It is a big mental barrier to break, just getting the confidence back in our DBs and the defense in general,” junior strong safety Jay Valai said. “But if we go into the game confident like we did the whole season before we messed up at Northwestern, we’ll be good to go.”