Earlier this year, senior running back Montee Ball made what he called one of the toughest decisions of his life — forego the NFL for his final season at Wisconsin.

Having been told that he was a probable third-round pick affected his decision to return, but one more chance to win a Rose Bowl after coming up empty in his sophomore and junior seasons was also in the back of Ball’s mind.

“Well, for me, that was one of the main factors coming back,” Ball said after Saturday’s 70-31 Big Ten championship game victory over Nebraska in Indianapolis. “I felt like there was a lot of unfinished business I can prove and also for this team.”

An arrest for trespassing after refusing to leave a residence during the campus-wide event Mifflin Street block party last May and a concussion sustained as a result of an assault by three men in an unrelated incident in August weren’t on the list of things to do in his final season.

While all the off-the-field hoopla was going on, the Wisconsin athletic department was busy promoting the tailback’s Heisman campaign, dubbed, “This Fall Belongs to Ball,” one season after Ball finished fourth behind winner Robert Griffin III of Baylor.

The Badgers then started the season with a less-than-impressive 3-1 showing, which included close victories over Northern Iowa, Utah State and UTEP, while mustering a mere seven points in a loss to Oregon State that aided in the eventual firing of offensive line coach Mike Markuson despite head coach Bret Bielema having just hired him in January.

The Badgers’ sluggish offensive start in the first four weeks could also be attributed to the loss of six assistant coaches, four of which were on offensive end. On top of suffering his second concussion as many months in his team’s win over UTEP, Ball endured a lackluster start of his own. He gained over 400 yards, but had six less touchdowns than he had through four weeks last season.

Though the Badgers finished the conference slate 4-4 (8-5 overall), including a blown 17-point lead at Nebraska and overtime losses to Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State, Ball eventually returned to form, amassing 1,168 yards and 15 touchdowns in the process.

The offensive lapses and the inability to close out games that plagued the Badgers all season were absent in Saturday’s thrashing of the Cornhuskers.

“He obviously came up with a game plan,” Bielema said of offensive coordinator Matt Canada after the Badgers’ 640-yard, nine-touchdown performance. “I’ve been impressed with his creativity ever since I’ve known him.”

That creativity was on full display Saturday. The Badgers ran end-arounds, used Ball and fellow running back James White at quarterback, and had wide receiver Jared Abbrederis complete a pass to quarterback Curt Phillips, mirroring a play they ran in last year’s conference championship, when Ball hooked up with former quarterback Russell Wilson against Michigan State.

“It was a mixed bag,” Bielema said of the play-calling. “Matt kept talking about having an indoor game, being able to execute certain things.” He added with a smirk, “There were probably a couple we haven’t used yet either that will remain a little secret.”

The Big Ten’s Rose Bowl Game representative has five losses and only reached the conference title game as a result of the ineligibility of Leaders Division foes Ohio State and Penn State for postseason play, but the Badgers took advantage of the opportunity and provided the conference with another wacky outcome in 2012 — blowing out what was thought to be the best eligible team in the Big Ten.

“I don’t have a normal locker room,” Bielema said. “I’ve got a group of men that is uncommon in the way they go about their business. I knew the kind of room I had. That’s why today isn’t a big shock for me.”

The way Ball overcame the adversity and helped his team didn’t surprise the seventh-year head coach.

“I think when Montee made the decision to come back and spoke up last year in the Rose Bowl locker room, we all knew we wanted to get back to Pasadena, (Calif.)” Bielema said. “When he did that, I think it spoke volumes to all the people around him.”

With losses in the past two Rose Bowls by a combined nine points, the Badgers’ unlikely appearance against Stanford will pit them as the underdogs once again.

“We love when people say you can’t,” Bielema said. “We heard it from a lot of different people. Lot of talking heads.

“You just quietly store it away. … Kind of walk softly and carry a big stick. When you have a chance to take a swing, take it hard.”

With five weeks to prepare for the Cardinal, Ball’s and the Badgers’ hardest swing may be yet to come.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @WELINandDEALIN.