The Wisconsin Badgers overcame the usual first-game jitters and won their season opener against Washington State, 42-21, Saturday afternoon at Camp Randall Stadium.

Quarterback Tyler Donovan was terrific. The receiving corps was outstanding. The defense recovered from a shaky start.

It was, by just about every measure, a positive first step for a young team dealing with high expectations and a No. 7 national ranking.

And all I can think about are the pants...

Maybe I'm getting old, but I found it a bit jarring when the Badgers ran out of the tunnel wearing red pants beneath their traditional cardinal-colored jerseys. I wasn't expecting the change and neither, apparently, were the players, who were informed of head coach Bret Bielema's fashion statement during a meeting Thursday night.

Bielema, who at 37 is one of the younger coaches at a major college program, apparently wanted to impress upon his players that the 12-1 finish last season that got everyone jazzed for this fall is history and he wants them to forge a new identity.

But, did it have to be in red pants?

Wisconsin's program might not have a claim to history and tradition like Notre Dame, Penn State or USC, but the team has had some pretty decent success in the cardinal and white since Barry Alvarez arrived on campus.

I thought the red-and-white home uniforms had a crisp, clean and classic look. The all-red getup looked a little "high school" to me. It made the Badgers look like Indiana, which is not necessarily a bad thing in basketball, but hardly a desirable attribute in football.

News reports indicate that the players absolutely love the new pants. It stands to reason that the students will like them, too.

Apparently the Badgers will wear white-on-white uniforms for road games. I'd prefer white jerseys and red pants, but that's just me.

I'm trying not to be a fuddy-duddy here. It took several years, but I've come around to accepting the long shorts and black shoes that dominate basketball courts across the nation.

If the biggest thing Badgers fans have to complain about is pants, we can probably consider it a successful season.

Over in Michigan, fans would give anything to be arguing fashion instead of trying to recover from a shocking opening-week loss to Appalachian State.

Maybe the new pants will grow on me as the weeks progress. If the Badgers keep winning, complaints from folks like me will be silenced.

Right now, though, you can consider me in the "thumbs down" camp.

Use the Talkback feature to let us know what you think of Bucky's new duds.