Hopkins, who took over as the starting quarterback, earned the conference honor in his first career start. Head coach Luke Fickell confirmed Monday that the plan is for Hopkins to remain under center for Saturday's game at Maryland.

"It's another great opportunity for Ryan to continue to grow," Fickell said. "The uniqueness of, yeah, that's the plan sitting here on Monday, but there's also some competitive nature to going through the week. I think for us, as we continue to grow, we got to be able to make sure that we understand, we got to evaluate all those things."

Fickell said Hopkins will have the chance to start the week as the No. 1 quarterback in practice on Tuesday and carry that into the game. But the coach stopped short of guaranteeing the job beyond this week, emphasizing that the staff will weigh what gives the team the best chance to win.

"And then we just got to figure out what gives us the best opportunities, not just as an offense, but as a team to win," Fickell said.

The Badgers (7-3, 4-2 Big Ten) will face the Terrapins at College Park on Saturday at 11 a.m. Wisconsin's win with Hopkins at the helm pushed the program back into the postseason conversation after missing a bowl game last season.

Hopkins' recognition adds to a resurgent stretch for the Badgers, who have now won three of their last four games. The freshman's 241-yard, three-touchdown performance was the most productive debut by a Wisconsin quarterback in recent memory and gives the offense a spark as it heads into the final weeks of the regular season.

For a program that has leaned heavily on its running game and defense in recent years, Hopkins' emergence offers a glimpse of stability at the sport's most important position — and a reason for Madison fans to feel optimistic about both this season and the next.