It’s hard to believe but Wisconsin Football is only 100 days away. Today, the Badgers have mini helmets hidden around random parks in random cities across the state. It’s the second year they have done this. Prizes include game tickets and gift cards. Because we’re at 100 days and September 2 will come fast, I thought I would share my three reasons why the Badgers will win the Big Ten West this season.
Wisconsin Should Have The Best Offense In The West
I believe the west will come down to Wisconsin and Iowa. For two teams that have history of great defenses and not always great offenses, both teams have added a ton of talent on the offensive side from the transfer portal. Quarterback Tanner Mordecai comes to Madison while Michigan transfer quarterback Cade McNamara comes to Iowa.
While the Badgers have to go out and prove it, I think Mordecai is one of the better quarterbacks in the Big Ten. If you add Braelon Allen (one of the best running backs in the country), an experienced offensive line, and a receiving core with a mixture of veterans and young players, I think this offense is deep in multiple positions. No other team in the west has that depth on that side of the ball.
The Schedule Sets Up Nicely
There’s two games that stick out on the Badgers schedule. October 14 against Iowa and October 28 against Ohio State. Those are the best two teams on the schedule. Wisconsin gets both games at Camp Randall Stadium. The toughest road game likely comes in the season finale at Minnesota, but there’s a chance the Badgers would have the west wrapped up already.
A lot of people want to put the brakes on the idea Wisconsin will win 10+ games. It’s a tough task to accomplish. While I think it’s hard to do, I don’t think that’s a unrealistic possibility. Wisconsin has a good chance to win a lot of games and they will be favored in every game with the exception of Ohio State.
The Defense Returns A Ton Of Production
Ncaa Guaranteed Rate Bowl
It’s hard to replace Nick Herbig and Keeanu Benton. In fact, I don’t think you can. Their production was off the charts during their careers. However, when you look at the Wisconsin defense, they return three solid veterans on the defensive line and three established linebackers in CJ Goetz, Maema Njongmeta, and Jordan Turner.
The secondary depth is thin and while the Badgers have to continue adding to it, players like Alexander Smith, Ricardo Hallman, Hunter Wohler, and Kamo’i Latu return and were all big contributors in 2022. There’s a lot of talent and potential NFL players on this defense. Again, there will be a learning curve under new defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, but the talent and experience is there. The learning curve shouldn’t take long to adjust.
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