** 2018 Opponent Previews: Wisconsin (Game 6) **

Saunders

Saunders

Heisman Trophy Winner
CollegeFootballNews: Get Into The CFP Already

2017 can’t have been the year. It was a perfect storm of things happening all at once in what was really, really, really close to being a truly special campaign. The schedule was manageable, the defense was dominant, there weren’t a slew of key injuries, and a true freshman – Jonathan Taylor – rose up and turned in one of the greatest seasons ever by a running back at a place known for cranking out great seasons by running backs.

The Wisconsin Badgers – arguably the worst program in college football 30 years ago thanks to a 1-11 1988 season running Don Morton’s veer attack – went 12-0 and was one win away from going to the College Football Playoff. And to take this one step further, despite getting rim-rocked by Ohio State for three quarters, the Badgers had the puck on their stick with one final drive to win the Big Ten title and get into the CFP.

https://collegefootballnews.com/2018/05/wisconsin-badgers-college-football-preview-2018

– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players, Key Game, Fun Stats
– What Will Happen & Win Total Prediction
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The Athletic: Wisconsin 2018 Preview

Few programs in college football have an identity as defined as Wisconsin’s. The Badgers know exactly who they are and how they’ll beat you. They recruit walk-ons and turn them into stars. They plug in productive running back after productive running back behind what’s regularly one of the nation’s best offensive lines. They’ve won at a consistently high level, with 10-plus victories in seven of the past nine seasons.

https://theathletic.com/tag/state-of-the-programs-big-ten/ (requires sub)
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Athlon: 2018 Badgers Preview and Prediction

After dominating on defense the past three years, Wisconsin may need to lean on its offense this fall. All but one starter returns from a unit that should not only pound opponents on the ground but has the potential to be a threat through the air as well. The defense is replacing a ton of experience, but there are plenty of pieces to work with. The Badgers remain the favorite in the Big Ten West, but another undefeated regular season could be hard to replicate thanks to a rugged road slate.

https://athlonsports.com/college-football/wisconsin-football-2018-badgers-preview-and-prediction
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SBNation: Wisconsin isn’t just ‘Wisconsin good’ any more

First things first: Wisconsin was really good last year.

That may seem like a strange place to start when talking about a team that went 13-1 and finished in the AP top 10 for the second straight year. Of course the Badgers were good, right?

Right, but you’re probably couching that a bit. They were Wisconsin good. The defense was good for a Wisconsin team: smart and sound but not all that athletic, right? Quarterback Alex Hornibrook was probably good for a Wisconsinquarterback: a game manager who avoided mistakes.

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/7/5/17507522/wisconsin-football-2018-preview-schedule-roster
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More to come...

 
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Saunders said:
The schedule was manageable, the defense was dominant, there weren’t a slew of key injuries, and a true freshman – Jonathan Taylor – rose up and turned in one of the greatest seasons ever by a running back at a place known for cranking out great seasons by running backs.
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The ball bounced their way more than a few times last year, and this wasn't a dominant team.....it was, however, a pretty darn good second half team. If Taylor were injured, it may have had an effect similar to a QB being injured, maybe a couple of games or so swing. That's very unusual for a non-QB, but he had that kind of season. He was 1.5-2 yards per carry better than their other options. That's incredible at his volume.

 
"there weren't a slew of key injuries..."

^ Interesting thoughts from the author, Pete Fiutak.  Like every team in the country, Wisconsin did face key injuries.

  • Quintez Cephus, Wisconsin's best receiver, saw his season end after a broken leg.
  • Jazz Peavy, Wisconsin's leading receiver in 2016, was MIA after Wisconsin's win versus Northwestern.  He didn't play the rest of the season due to personal reasons.
  • Jack Cichy, one of the best LBs in the conference, tore his ACL during fall camp and missed the entire season.
  • Zack Baun, projected to be one of Wisconsin's starting OLBs, hurt his foot during fall camp and missed the entire season.
  • Troy Fumagalli, one of the best TEs in the conference, missed multiple games in 2017 and was hobbled most of the season.
  • D'Cota Dixon, an All-Conference performer at SS, missed three full games in 2017 and only saw a couple snaps in a couple other games due to a shoulder injury.  He had surgery this off-season.
 
Roll Skers said:
If Hornibrook plays this year like he did in the Orange bowl, and they stay healthy (particularly at RB and LB), look out
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Hornibrook (and their QB play in general) is ultimately what's going to mean the difference between Wisconsin ever making it to the CFP or plateauing at New Year's Six bowls. They've had manageable quarterback play since Wilson left the program and they haven't had the overall team talent to elevate up to that next level. Some of Hornibrook's stats were solid last year (YPA, completion percentage) but he threw way too many picks.

 
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Enhance said:
Some of Hornibrook's stats were solid last year (YPA, completion percentage) but he threw way too many picks.
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"Solid" is a great descriptor for those two stats. The problem is he is not very consistent week to week. It's nothing for his completion percentage to jump 20 points week to week, and other stats will tend to follow from there. I find that very interesting because I feel he's a QB that can be very accurate, and accuracy is usually a product of consistency. 

 
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