BigAppleBucky

Surprisingly, Illinois might have the best offense in the Big Ten this season. We can argue they now have the best win for the conference so far. (At least until Notre Dame is proven good) We'll see how it shakes out. That said, with the caveat I'm a Badger, I think the Wisconsin offensive will prove better than the Washington offense. 38 points is a lot, and we very well might not get that high, but I trust in Paul Chryst the offensive coordinator. The only reason we still have him is hometown preference. Otherwise, he'd be making seven figures somewhere in Texas. As it is, he is one of the highest paid assistant coaches in college football, perhaps the highest in the Big Ten.

IIRC, Wisconsin had about 15 guys out during the week with the flu. I think I recall a story about two of them puking on the bus ride to the stadium. It was a tough game for us. But as we all know, the transitive property in college football is very weak, especially when separated by two seasons. http://host.madison.com/sports/college/football/article_c0d91c2a-9ed7-11de-b207-001cc4c002e0.html

Well that makes Barry Alverez a smart man. He has done nothing but good for that program as a coach and AD. As has been said frequently, Nebraska will see its mirror image in Wisconsin. BA has never hidden the fact he learned much worth copying from Nebraska.

. . .if they put a guy like Borland in there, who only played in 2 games last year...and wasn't all that spectacular in 2009 either. Oh, Borland was fairly spectacular in 2009. Big Ten freshman of the year. Watch the blocked punt on the linked YouTube. He did a bunch of stuff. By the bowl game he was a disruptive force against the Miami offense. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLr5rPn-sfY&feature=related He made a pretty play in high school that's on YouTube as well. The problem with Borland is his propensity to injured shoulders. He's had operations on both of them. If healthy, he's the real deal.

The linebacker depth problem they pointed to is very real. If Borland remains healthy, the Badgers should be fine, but if he goes down again, the defense could be hurting. The front four will be OK. Depth is the best in 10 years and there is some potential amongst the DEs. They did not mention the D-backs which have been a chronic weakness at Wisconsin and very possibly the biggest weakness on defense again this season. On offense we lack proven receivers. Expectations are high for Wisconsin, but questions need to be answered before the team can win its tough games.

And... you're done. Teams can stay away from a good corner. Good safeties are involved on both sides of the field against both the pass and the run. CB's might be among the LEAST important positions on the defense. DT, NT, DE's, LB's all rate higher than the CB's in importance. Yep. While no doubt they're all "important" safeties rank way, way above cbs. They have to defend against the pass "and" are crucial to stopping the run. Imo, the Dline is #1 & good safety play #2. Football is the ultimate team game. A breakdown at any position can lead to a disaster on either side of the ball on any given play. Perhaps, since the QB handles the ball on almost every offensive play, that position might be the "most important". Other things nearly equal, an effective three year starter is going to be better at that position than a redshirt sophomore who has taken, perhaps, 50 real college game snaps, most of them handoffs to run out the clock.

UW O-line had six guys get at least some All Big Ten mention last season. Three of them graduated. For 2011, 2010 RT, Ricky Wagner moves over to LT. Josh Ogleby, injured much of last season, goes to RT where he started in 2009. Travis Frederick, a starter as a true frosh in 2009, but injured and redshirted last season, moves in to starting line up. The depth Wisconsin had last season is gone until some youngsters prove themselves. At linebacker, we hope Chris Borland, the 2009 Big Ten freshman of the year, can come back from the shoulder injuries he suffered. If he does, he'll be exciting to watch. He blocked a punt in similar fashion as a freshman. He spent much of the 2009 Champs Bowl in the Miami backfield disrupting their offense. Biggest UW questions are who will provide the pass rush JJ Watt did last season and will we find another effective tight end.