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Ground and pound paired with stout defense have been the Wisconsin way forever it seems, and 2018 shouldn’t be too different. A year ago the Badgers shocked the college football world a bit with a finish in the AP Top 10 Rankings thanks to their 13-win season. With everyone returning on the offensive side, the Badgers will look to repeat, but there are some significant holes in the defense that could be the difference in the Badgers winning 11 games versus nine. The Big Ten is loaded at the top, and the Badgers could be right in the mix if they can take care of their early stretch of the season and develop some trust in the secondary.
2018-19 Summary
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Coming off a 13-1 record a season, Paul Chryst and his Badgers will hope to maintain their status as national contenders in the top-heavy Big Ten. A traditional stingy defense, Wisconsin strengths will switch to the offensive side of the ball. Quarterback Alex Hornibrook is really talented, and the return of his entire offensive line, plus running back Jonathan Taylor could make for one of the most exciting Badgers offenses we’ve seen in the last decade or two. Defensively, the front seven will be led by one of the best linebacking corps in the country, but the secondary will leave a lot to be desired. The Big Ten is going to be wide open after the big three in Penn State, Michigan, and Ohio State, who are all national contenders. That week four matchup with Iowa is the biggest game of the season for the Badgers, and the winner of that game could easily achieve the 10-win mark. Unfortunately for Chryst group, three weeks will not be enough to solidify that secondary, and unlike most Iowa teams of the past, their strength this year will be their passing attack, and they could really exploit the backend of the Badgers defense. Yet even with a loss against the Hawkeyes, nine wins is more than doable for an extraordinarily talented Wisconsin team.
Record: Wins 9, Losses 3
Week 1: Wisconsin 45, Western Kentucky 15 (W)
Week 2: Wisconsin 38, New Mexico 13 (W)
Week 3: Wisconsin 42, BYU 20 (W)
Week 4: Wisconsin 23, Iowa 28 (L)
Week 5: Bye
Week 6: Wisconsin 29, Nebraska 14 (W)
Week 7: Wisconsin 20, Michigan 30 (L)
Week 8: Wisconsin 31, Illinois 17 (W)
Week 9: Wisconsin 30, Northwestern 16 (W)
Week 10: Wisconsin 42, Rutgers 23 (W)
Week 11: Wisconsin 21, Penn State 30 (L)
Week 12: Wisconsin 38, Purdue 24 (W)
Week 13: Wisconsin 41, Minnesota 20 (W)
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