Over the last seven seasons, the Wisconsin Badgers have had double digit wins in five of them and it would have been six if the officials would have called the end of the Arizona State game correctly in 2013. Last year was one of the toughest seasons considering all of the injuries they had to deal with. This year will be significantly more challenging, even if the Badgers do stay healthy. The schedule is much more difficult and Wisconsin will have to deal with the loss of defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who went to LSU.
1. Who will be the QB?
I know this sounds simple, but the key to another successful Wisconsin season will all depend on the quarterback position, whether it is senior Bart Houston or redshirt freshman Alex Hornibrook. Gone is Joel Stave, who started the better part of all four seasons he was at Wisconsin and has the most wins as a starting quarterback ever for the university. Whoever the quarterback is will (hopefully) have star running back Corey Clement at 100 percent. I could see Houston starting out the season as the starter and then if he struggles, bring in Hornibrook. Houston has more experience and he had a solid game last year in relief of an injured Stave at Illinois in leading the Badgers to a 24-13 win in Champaign. I expect Houston to win the job and be the starter opening week against the vaunted LSU defense, led by former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Dave Aranda.
2. Can Wisconsin stay healthy?
Last season, a number of key contributors missed time, including center Dan Voltz, running back Corey Clement and wide receiver Rob Wheelwright. That does not even include players like Stave and wide receiver Alex Erickson, who missed time with injuries during games, but did not miss an entire game. As the only proven receiver, Wheelwright, who has an injury history, will need to stay on the field. The running game struggled considerably without Clement last season. Considering the schedule, Wisconsin needs to be fully healthy when it plays LSU, the Michigan schools, Ohio State and Iowa in the first half of the season. Voltz and the rest of the offensive line had injuries last season that hurt their progression since they could not have the continuity needed since there were so many different combinations that started last year. With a relatively injury-free season, the Badgers should be fine.
3. How will the defense fare without Aranda?
Gone is Aranda, the leader of the defense the past three seasons, who went to LSU in the offseason. In his three seasons, the Badgers finished in the top six in scoring defense twice, including leading the country a season ago. Enter Justin Wilcox, the former USC defensive coordinator. The cupboard will not be bare for the new defensive boss, but there are some shoes that need to be filled, specifically in the secondary. The loss of Michael Caputo cannot be understated. He was the leader of the defense and the team rallied around him. Look what happened after he left early in the game against Alabama. He has to replace Caputo, along with two other members of the secondary, Tanner McEvoy and Darius Hillary. However, what Wilcox does inherit is one of the best linebacking cores in the country. Even without All-American Joe Schobert, Wisconsin still has a lot of talent at the position. The tandem of sophomores T.J. Edwards and Chris Orr at inside linebacker is a force. Edwards was named a Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-American and Orr had a very good season as well in 2015. Outside linebacker Vince Biegel has All-American potential and T.J. Watt, who is replacing Schobert, will step in and the Badgers should not miss a beat. The Wisconsin linebackers are so good that Jack Cichy, the star of Wisconsin's win against USC with his three sacks in three consecutive plays, won't even start. I think this unit will fine, but it will take some time to get adjusted to life without Aranda.