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I wasn't too big on Wisconsin's football team a season ago as I felt they were nowhere near as good as a 10-3 team should be and their true colors showed when Calhoun was out of the lineup last year and Iowa handled them easily. Experts expect Wisconsin to once again be solid in the Big 10, but the loss of Brian Calhoun will leave some big shoes to fill in the Badger backfield.

It also still remains a question as to how players will respond to first-year head coach Bret Bielema who takes over the reigns from Barry Alvarez. One thing that will make the coaching transition smoother is the fact that the Badgers have an experienced Senior QB in John Stocco. Stocco has started 25 consecutive game for Wisconsin and broke school records last season for passing yards and TD passes. His ability to throw the football, which is something Wisconsin QB's don't always have, will hopefully make the loss of Calhoun a little less costly. However, the Badgers have no experience at wide receiver. No returner caught more than one pass last season, but I'm not expecting the lack of experience at receiver to be a major set back for the Badgers.

Although Jamil Walker was the number 1 tailback heading into the spring, red shirt freshman P.J. Hill will likely end up getting the most carries for the Badgers this season. He's nowhere near as good as Calhoun right now and you will likely see a tailback duo of Walker and Hill or Hill and fellow red shirt freshman Dion Foster, who has the quickest feet of any of Wisconsin's 6 tailbacks.

Wisconsin is known for their huge offensive and defensive lines. The offensive line averages a height of 6'6'' and a weight of 319 pounds. It could take a while for this unit to gel as Joe Thomas won't be at 100% coming off ACL surgery and Marcus Coleman is a first-year starter at center, and with Kraig Urbik having to learn the right guard position, the Badgers offensive line may be exposed early in Big 10 play, but should be as good as any in the Big 10 by season's end. The slight hurdles on the O-line will hinder the running game as well and will likely cause Wisconsin a loss to Michigan in their first Big 10 bout.

The defensive line is also big and will probably be the strength of the Badgers this season. You can expect to see plenty of performances this season like the Badgers put together in last season's Capital One Bowl when they limited a high powered Auburn offense to just 236 yards and 10 points. I still contend that Auburn simply didn't show up, but it is apparent that the Badgers have talent on the defensive side of the ball. Expect a 5-3 or 6-2 Big 10 season, probably 6-2 with their losses being to Iowa and Michigan. Wisconsin has enough players in place to make coach Bret Bielema's first season an easy ride ending in a noteworthy bowl game.

About the Author

Jimmy Boyd is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at www.procappers.com/Jimmy_Boyd.htm