#6-WISCONSIN BADGERS

Gary Andersen steps in for the departed Bret Bielema as the Wisconsin Badgers look to continue was is their golden age of fooball. Amazingly, Wisconsin has reached three straight BCS Bowl games with three different starting quarterbacks.

Montee Ball is gone but plenty of capable running backs remain to run behind another strong Badger offensive line. Ball’s career backup, James White returns with 2700 career rushing yards to his name. White will likely start with Melvin Gordon waiting in the wings should White need a breather. At receiver, James Abberderis is back and Jacob Pedersen headlines the tight end grouping. As of press time, the QB job is still up in there air with Curt Phillips, Tanner McEvoy and Joel Stave battling for the starting gig.

The Wisconsin defense will undergo a major facelift as Gary Andersen brings in his 3-4 setup. The defensive line is unsettled with several underperformers returning and a couple of position changes. Chris Borland is back to stabilize the linebacker unit and is poised for an All-American 2013. The secondary has major holes to fill with 3 starters gone from last fall.

The Badgers schedule features two tune-ups before a trip to the desert to face Arizona State. BYU visits Camp Randall in early November. During conference play, Wisconsin avoids Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska. A late September trip to Columbus should give us a good idea on what this Badger squad will look like.

PREDICTION: 3-1 non-conference, 5-3 conference, 8-4 overall.