# 35 Wisconsin Badgers Preview

Spring practices are on the books and fall camps will be here before you know it, so that means having an early jump into the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you understand what to expect next year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 college football preview.

# 35 – Wisconsin Badgers 10-3 SU; 8-5 ATS

The Takeover of Fargo The Barry Alvarez era ended with a bang when Wisconsin recorded 10 wins in a season for the first time since 1999. Enter Bret Bielema, the defensive coordinator of the past two seasons for the Badgers, as the new head coach, but in an impossible situation. At least that’s what it looks like for now. The defense is going to have to be the force despite having dropped considerably last season, but with eight starters coming back, we should have significant improvements. Offense is where questions abound. Only three players are back and only one, quarterback John Stocco, returns in a position of skill. The Badgers finished 14th in the country in scoring offense last season and reaching that ranking again in 2006 will be next to impossible. The schedule is setting up well for Wisconsin and making a run for the Big Ten title is quite possible if young players join the offense. There is pressure on Bielema from the beginning.

Starters Returning To Offense – 3 Stocco had a sensational youth season, but matching those numbers will be a tough task since he has no one coming back around him. The top returning receiver is Marcus Randle El, who has only one reception in his career, while the top returning running back is Jamil Walker, who has just 18 career carries and probably won’t even be the starter. The offensive line brings back just two starters and the leader, senior tackle Joe Thomas, is still recovering from a torn ACL. The starting line is huge, averaging 318 pounds, so it should help the inexperienced running game. Stocco will have a lot of pressure on him this year to lead the team and with 25 consecutive starts under his belt, he should be up to the task. He’ll undoubtedly need some help and the first part of the season could be a work in progress until the offense comes together.

Headlines Returning To Defense – 8 The Badgers’ defense finished a disappointing 92nd overall in total defense in 2005, but this should be one of the best units in the conference this season. The defensive line will be the force, as there are eight players in the depth table who have started at least one game. Two of those players are returning from knee injuries and their speedy recovery will be imperative. The linebackers are youth with freshmen and sophomores occupying five of the six spots on the depth chart. The passing defense finished 88th in the country, allowing nearly 250 ypg, the most in 10 years. The unit will be much better this year as long as the Badgers keep pushing the quarterbacks. Since the offense is expected to struggle early on, the defense will be asked to win games, but with the easy schedule outside of the conference to start the season, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Schedule Wisconsin begins the season by playing a neutral game in Cleveland against a rebuilding Bowling Green team. This is followed by two home games against Western Illinois and San Diego St. before Badgers Big Ten’s first game at Michigan. A second straight road game at Indiana comes after the game against the Wolverines and then their back-to-back home games against Northwestern and Minnesota. The toughest test in the second half of the conference slate is a game in Iowa, while a home game against Penn St. will also pose a challenge. The season finale is a cupcake game against Buffalo. Overall, the Badgers only have four true road games and with Ohio St. and Michigan St. off the schedule, they couldn’t ask for a better setting for their young team to have a shot at every turn.

You can bet on … We should see some low scoring games in Madison this season, the complete opposite of what we saw on the field last year. Bielema has a lot of work for him in his inaugural season, but with Alvarez remaining on the show as athletic director, it should be a decent transition. Wisconsin thrives when it receives points, as it is 13-5 ATS as an underdog since 2001, including a 5-1 record against the number at home. The Badgers are also 11-4 ATS in their last 15 road dog games and will find themselves in that role in their conference opener at Michigan, a team coming off a disappointing 2005 season and one that will seek revenge. after a three-point loss last season. Wisconsin is 10-6 on the road for the past three years, so they know how to win on the road.

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