2010 College Football Predictions: Wisconsin

July 21, 2010

A 20-14 win over the Miami Hurricanes in the Champs Sports gave the Wisconsin Badgers their first 10-win season since 2006. With substantial talent back on both sides of the football, Wisconsin is hoping that it can take the next step in 2010. The next step would be a Big Ten title and a BCS bowl game, but in order to reach those goals the Badgers will have to beat either Iowa or Ohio State and maybe both. Both Iowa and Ohio State handed the Badgers double-digit losses in 2009, and they did it by taking away Wisconsin’s power running attack. They forced the Badgers to beat them through the air, and quarterback Scott Tolzien wasn’t up to the challenge. He’ll have to be this season in order for the Badgers to contend for the Big Ten championship.

Offense: Wisconsin boasted the No. 1 offense in the league last season, scoring 31.8 points and racking up 416.9 yards per contest. The key to Wisconsin’s productive offense was a power running game that also led the Big Ten with a 203.9 yards per game average. Star running back John Clay was largely responsible for Wisconsin’s success on the ground. He rushed for 1,517 yards and 18 scores on his way to capturing the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year award. With Clay back, the Badgers will have an excellent chance to be the premier offensive team in the conference again. But in order for the Badgers to win the Big Ten, they are going to need strong performances from Tolzien in key games. Last season, Tolzien was sacked six times and picked off twice by Ohio State. Against Iowa, he was sacked four times and picked off on three occasions. Ohio State and Iowa will both look to make the Badgers beat them through the air again this season, so Wisconsin’s Big Ten title hopes could largely rest on Tolzien in those big games.

Defense: Wisconsin was in the top half of the Big Ten defensively a season ago, but this is still the side of the football that is holding it back. The Badgers ranked No. 4 in the league in scoring defense last year, giving up 21.8 points per game. That was good for a respectable 33rd nationally. Still, when you consider that Ohio State held its opponents to 9.3 fewer points per game, and Iowa held its foes to 6.4 fewer points per game, it just doesn’t quite cut it. The Badgers did rank No. 1 in the league in run defense a year ago, holding the opposition to only 88.2 rushing yards per game, but they must show improvement against the pass. And that could be a problem after losing stud free safety Chris Maragos.

Prediction: 3rd Big Ten - I’m confident the Badgers can record their second straight 10-win campaign, but Ohio State and Iowa will likely be standing in their way of a Big Ten championship. Be sure to check out my 2010 Big 10 football predictions to see how I have the rest of the league shaping up.

Crush the college football odds makers this season with the help of Jimmy Boyd’s expert football picks!

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Posted by Jimmy Boyd · Filed Under Football Picks, Football Predictions, Football Rankings 

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