Wisconsin exceeded nearly all expectations in 2016 with an 11-3 record that included a move from unranked to the AP Top-10 and a Big Ten West division title. The Badgers capped off the year with a win over Western Michigan in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and after registering a double-digit win total for the third consecutive season the expectations will undoubtedly climb looking forward to next season. What will Wisconsin do for an encore? Here is a look at three key questions for the Badgers heading in to the 2017 season.
Will QB Alex Hornibrook Take The Next Step?
Hornibrook is expected to enter next season as Wisconsin’s No. 1 quarterback after taking full advantage of the opportunity to play at a high level in his redshirt freshman year. Hornibrook completed 58.6-percent of his pass attempts for 1,262 yards and nine touchdowns compared to seven interceptions in nine games while building his confidence and gaining some important experience. Hornibrook is slotted to be the unquestioned starter heading in to 2017 and if he can take another step forward in his development then the Badgers offense will be that much more dangerous next season.
Who Is Next At Running Back?
Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale were outstanding running backs at Wisconsin this past season but both are done and that means the Badgers will need to put a succession plan in place. Clement led Wisconsin with 1,375 rushing yards while Ogunbowale ranked second on the team in rushing yards and was their best pass-catcher out of the backfield. That tandem will leave big shoes to fill and it will be up to the trio of Bradrick Shaw, Taiwan Deal and Chris James to address the void. Shaw flashed his elite potential during his red shirt freshman season with 457 yards and five touchdown in 11 games so he should be the front runner for the starting job. Deal has the potential to be the 1A in Wisconsin but he will need to overcome the injury issues that limited his exposure this past season. Meanwhile, James is the wild card of the bunch after rushing for 690 yards and four scores in two seasons at Pitt but he has the potential to be a force when called upon next season.
Can Wisconsin’s Defense Remain Elite?
The Badgers defense ranked fourth in the nation in scoring and seventh in total defense with averages of 15.6 points and 301.3 yards allowed per game last season. Defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox deserves a ton of credit for molding this unit and a number of key players will return in 2017 beginning with an underrated defensive line that will feature Alec James, Chikwe Obasih, Conor Sheehy and Olive Sagapolu looking to provide the pressure up front. It won’t be easy to replace linebacker T.J. Watt but leading tackler T.J. Edwards and Ryan Connelly will both be back while the secondary returns a solid group led by cornerback Derrick Tindal and safety D’Cota Dixon. Wisconsin has enough quality pieces to remain an elite defense but matching last year’s production will be a tall task for this unit in 2017.
Will They Be Good Enough To Compete With The Big Boys?
The Big Ten has become a conference where it seems like every year, it’s either Ohio State or Michigan. Of course, Michigan State is coming off a down year but they’ll be back in the mix. However, those two or three teams have been elite, while everyone else in the conference has been a clear step or two behind. Even Penn State might start to be in the conversation in the coming years too.
Wisconsin has been close in a number of situations but the question is whether or not they’ll be able to do anything more than that in 2017. Taking a look at their losses in 2016, they lost by seven to Penn State, they lost by seven in overtime to Ohio State and they lost by seven to Michigan. You can sense the theme here. Whether that changes or not will be one of the defining moments of the 2017 season for the Wisconsin Badgers.
Click here to bet on the college football championship game right now. DSI has all of the latest lines, spreads and props for this week’s action!
