A 34-31 win at the 2014 Outback Bowl over the Auburn Tigers was nice and all, but the Wisconsin Badgers would’ve wanted to win the Big Ten title instead. Ohio State flexed its muscles and manhandled the Badgers with a resounding 59-0 shutout victory in the Big Ten title game.
That humiliating loss was the first time that Wisconsin had been blanked from a contest since 1997. Changes had to be made in 2015 for the school to put an end to the Buckeyes’ dominance over the entire NCAA, so the Badgers hired former offensive coordinator Paul Chryst as the team’s new head coach.
Can Chryst lead the Badgers to a better record than their 11-3 record from 2014? Read on as we tackle the upcoming season of Madison’s finest. While you’re at it, check out our previews for their conference rivals Ohio State and Nebraska right after this.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]2015-2016 Wisconsin College Football Preview
Overview
With the departure of standout running back Melvin Gordon, the Wisconsin Badgers must now find a way to revitalize their passing game. Head coach Paul Chryst will look to solve such issues and inject some life in a lifeless Wisconsin passing offense that ranked 118th in the nation in 2014.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Chryst will turn to fifth-year senior quarterback Joel Stave to bounce back from a lackluster 2014 season. Stave had more interceptions last season (10) that touchdowns (9), and completed just a mere 53.4 percent of his passes. In comparison, he had 22 touchdowns and 13 picks with a 61.9 percent completion rate the year before.
Stave’s new head coach could very well enhance his game, as Chryst had recent success in turning past quarterbacks like Scott Tolzien and Russell Wilson into superstars. However, Wisconsin’s receiving corps does not have any other viable weapon downfield apart from returning Alex Erickson (55 receptions and 772 yards in 2014). Chryst must get the most out of the rest of the receiving squad to turn Stave and the passing offense into an actual threat.
What Chryst doesn’t need to worry as much about, though, is how the Badgers defense will operate. Wisconsin ranked fourth in the nation in total defense last season, and re-hiring last season’s defensive coordinator Dave Aranda was the right move for the team in order for Chryst to put more focus on revamping the offense.
Keep an eye on standout linebacker Vince Biegel, who had 16.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks last season for the Badgers. Biegel and the rest of the Wisconsin defense should be able to impose another stifling lineup, one that allowed the fewest passing yards in the Big Ten last season.
Key Player – Corey Clement
As mentioned earlier, losing Melvin Gordon to the NFL Draft this offseason was a big blow to the team. However, the Badgers still have a very competent running back in Gordon’s backup, Corey Clement.
Clement had fantastic numbers even as a backup to Gordon’s astral 2014 season. The running back, who is now in his third year with the team, had 949 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on just 10.5 carries per game last year. With him as a the team’s anointed feature back this season, he should be on pace to double last season’s output and become the focal point of the Badgers offense.
Working against Clement’s odds of producing at a high level might be the questionable offensive line. The Wisconsin O-line returns with just two starters from last season, so Clement must create for himself more often than not when there aren’t enough seams in the trenches for him to run through.
If Clement can be an unstoppable force on the ground in spite of having no blockers upfront, his value and confidence will soar even more. That’s got to be terrific news for Wisconsin, who is priced at just +10,000 to win the 2015 national title. Melvin Gordon pretty much lifted the entire team towards NCAA crown last year, and Clement knows very well that it’s his time to shine just as bright.
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Key Game – vs. Iowa (October 3)
We could easily mark down Wisconsin’s season opener against Alabama as the most critical game of the season, but that’s really more like the hardest game rather than the most pivotal.
The Badgers have a relatively easy schedule this 2015, as they won’t meet Ohio State in a cross-division match (but a rematch for the Big Ten Championship is more than likely, though). In addition, after the first game against the Crimson Tide, Wisconsin will play four-straight games at Camp Randall.
All four of those games from the lengthy homestand are very winnable, with the Week 5 meeting against Iowa to cap the series off as the most daunting of them all. Assuming that the Badgers fall to ‘Bama in the opener, the team cannot afford to lose the aforementioned game against the Hawkeyes and enter their tough Week 6 road game against Nebraska with a 3-2 record.
Defeating Iowa should be a cinch, as the Badgers have won the past three games against the Hawkeyes – including last year’s narrow 26-24 victory on Iowa’s own home turf. Wisconsin still has to be careful, though, as its rival has won three of their past four meetings played in Badger territory.
Best/Worst Case Scenario for the Season
Best Case Scenario
Joel Stave’s sendoff season ends with a bang, as he and Corey Clement form a formidable and balanced combo for Wisconsin’s offense. The defense remains rock steady, and the Badgers win the West Division of the Big Ten. They also get over the Ohio State hump and beat the Buckeyes to claim the Big Ten title.
Worst Case Scenario
Chryst can’t fix the passing game as the offensive line can’t get any consistency in pass protection and run blocking alike. Clement turns out to be a bust, and Stave proves too little, too late that he wasn’t meant to lead the offense. A loss or two more from their 2014 season, and no bowl game to boot.
Complete Schedule
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, September 5 | @ Alabama | 8:00 PM ET |
| Saturday, September 12 | Miami (Ohio) | 12:00 PM ET |
| Saturday, September 19 | Troy | 3:30 PM ET |
| Saturday, September 26 | Hawaii | 8:00 PM ET |
| Saturday, October 3 | Iowa | TBA |
| Saturday, October 10 | @ Nebraska | TBA |
| Saturday, October 17 | Purdue | 12:00 PM ET |
| Saturday, October 24 | @ Illinois | 3:30 PM ET |
| Saturday, October 31 | Rutgers | TBA |
| Saturday, November 7 | @ Maryland | 4:30 PM ET |
| Saturday, November 21 | Northwestern | TBA |
| Saturday, November 28 | @ Minnesota | TBA |
Writer’s Prediction
Wisconsin defies all odds by winning the Big Ten over Ohio State, including the 9.5 win total projection by the oddsmakers. No national title yet, but a conference championship and a bowl game victory makes for an otherwise successful season of Badgers football.
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