UW FOOTBALL PREVIEW
Paul Chryst’s combined record in three seasons at Wisconsin is 34-7, with three bowl victories and two Big Ten West Division titles.
Can the Badgers, No. 7 in the Amway coaches poll and No. 4 in The Associated Press poll, take the next steps by winning the league title and qualifying for the College Football Playoff?
The journey begins at 8 p.m. Friday when UW hosts Western Kentucky. Here is a breakdown of UW’s schedule:
Western Kentucky
AUG. 31, 8 p.m. at Camp Randall Stadium
Know the foe: The Hilltoppers, 19-5 in Conference USA and 30-10 overall from 2014-’16 under Jeff Brohm, sagged in ’17 under first-year coach Mike Sanford. Western Kentucky finished 4-4 in the East Division of C-USA and 6-7 overall. That marked the program’s first losing record since a 2-10 mark in 2010. Sanford must replace seven starters on offense, including quarterback Mike White, who passed for 4,177 yards and 26 touchdowns last season and was selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft by Dallas.
New Mexico
SEPT. 8, 11 a.m. at Camp Randall Stadium
Know the foe: The Lobos lost their final seven games last season to finish 1-7 in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference and 3-9 overall. UW fans should recognize two names on the staff – head coach Bob Davie and defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove, who worked at UW under Barry Alvarez from 1990-2003.
BYU
SEPT. 15, 2:30 p.m. at Camp Randall Stadium
Know the foe: Beginning with Bronco Mendenhall’s second season in 2006, the Cougars recorded 11 consecutive seasons with a winning record (102-37 overall). That run ended last season under second-year coach Kalani Sitake as the Cougars finished 4-9. That was the team’s worst finish since the 2003 team finished 4-8 under Gary Crowton. After the Cougars averaged just 16.5 points per game, Sitake revamped the offensive staff in the off-season.
Iowa
SEPT. 22, TBD at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City
Know the foe: The Hawkeyes, who finished 4-5 in the Big Ten and 8-5 overall last season, must find a way to move the ball more consistently to defeat UW. The Badgers have won the teams’ last two meetings – 17-9 in 2016 in Iowa City and 38-14 last season in Madison. UW held Iowa to a combined 108 rushing yards on 53 attempts, 302 total yards and a third-down conversion rate of 7.7% (2 of 26).
Bye
SEPT. 29
Nebraska
OCT. 6, TBD at Camp Randall Stadium Know the foe: Scott Frost, who led Central Florida to a 13-0 mark last season, has embraced the challenge of restoring Nebraska’s image. Nebraska, which finished 3-6 in the Big Ten and 4-8 overall last season under Mike Riley, has failed to win a Big Ten title in seven seasons in the league and reached the title game just one time. That came in 2012, when UW routed the Cornhuskers, 70-31. If Frost is to turn Nebraska into a Big Ten power, he must beat UW. The Badgers are 6-1 against Nebraska since the Cornhuskers joined the league in 2011.
Michigan
OCT. 13, TBD at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor
Know the foe: Another disappointing season – 5-4 in the Big Ten and 8-5 overall – led Jim Harbaugh to make staff changes. The changes include Ed Warinner taking over as offensive line coach and former UW strength coach Ben Herbert running the Wolverines’ overall operation. The play of the offensive line has been below par under Harbaugh, who saw his team limited to 58 rushing yards in a 24-10 loss at UW last season. The other big change comes at quarterback, where Mississippi transfer Shea Patterson is expected to boost the offense.
Illinois
OCT. 20, 11 a.m. at Camp Randall Stadium
Know the foe: Perhaps the biggest concern for Illinois fans and school officials is that the Illini finished with a worse record last season than they did in Lovie Smith’s first season as head coach. Illinois finished 0-9 in Big Ten play and 2-10 overall last season, a step back from 2016, when it was 2-7 and 3-9. The Illini lost eight Big Ten games last season by double digits and finished last in the league in scoring at 15.3 points per game. That led to a change in offensive coordinators, but the Illini have no experienced quarterbacks and a suspect running game.
Northwestern
OCT. 27, TBD at Ryan Field, Evanston, Ill.
Know the foe: The Wildcats regrouped after losses to UW and Penn State to win their final eight games last season and finish 7-2 in the Big Ten and 10-3 overall. That run was capped by a 24-23 victory over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl, but quarterback Clayton Thorson suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in the game. Whether he will be ready for the opener Thursday against Purdue is uncertain. The Wildcats should have a veteran offensive line, but replacing tailback Justin Jackson won’t be easy. Northwestern generally gives UW fits in Evanston, but the Badgers won there two seasons ago to break a four-game road losing streak.
Rutgers
NOV. 3, TBD at Camp Randall Stadium Know the foe: The Scarlet Knights, 0-2 all-time against UW, are back on the Badgers’ schedule for the first time since 2015. Former UW assistant Chris Ash inherited a train wreck in 2016. The Scarlet Knights did show improvement last season to finish 3-6 in the league and 4-8 overall. That came after 0-9 and 2-10 in ’16. Ash has faced East Division foes Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State a total of eight times in two seasons and his team has been outscored by a combined 390-27 in the eight losses.
Penn State
NOV. 10, TBD at Beaver Stadium, State College
Know the foe: Penn State was tantalizingly close to a perfect regular season, a berth in the Big Ten title game and a shot at the College Football playoff last season. The Nittany Lions were 7-0 and ranked No. 2 in the polls after routing Michigan, but a one-point loss at Ohio State left them at No. 7 in the initial CFP rankings. A three-point loss at Michigan State dropped them to No. 14. Penn State won its last three regular-season games to finish 7-2 in the league and then defeated Washington in the Fiesta Bowl to finish 11-2 overall. Tailback Saquon Barkley, tight end Mike Gesicki and offensive coordinator Joe Moore are gone.
Purdue
NOV. 17, TBD at Ross-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, Ind.
Know the foe: Jeff Brohm and his staff did yeoman work in leading the Boilermakers (4-5 Big Ten, 7-6 overall) to their first winning season since 2011. In the five seasons before Brohm’s arrival, Purdue finished a combined 6-35 and 15-46. All the preseason talk focused on Brohm’s diverse offense. But can he and his staff rebuild a stout defense that returns only four starters?
Minnesota
NOV. 24, TBD at Camp Randall Stadium Know the foe: Year 1 under P.J. Fleck wasn’t exactly a resounding success as the Gophers finished 2-7 in the league and 5-7 overall. They lost their final two games, to Northwestern and UW, by a combined 70-0. Fleck did outstanding work at Western Michigan, but he enters his second season with the Gophers with little experience at quarterback, a lack of depth at tailback and a paucity of playmakers on offense. The loss of tailback Shannon Brooks, who has been declared out for the season because of a leg injury suffered during winter workouts, was a blow.