Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview. #35 Wisconsin Badgers 10-3 SU; 8-5 ATS Fargos Take The Barry Alvarez era ended with a bang as Wisconsin recorded 10 wins in a season for the first time since 1999. Enter Bret Bielema, the defensive coordinator the last two seasons for the Badgers, as the new head coach but he is not coming into an impossible situation. At least thats what it looks like for now. The defense is going to have to be the strength despite slipping considerably last season but with eight starters coming back, we should be significant improvements. The offense is where questions abound. Only three players are back and just one, quarterback John Stocco, returns at a skill position. 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 sets up well for Wisconsin and making a run at the Big Ten title is quite possible if the young players step up on offense. There is pressure on Bielema right from the get go. Returning Starters on Offense 3 Stocco had a sensational junior season but matching those numbers will be a difficult task seeing that he has nobody coming back around him. The leading returning receiver is Marcus Randle El, who has just one career reception while the leading returning rusher is Jamil Walker, who has just 18 career carries and likely wont 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 enormous, averaging 318 pounds, so that should help the inexperienced running game. Stocco will have a lot of pressure on him this year to carry the team and with 25 consecutive starts under his belt, he should be up to the task. He will no doubt need some help and the early part of the season could be a work in progress until the offense jells together. Returning Starters on Defense 8 The Badgers defense finished a disappointing 92nd 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 strength as there are eight players on the depth chart that have started at least one game. Two of those players are coming back from knee injuries and their quick recoveries will be imperative. The linebackers are young with freshmen and sophomores holding five of the six spots on the depth chart. The passing defense finished 88th in the country, allowing close to 250 ypg, the most in 10 years. The unit will be much better this year as long as the Badgers can continue to provide pressure to the quarterbacks. With the offense expected to struggle early on, the defense will be asked to win games but with the easy non-conference schedule to start the season, that should not be a problem. Schedule Wisconsin starts the season playing a neutral game in Cleveland against a rebuilding Bowling Green team. Two home games against Western Illinois and San Diego St. follow that before the Badgers Big Ten opener at Michigan. A second straight road game at Indiana comes after the game against the Wolverines and then its back-to-back home games against Northwestern and Minnesota. The toughest test in the second half of the conference slate is a game at 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 have just four true road games and with Ohio St. and Michigan St. off the schedule, they couldnt ask for a better scenario for their young squad to have a chance throughout. You can bet on We should see some low scoring games in Madison this season, a complete opposite of what we saw on the field last year. Bielema has his work cut out for him is his inaugural campaign but with Alvarez remaining with the program as the athletic director, it should be a decent transition. Wisconsin thrives when receiving points as it is 13-5 ATS as an underdog since 2001 including a 5-1 mark against the number at home. The Badgers are also 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games as a road dog and they will find themselves in that role in their conference opener at Michigan, a team that is coming off a disappointing 2005 season and one that will be seeking some revenge following a three-point loss last season. Wisconsin is 10-6 on the road over the last three years so it does know how to win away from home. |
