Jesus... talk about some rose-colored glasses...

Below is a summary of Wisconsin that I wrote in another thread that I was told was "thread-worthy." Note that there have been some slight changes (i.e. Farrar ran with the second-unit the first couple practices, but will likely resume starting role) since fall camp started a few days ago - not reflected in this post.

quote:
Wisconsin will be breaking in a new quarterback. You're looking at either Bart Houston (R-Sr.) or Alex Hornibrook (R-Fr.). Hornibrook has a ton of upside, but some seem to think Houston might be the best play here to start off the season. We'll see what happens, but Houston has no shortage of arm talent. He was one of the highest-rated recruits out of HS, but has struggled with consistency for most of his career.

Wisconsin is deep at RB. Corey Clement is back after a tumultuous 2015. He admittedly came into the season looking at bolting for the NFL. Things didn't work-out as he dealt with a sports hernia injury for most of the season. Was never really 100%. Remains to be seen how he handles being a workhorse, but there is little doubt that he is one of the most physically-talented RBs Wisconsin has had.

Behind Clement will be Dare Ogunbowale and Taiwan Deal, both of whom deserve credit for being serviceable in 2015, running behind a banged-up, inexperienced OL. In particular, Ogunbowale was spending his first full-season at RB; he converted from DB. He'll be Wisconsin's change-of-pace back this season.

WR will be occupied by Rob Wheelwright and Jazz Peavy. Wheelwright has always had the talent, but has dealt with a number of injuries at Wisconsin, including a broken leg late last season. He's a big target at 6-foot-3. Peavy stepped in for Wheelwright last season and started a few games. I'm still not sold on this unit.

Under Paul Chryst, expect big things from the TE position. He utilizes them better than most coaches in the country. Troy Fumagalli is a big target at 6-foot-6 and has started several games over the last two seasons. Behind Fumagalli will be a pair of highly-touted players in Kyle Penniston and Jake Hescock, both young players that were four-star prospects in HS.

Wisconsin will be much-improved on the OL. It was a frustrating 2015 for this unit, but they also started four R-Fr., including Michael Deiter, Micah Kapoi, Beau Benzschwael, and Jacob Maxwell after losing Dan Voltz to injury. Voltz will return in 2016 and Wisconsin will add Ryan Ramczyk, who is a physical-freak.

Defensively, Wisconsin is a traditionally solid, disciplined unit. They've ranked inside the Top-25 in Total Defense for the last seven seasons and I don't think that changes this year. Of course, you can expect a drop-off after losing Dave Aranda.

The front-seven will be Wisconsin's strength. They are a talented, deep group. Vince Biegel, according to PFF, is the top-returning 3-4 OLB in the country.

Wisconsin will have a solid duo at CB. Sojourn Shelton will be a four-year starter and has been through it all. Opposite of him will likely be Derrick Tindal, who has been Wisconsin's nickel-back, but has also started multiple games throughout his career.

The huge worry is at the safety positions as Wisconsin replaces Michael Caputo and Tanner McEvoy. Arrington Farrar was a highly-touted, four-star safety out of HS that will be getting his first crack at a full-time starting role this season. Opposite of him is a bit tougher to gauge, but you'll see a mix between Leo Musso and D'Cota Dixon.

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For the TL;DR crowd... I do like Wisconsin's 2016 team more than 2015, but the brutal schedule won't reflect that. Don't know if we've seen a more difficult start to B1G play than Wisconsin's this season. It would be an accomplishment if Wisconsin went 2-3 against LSU, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, and Iowa.

There's this myth that Wisconsin doesn't feature NFL talent. I said this a few weeks ago that Wisconsin is No. 5 nationally in Top-75 picks since 2011, trailing only Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, and Florida State. Incredibly impressive. Now, of course, the opponent (LSU) has more Top-75 picks, as they should.

This post was edited on 8/12/16 at 7:10 am