A Jersey Guy: No. 15 Wisconsin
They are like the comfortable pair of slippers in your closet, readily available, not flashy, but reliant in doing their job.
Say hello to the 2021 version of the Wisconsin Badgers, which should be a contender to win the Big 10 West, with the possibility of picking off a Big Ten championship, which could make them a contender for a Final Four playoff spot.
Badger coach Paul Chryst has been in charge for 6 years, winning an average of slightly more than 9 games per year.
But for every big game, the Badgers win each season, they also produce head-scratching losses such as back to back losses to Northwestern and Indiana last season.
Chryst has 15 starters returning to aid the cause, including sophomore Graham Mertz, who went from budding super star to inconsistent play caller
The schedule is quirky, opening with a severe test at home on Sept.4th against Penn State. Notre Dame is also on the schedule, which means a possible 1-2 start, which will send the Badgers to the trash heap very quickly.
Sill, there isn't enough heavy lifting on the schedule--No Ohio State--and the defense is good enough to keep the Badgers as contenders for most of the season.
Winning the Big Ten West is not an impossible dream, but beyond that there is mostly darkness.