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2009 Wisconsin NCAA Football Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

wisconsin 7909 The Wisconsin Badgers finished 12-1 in head coach Bret Bielema’s first season. Year two saw the Badgers fall to 9-4 and last year they sunk to 7-6. Inconsistent quarterback, middle linebacker, and safety play has been to blame for a big chunk of the decline. Find out if Wisconsin will be back on the rise in this 2009 college football betting preview. Wisconsin is listed at +8000 to win the 2009 BCS championship.

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Offense – The Badgers haven’t received solid quarterback play since 2006 when John Stocco was under center. Not surprisingly, the Badgers went 12-1 that year. Wisconsin has a good wide receiver unit, two NFL-caliber tight ends, and a very talented tailback in John Clay. But, none of these weapons will be enough to improve on last season’s disappointing results if the Badgers don’t get better play from Dustin Sherer. Sherer threw just six touchdown passes against four interceptions and 20 sacks while starting the final seven games last season. If Sherer struggles out of the gate, it might be time to go with redshirt freshman Curt Phillips. There also may be some questions surrounding the offensive line after the unit lost three multi-year starters, but I have confidence that Wisconsin’s beefy boys can get the job done. P.J. Hill may have left school early, but the word on the street is that Clay’s better and I have to agree. He rushed for 884 yards and nine touchdowns on just 155 carries last season. That’s 5.7 yards per carry. The Wisconsin running game, which ranked 14th nationally in 2008, will continue to be effective, but not posing a passing threat is keeping it from elite status.

Defense – The Wisconsin Badgers allowed 26.5 points per game last season and that’s just not what you expect to see from a usually disciplined and physical football team. The defensive line struggled late in games as Wisconsin’s lack of depth up front was exposed and the offense wasn’t able to chew up clock the way it had in the past to give the defense adequate rest. The linebacker corps was plagued by injury and that made it an inconsistent unit, but the secondary was even worse, especially at the safety spots. Defensive coordinator Dave Doeren is hopeful that his team will be deeper up front in 2009. It will help that defensive end/tackle J.J. Watt is now eligible to play after sitting out last season as a transfer. The defensive line will be critical to Wisconsin’s success. The secondary isn’t good enough to lock down the league’s best receivers so hopefully the line will be able to apply enough pressure to give the defensive backfield a fighting chance. The linebacker unit will lean on Jaevery McFadden after an 84 tackle season.

Prediction: 7th Big Ten – There is plenty of talent on offense, but the QB position figures to fail the Badgers yet again in 2009. And the cupboard is bare by Wisconsin standards on the defensive side of the ball. Wisconsin is listed at +900 to win the Big Ten.

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