By CLE Picks
Twitter: @CLEPicks
Hey friends, I am finally back to preview the upcoming 2023 college football season. Unbelievably Week 1 of the college football season is just days away, so I am here with another CFB edition of CLE's Totals
giving out my favorite win totals and futures for this upcoming exciting season.
Today, we are heading to the Big Ten and talking about the Badgers of Wisconsin. Wisconsin comes into
this season following a disappointing 7-6 season that ended with a win in the Guaranteed Rate
Bowl over Oklahoma State. After letting go of 8-year head coach Paul Chryst mid-season, the Badgers went out and brought in successful Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell, who accumulated a 57-18 record in his 6 years with the Bearcats including a trip to the College Football Playoff in 2021.
The Badgers bring back 18 starters from last years team, including star running back Braelon Allen who
rushed for over 1200 yards last year with 11 touchdowns. While we have known Wisconsin as this meat-and-potatoes, double-tight end smash mouth run attack football team, there has been a shift in
philosophy this offseason as it looks like the Badgers will be spreading it out a lot more this year. First,
Fickell brought in North Carolina offensive coordinator Phil Longo, known for his uptempo, spread-em-out down field passing approach. To match that attack, Fickell hit the transfer portal hard and brought in former SMU starting quarterback Tanner Mordecai. Mordecai threw for over 3500 yards
and 33 touchdowns for the Mustangs last season.
The schedule gods blessed Fickell in his first season, as his non-conference schedule isn’t the toughest.
Wisconsin goes to Pullman, Washington to take on the Cougars of Washington St., which if both offensive
coordinators have their way may be a high-scoring affair. Outside of that, they host Buffalo
and Georgia Southern should be wins for Wisconsin. Then there’s the Big Ten schedule, where the Badgers 2 toughest games (Iowa and Ohio St.) are both in Camp Randall. While Ohio St. is a juggernaut this year, Iowa should be a very winnable for the Badgers. They avoid playing both Penn St. and Michigan who should be right there with Ohio St. this year in the East.
I really like this Wisconsin team . Hiring Fickell was a great move by the Badgers, and bringing in both Longo and Mordecai will be beneficial in year 1. The schedule lines up beautifully for them where at worst I see them going 9-3 this season. Look for Fickell to contend for the Big Ten West title and win a lot in Camp Randall.
The Plays: Wisconsin o8.5 Wins (-130), To Win the Big Ten West (+120)