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No. 25 Wisconsin: QB Joel Stave enters final year with new confidence

Graham Watson
No. 25 Wisconsin: QB Joel Stave enters final year with new confidence

Dr. Saturday will unveil its preseason Top 25 team-by-team during the first 25 days of August. This list is based on returning starters, schedule and some highly educated, very technical guesses. While we all know things change very quickly once games begin, these are our top teams heading into the 2015 season.

No. 25 Wisconsin

2014 record: 11-3, 7-1 Big Ten

Returning starters: 6 Offense; 8 Defense

2015 Outlook: Wisconsin is breaking in its second new coach since 2012, but Paul Chryst has inherited a good situation. The former Badger player, grad and assistant takes over a program that won the Big Ten West a year ago and is the favorite to win it again this year.

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Don’t expect Chryst to make any radical changes to what we’ve seen in the past. Wisconsin is a run-first team and if quarterback Joel Stave can get his confidence going, Chryst might be able to make the Badgers the kind of well-rounded program it was when Russell Wilson ran the offense in 2011.

Remember, Chryst was the offensive coordinator of some of Wisconsin’s most productive offenses and keeping defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who oversaw a Badger defense that ranked fourth nationally in total defense and 17th in scoring defense a year ago was a big coup.

However, this team is not without questions, mostly on the offensive line, at receiver and at middle linebacker, but the young pieces are there to potentially make this a smooth and successful first season for Chryst and his staff. The season opener against Alabama should be telling.

Player to watch: Corey Clement, RB
Running backs have been the backbone of the Wisconsin offense and Clement appears to be the next great one in the stable. However, if he’s going to live up to the potential he showed in spot time behind Melvin Gordon a year ago, the Badgers will need to shore up its offensive line. The line, which was so integral to Wisconsin’s success a year ago, lost three starters from a group that helped the Badgers lead the Big Ten in rushing with 320.1 yards per game. Center Dan Voltz and left tackle Tyer Marz are back, but the rest of the line is youthful. If it can pull together, Clement could be the lynchpin to get the Badgers back into the Big Ten title game. Last season, Clement averaged 6.5 yards per carry with 147 rushes for 949 yards and nine touchdowns.

Breakout player: Joel Stave, QB
At long last, it’s Stave’s time to shine. After dealing with confidence issues last season, Stave is finally ready to assume the role as the Badgers starting quarterback and give the offense an aerial attack it was sorely missing at times a year ago. The most important thing for Stave heading into this season is confidence, and Chryst already has tried to instill that by naming the senior the unquestioned leader of the offense. It helps that he finished the 2014 season strong, leading the Badgers to seven wins, a Big Ten West title and a win against Auburn in the Outback Bowl despite throwing three interceptions. Wisconsin ranked 116th in passing offense last year with just 148.7 yards per game, but if Stave can show some of the form he had in 2013 when he threw 22 touchdowns as a sophomore, Wisconsin could be a surprise not only in the Big Ten, but also the Top 25.

For more Wisconsin news, visit BadgerBlitz.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!

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