Wisconsin Football Is An UNDERRATED Team In The Big Ten For 2024

Joe we continue on our deep Dives speaking of Northern teams we go up to a a state that has a very passionate fan base Madisonville by the way is a or Madisonville Madison is actually a really good place uh to go and watch some football games but year two under a new head well I say a new head coach he's not a new head coach Luke fickles been there for a year but year two under Luke fickle um let's get into Wisconsin what do you see with the badg is going into year to here biggest thing that stands out to me Blake is how experienced how tough how physical that they are on both lines of scrimmage I'm talking about their offensive line and their front seven on defense they they're deep at linebacker they've got a lot of really good defensive lineman John Pas transfers in from William M who is a very underrated athlete he is very very explosive I'm a big fan of James Thompson Jr who is one of their defensive tackles he is going to be a top 100 NFL draft pick in 2025 and then on uh their offensive line Jack Nelson is one player that I've been really excited about I was watching him last night he does some really tremendous stuff at that left tackle spot and at right tackle they've got a six foot eight guy so you got six foot seven Jack Nelson at right tackle you've got 6 foot eight 320 pound Riley mman they got some dudes along their lines of scrimmage and that to me is is enough for you to be not to win the conference I don't I don't I don't think they're there but to be Stout along both lines of scrimmage is hard to have and Wisconsin has consistently recruited well at both of these positions I think that that is going to make them dangerous in the Big 10 in 2024 so I look at Wisconsin okay and I say to myself a couple of things I agree with you getting Pious you know this attack at Curtis you know get into that other inside linebacker spot I think he's going to be in a battle there the thing for me is Joe is that they're pretty much returning everybody I I think that that is got to be the biggest thing look you look at both lines of scrimmage you look at their defense Joe how does Luke fickle do and who has been known to be a pretty good developer at least his as his time as a head coach what have we seen he's been a really good developer his staffs have been really good at developing I think that there's something to be said about developing guys that are coming back for another year they didn't have they really get affected by the portal they bring in a guy like Jake Renfro who they were able the center who they were able to get back to come back yet again that offensive line is a little interesting because I do think that they have a lot of interesting pieces look when I watched them last year like did a lot of breakdown for the bowl game like versus LSU I thought that they had a lot of tackle issues okay and I think that that played out a little bit in reference to look LSU defensively wasn't that good along the defensive line and they were able to get pressure with guys that they did not get pressure with a lot okay but they they kind of mix some things up so I I'm gonna wait and see along their offensive line but when they got when dude when when you had the two worst dudes on a team like LSU who has that bad defensively get that much pressure like for example McKai Wingo coming off an injury and then you have Mason Smith getting pressure at the guard position then you got Savon Jones and others getting pressure I I I question you're talking about the guard spots you're not talking about no I I I knew that that was gonna happen stay with me but then when I went to Savon Jones when I when I saw brayon Swinson starting getting pressure two guy like I would expect it from the interior guys and Smith and wingo both of those guys got drafted Jordan Jefferson a lot what I didn't expect is for LSU as an example at the end of last year to get as much pressure as they did on the outside right and that was the big thing I thought going into that game was could you get more pressure than you've been able to on an offensive line that you're more athletic than the only thing was they pushed LSU around in the running game I thought maybe a different style of play and reference that's why I'm not too off on them maybe a different style of play when look Joe they're dominating in one area and then they got out AED I felt and some others but I think that they're hard those I think they're tough and returning everybody's got to be a big thing but obviously the biggest question mark is what they're going to do at quarterback with van djk and I know that we're about to get in this conversation so I'll I I'll just stop and let you go on this but I do think they have a lot of solid experienced pieces I just don't know how athletic they are though which kind of wor I I think Joe kind of worries me a little bit you know like if I if I'm them like where are they supposed to be what are you expecting Wisconsin to be going into next year do I think they got a lot of really good pieces yes do I think they're athletic enough to to be where they've been in the past I don't I don't know about that I so to kind of clarify here I where they lack athleticism is at receiver I wouldn't necessarily say that they lack athleticism in other spots I mean Jack Nelson's a very good athlete he's going to test really well at the NFL combine um they've got players on talking about James Thompson he's a pretty good athlete for a defensive lineman their linebackers can move pretty well I'm not saying that they're freaks they're not in the top category of college football players but they've got guys that can move and their secondaries fine I think one to to talk about van djk one thing that makes me feel better about van dijk coming into this situation is that chz maloy's coming back he played four games last year before he suffered an injury forget exactly what it was but he was averaging six yards a clip and 76 yards per game in that stretch I think his production could seriously go up as if he is fully healthy for the entire year he is an underrated back in the college football landscape uh for what we saw in that very small sample size I and my pause with Wisconsin absolutely does come with Tyler van djk I think less will be on his shoulders coming into this situation because they're going to rely on the Run game and the way that we saw that their offense operate they didn't necessarily need Tanner morai to throw the ball 35 times a game where Tyler van djk found himself getting into trouble was when they were throwing it a lot and he was forcing throws and he was forcing decisions and he wasn't thinking things through his eyes deceived him he almost watching it play Blake almost feels like you're watching a pitcher Who's Got The Yips you know a guy who you know he can do it he's he's College version of Sam darnold dude he's seeing ghost honestly I have been critical of him and I think that there are spurts where you watch him and you see the potential of him to be a good college quarterback I still don't think he's much of a Pro Prospect he's very he can be accurately inconsistent but what kills him is is this weird indecisive decision-making that kills him that leads to picks leads just stupid stupid dumbass plays I I I agree that that to what you brought up in the open there's a possibility that van djk in a new situation is a little bit cleaned up a new setting could be what could help his and a new conference could be what helps his confidence but again it feels like a guy who's got the Yips and just doesn't know how to get out of the rut that he's currently in look they're replacing bra uh uh brayan Allen I think it's a big thing to replace um Tanner morai isn't there and which a lot of people didn't realize Mor ran a lot last year got sacked a lot last year too here's the thing for me with Van djk I I I don't what's interesting is I I think he goes to a better offensive coordinator and I think that hurts me to say that I love Shannon Dawson love him I think he goes to a better place though I I think he goes to an overall better staff right like I I I think that he goes to a place where we've seen fickle okay legitimately developed dude beyond their talent when you've seen Chris Ball having an unreal Elite Talent in Justin Herbert he mismanaged him right like I think that we all can agree to some extent that crystal ball at this exact moment when you talk about number 10 that's in San Diego or or La now but number 10 that's in La okay with the Chargers and even van djk I think that he got I think his quarterbacks have been mismanaged to some extent now okay with that being said I don't know if I I have no idea what to expect from Tyler van djk zero that's the only way to answer it that's the only way to answer it C can I give him the benefit of the doubt that Chrystal ball Joe I mean Bo Knicks as a freshman went in and beat that beat an Oregon team that should have been a playoff team I I mean they're legitimately making Justin Herbert run the football when Alber could not stop them through the air like there have been times where we can we can legitimately look at Chris Ball even last year not kneeling the ball where he has made crucial errors in big- Time moments right how much did that go on to Van djk but Tyler van djk is still out there on the field making those horrible decisions and I yeah I don't put I don't put a lot of that on the I don't put that mostly on Van Dyk I put Less on Chris I don't either but I I look at Van djk though and say I do think that he's got some tools there are there are some things I like with him I think that he can when he's hot and he's in Rhythm the Texas A&M game happens right and Joe to to for what it's worth Tex A&M has not been bad defensively the last three years secondary okay I mean they still had like six dudes drafted the last two years that's fine when he's in Rhythm though they legitimately like you see what he can be but I have no clue I I legitimately have no clue what I'm to expect from him I don't know how much they're gonna ask for him to do though and I do wonder if he's a bridge player I I wonder no he is a bridge he is absolutely a bridge player I mean he's his last year of Eligibility well and you you know you you bring in your guys you get to develop them does he start I mean you don't go to that place and not start I don't think but everybody around him needs to be better and I do think that look there's something to be said that I do think that he goes into a better culture than what maybe he was in last year potentially so we'll see and look Miami's issues last year weren't all on Tyler van djk either right like Joe we're talking about them being seven and0 going Midway through the season okay and they decide not to kneel the ball and everything after Georgia Tech goes trickling downhill right like that team should have been undefeated going in to what was it the Florida state week or or maybe I'm mistaken there but I forget the big game they had after Georgia Tech maybe I'm misremembering maybe it was Clemson I I forget but look they blamed everything on van djk and it's funny that this time last year when you we said the same exact thing you more than I than me when we talked about Tyler van dijke last year Miami fans started hating on you and and then at the end they wanted him to be done with they wanted him out and so look I don't want to come in here and Bash on the kid I do see tools I do see ability I just think that Joe if his decision making got better I don't know if he couldn't be serviceable now is he gonna be all big 10 guy no is he gonna lead you to a playoff no Joe can he throw you 20 to 22 touchdowns and maybe mitigate some interceptions and maybe be a quarterback and do some things and upset team maybe uh but let me ask you this question what do you their schedule what do you see their record potentially being this year so as I like to do with these uh pinpoint the difficult games on the schedule uh they play Alabama at home they go to USC they have Penn State at home they go to Iowa they play Oregon at home and then they go to Nebraska so they don't actually have a very favorable draw like they don't have to play Michigan or Ohio State which is to their benefit but they're catching a lot of these good midlevel Big 10 teams which I think is going to make things difficult for them and I'm referring to the fact they have to play Iowa at Iowa they have to go at Nebraska um USC is in that upper category and that could be a difficult trip and their one few non-con game that they have is against Bama that's a bit of a obviously was done intentionally but that's a bit of a tough tough way to open out the year I I admittedly don't see better than 8 and4 I I just don't but eight and four Is Not a Bad season in the new version of the Big 10 if things go really freaking well could you pull out a nine and three but that's assuming that Tyler van djk has some in he plays like he did in the Texas A&M game for most of the season that's what you would need to get nine and three I do see this being a team though with the mistakes that van djk has consistently made through his career that they're going to probably lay an egg in a game that they're not supposed to you know they they could probably completely [ __ ] the bet against Iowa or completely [ __ ] the bet against Nebraska that's what I'm kind of betting on because this team's still being built this isn't going to be an overnight thing with with Wisconsin as there's now far more competition than there's ever been the stretch that they have from October the 12th until I'm just going to say the end of the season okay now hear me out here Ruckers look man you can laugh yeah I mean you can laugh all you want to that's not a Renta win anymore in that conference Joe I'm gonna say something you're gonna hate Northwestern actually wasn't as bad as everybody thought that they were going to be last year oh I don't I don't hate that that's another I wouldn't call him a trap game but that's also not an easy game it's just not an easy game by the way you're going to Evon right like you got to go to Illinois which if you remember last year in the mid of October remember last year or two years a no it was two years ago remember when Ohio State went there and there was 30 m hour winds which by the way this year where they're playing in the temporary field it's like right on the water right you're not going to be able to throw the ball in that Stadium you're going have a lot trouble because they're going to be able to practice in it State Iowa Oregon Nebraska Minnesota Joe I can make a case that they could lose all of those games I can make a case that they can win four of those games I legitimately think they can lose to Minnesota I I think they could lose to Nebraska because they're going to Lincoln they can lose they're going to lose to Oregon I can see where they lose to Iowa I I can see where they lose two Penn State Northwestern and Ruckers oh by the way you think week one and C Randall that kayin dbor is not going to want to make a statement and run it up on you a little bit well so this is why I'm on this I'm at this spot where I see them they're one of the few teams that we're talking about here that I think has a wider range of outcomes that could happen Luke fickle could really really write the ship and put Wisconsin on the trajectory that they could have for long-term success which is being that punch you in the mouth type of a team that goes nine and three every single year that is what you should be striving for getting more than that going to be they're not going with this with I'm not saying that on with this with this schedule I'm saying in the long-term future or this year could be really messy and up and down because of Van Dyke and some inconsistencies a quarterback and you know the lack of big play receivers that you don't really have there's one guy that I really liked with Will Pauling who was productive last year but a lot of question marks this is not exactly a Pauling went off on LSU I I'll tell you this now yeah I will I will tell you this now as much as we're saying this okay let me tell you this if they do find a pulse offensively defens defensively they're gonna be all right the only thing like you said though van dijk scares the [ __ ] out of me so I back off of it right yeah but I I dude from a guy who the last game that a team of I cover for full full okay dude offensively schematically I I mean look I I'll just tell you this there were two two games that LSU per the coaching staff told me that they thought that they were out schemed okay Alabama okay and Wisconsin those were the two games that I know from people on that step that they said that they got out schem and out coach now they beat Wisconsin off a pure talent in my opinion but the the thing is though Joe if Van Dyk is just more a just a little bit above average I don't I don't know if they don't go nine and three I'm gonna make a I'm gonna make a I'm gonna make a bold statement I think they go nine and three I think they take a step mainly wiconsin you just said that they're not gonna go nine and through what I I changed my mind I changed my mind on the top of a hat you stink I hate doing the show with you sometimes and you beama you're gonna beat Alabama in week one you just cut me off and said Joe they're not going nine and three and then you sat here and talked yourself into it and then went Joe they're gonna go nine and three I'll be realistic I think that they can't go I think that their four eight and four is is a good pred ceing their outright ceiling could be nine and three yes their outright cealing could be nine and three but I gotta be honest honest with you man I don't know if they can't beat Penn State i i i because if you have a team that defensively can stop them and if you you you know you know what the the Penn State versus Wisconsin game is whose quarterback is less ass well so this is why this it goes in line with everything that I'm talking about here is that they could probably right they could be a team that beats Penn State at home but then goes on to lose to like you talked about this is a there's a lot of potential to this being a p Roller Coaster season and I'm going to tell you something man I I don't know in the beginning of the Season stay with me here name a name somebody that has a more brutal week one week two than Wisconsin because you know a team that we didn't mention because imagine getting beaten up by Alabama in week one than having to fly to LA and having to legitimately stop Lincoln like you get to a place where Joe you're this is a tough schedule this is tough my whole point my whole point I think that to reiterate what I'm saying they're good enough now and bringing back the veteran players and being strong in important positions will set them up to upset someone this year dude they will upset somebody but they're also going to have a dumb loss because of some of the weaknesses that we have laid out here pause okay if they upset Alabama in week one not it's not Alabama it's not Alabama they're not going to upset Alabama they're not that is not going to happen and watch that one get clipped and that one's going to circulate if if they do upset Alabama but the upsets I would see would be USC Penn State or Oregon I think that those are all viable capable games for them to to pull out I don't know how much of an upset USC would be admittedly but I gotta think I think it would be an upset Joe Lincoln Riley and USC is supposed to beat Wisconsin on at home I know I'm just antagonizing like I usually do yeah you do all right bet online remains your top spot for all of your live betting action and contests NFL college football UFC NHL are all in full swing bet online is your 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