Five Bold Predictions for Wisconsin Football This Season

With just a week left until the season kicks off, let's take a look at some of the possible bold outcomes for Bucky.

The Team Will Be Ranked in the Top-10 At One Point

4-0. If The Badgers start the season winning four straight games, they'll almost certainly be a top-10 ranked team. Most preseason polls have the Badgers in the early thirty range, so they have some work to do. Wins against Western Michigan and South Dakota won't move the needle too much, but back-to-back wins over top five Alabama and top-25 USC could quickly escalate the Badgers to a single digit ranking.

Will Pauling Will Break the Badgers' Single-Season Receptions Record

The current record holder is Jared Abbrederis with 78 receptions. Pauling reeled in 74 last season which was good for fifth all-time. With Tyler Van Dyke under center for 2024, Pauling has a good chance to break the record, especially with little threat of anyone stealing significant targets.

The Badgers Won't Have a 1,000-yard rusher

The Badgers are much deeper at running back this year than they were last season, and despite the initial idea that Mellusi would start, more and more reports indicate the Badgers might just go with whoever has the hot hand. That means transfer Tawee Walker or even true freshman Darrion Dupree might get significant carries or possibly even starts. With this split, the Badgers' leading rusher may only have 800 yards in 2024.

The Defense Leads the Nation in Interceptions

Wisconsin's secondary is the strength of the defense. Obviously Ricardo Hallman Jr. is a ball hawk, but Nyzier Fourqurean and RJ Delancy are guys to watch as well. We all know Hunter Wohler is good at basically everything, so Wisconsin's 13 interceptions last season could easily jump near 20 this year. Considering the new Big Ten landscape, which features some new teams and new quarterbacks, the ball will be thrown more than ever and there should be ample opportunity for the talented secondary.

Nathanial Vakos Will Earn Award for Nation's Best Kicker

In Vakos lone season as a Badger, he hit 15 field goals and is currently the team's second most accurate kicker of all-time. It's a small sample size, but it's enough to feel encouraged that with a more talented offense, and more scoring attempts, Vakos could cement himself as the nations best kicker if he can hit 20+ field goals with the same accuracy as the season prior.