#2 Wisconsin Badgers:

Some people still don't believe UW is for real, but this could be the year they prove it once and for all.

Respect is slow to come in Madison, Wisconsin, but after a one-loss season in 2006, it seems like people have finally recognized the Badgers as a legitimate top program.

After all, they have the most wins of any Big Ten team in the past three years, and they also brought some pride to the conference by winning a couple of Rose Bowls in the 1990's.

Now, the Badgers will try and take the next step as they look to make a run at a Big Ten title and perhaps a shot at the BCS title game if everything goes just right.

Wisconsin may not have the overall caliber of athletes that Michigan and Ohio State and other elite programs have just yet, but they have an established identity on both sides of the ball and the players to execute what they need to do in order to win.

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Start with the defense, the backbone of the team. The Badgers have slowly but surely collected a ton of speed on this side of the ball, and they now combine their usual blue-collar toughness with some speedy linebackers and quick defensive backs.

Jonathan Casillas is the prototypical new-wave Badger linebacker and one of the leaders on defense. He's a bit undersized but has explosive speed and plays well in the open field provided by the stout D-line in front of him.

Jack Ikegwounu leads the secondary and will be a high NFL pick. He's so fast that he chased down Arkansas burner Darren McFadden from behind in the Capital One Bowl last year.

While upgrades to the back end of the defense have allowed Wisconsin to compete against quicker teams that would have ran circles around them in the past, the strength of the unit is the D-line.

Nick Hayden is a typical mauler at DT with some good quickness as well, and Matthew Shaughnessy is extremely stout against the run but also a good pass rusher with great toughness.

The Badgers run a lot of zone defense to prevent big plays, and that plays to the intelligence of their defenders and coaching staff.

The offensive philosophy of ball control compliments it well, too. Running the ball is always the first order of business in each game, but Wisconsin does a great job of mixing in both short and long passes at the right times to keep defenses off-balance.

P.J. Hill has slimmed down at RB and should be improved, and while the O-line will miss Joe Thomas, they have plenty of big bodies to fill in.

Tyler Donovan is a question mark to many at QB, but he showed last year in a hostile environment at Iowa that he can be a quality game manager-type of quarterback. He moves pretty well and can throw on the run, and with UW's running game he won't have to do to much.

It also helps that he has the best safety valve in the league and probably the country in Travis Beckum, a converted LB and a super-athletic TE with hands of glue. Great TE's are a young QB's best friend.

The receiving corps is also solid with deep threat Paul Hubbard and possesion guy Luke Swann. They both know their roles and play them well.

Same thing with the whole Badgers team, really, and that's why they get the most out of what they have and keep every game close. And that's why they have as good a shot as anyone to win the Big Ten.

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