College Football preseason AP Poll 2017: 5 teams ranked too low
Wisconsin Badgers
AP Top 25 Preseason Ranking: No. 9
The Big Ten is loaded at the top in 2017, with No. 2 Ohio State, No. 6 Penn State and No. 11 Michigan set to fight it out for the East Division title. Meanwhile, even after suffering some key personnel losses, No. 9 Wisconsin is a heavy favorite in the West following an 11-3 campaign in which the Badgers finished No. 9 in the final AP Poll. Wisconsin has been overshadowed by the Big Three this summer, but there is a decent chance the Badgers finish 12-0 in the upcoming regular season.
Thanks to the schedule makers, Wisconsin avoids both the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions in Big Ten play, and the Badgers host Michigan No. 18 the week before the Wolverines play their archrivals in Ann Arbor. The Badgers also play top West Division challengers Northwestern and Iowa at home in division play.
In addition to the favorable schedule, and even after losing talented defenders like T.J. Watt to the NFL, Sojourn Shelton and Leo Musso to graduation and Jack Cichy to injury, Wisconsin also has the benefit of one of the most experienced rosters in the league.
The Badgers return 77.6 percent of letter winners from the 2016 squad, which is the most in the conference. Wisconsin welcomes back a total of 90 starts among offensive linemen, which is the second highest total in the Big Ten and 14th most in the country, and should help offset the loss of half its offensive yardage total from last year’s team.
Corey Clement is gone, but the Badgers have a great track record for replacing running backs, plus quarterback Alex Hornibrook returns following a promising freshman season, as does his top two pass catchers, playmaker Jazz Peavy and tight end Troy Fumagalli.