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College football 2018: Biggest Achilles’ heel for every Top 25 team

By Cody Williams

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (13) celebrates and holds up the CFP Trophy after the College Football Playoff National Championship Game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs on January 8, 2018 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (13) celebrates and holds up the CFP Trophy after the College Football Playoff National Championship Game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs on January 8, 2018 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images
Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images /

6. Wisconsin

Achilles’ heel: Alex Hornibrook

If you look at 21 of the starting positions for the Wisconsin Badgers heading into the 2018 season, you would have to say that they are almost a shoo-in to be in the College Football Playoff or at least have a shot heading into the Big Ten Championship. On both sides of the ball, Paul Chryst’s team figures to be an absolute menace no matter who they come up against.

The issue with this team is the 22nd starting position: Quarterback. Alex Hornibrook is a veteran player in the college football landscape and returns for another year of starting duties with the Badgers. While experience is never a bad thing, what we’ve seen from Hornibrook to this point in his career is. He’s simply not that good of a player and someone who appears to have a low ceiling as well.

Last season, Hornibrook improved his completion rate from 58.6 to 62.3 percent and went from averaging just over 105 passing yards per game in 2016 to 188.8 yards per contest. Those are good things. But as he was asked to throw the ball more and be “the guy”, he also threw the ball away 15 times on the season. This is all while never really being seen as a playmaker either and for good reason.

While Jonathan Taylor is a monster running behind perhaps the best offensive line in college football, that only goes so far if Hornibrook doesn’t improve. This is a team that’s still likely a lock to make the Big Ten title game, but if Hornibrook isn’t any better, they are still going to fall short of CFP dreams.