Badgers Football: Six Players Among Top 25 in Big Ten

The picture says a lot about the upcoming season for the Wisconsin Badgers.

You have John Moffitt blocking for John Clay, who is shown taking a hand off from Scott Tolzien.

All three players will be crucial to the Badgers in 2010, and ESPN Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg seems to think the same thing.

Rittenberg selected six Badgers as part of his countdown of the top 25 players in the conference, tying Ohio State for the most players on the list.

Moffitt, who is expected to lead a traditionally talented Badger offensive line, was No.15 and the fourth-ranked lineman.

Clay, last season's Offensive Player of the Year, came in at No.4 and the highest ranked running back.

Tolzien was ranked a little lower at No.19, but was the third-ranked quarterback.

The list also includes junior defensive end J.J Watt, sophomore linebacker Chris Borland, and senior tackle Gabe Carimi.

Watt, who was a pivotal piece of the Badger defense last year, was ranked No.25 and the third overall defensive end. 

The Badger defense had another one of their players stand out when Borland was ranked No.16, and the third best player at his position.

Carimi was picked at No.11, and he is also expected to be a leader alongside Moffitt. 

This list is just another in an already long line of annual preseason rankings, but it does prove one thing: The Badgers are starting to get respect.

Now they will just have to wait until September 4 against UNLV to show they deserve it.