Wisconsin Badgers Football: 10 Reasons Why They Can Win the Big Ten Title

After a dominating 51-17 victory over UNLV on Thursday night, the Wisconsin Badgers look like a very strong team.

With Montee Ball and James White, the Badgers have the best running back duo in the country.

And now at quarterback they've added Russell Wilson, who can also make plays with his feet.

Add in a strong head coach and a stout defense, and the Badgers are the front-runners for the Big Ten title.

They should be able to control the clock against any team in the Big Ten, especially when the weather turns sour.

Here are the top 10 reasons that the Badgers will take the Big Ten crown.

10. Solid Defense

Despite losing J.J. Watt to the NFL, the Badgers' defense will be outstanding in 2011.

The Badgers only allowed 20.5 points per game in 2010.

Look for them to at least match that performance these season.

They’ll probably allow even fewer points, though, thanks to their secondary…

9. Secondary

Aaron Henry and Antonio Fenelus are going to make it very hard for opposing quarterbacks to throw. Either of them could end up winning the Jim Thorpe Award in 2011.

Any time you have two DBs who are that good, your defense is in great shape.

8. Bret Bielema

Bielema is one of the most underrated coaches in the country. Ever since he’s come to Wisconsin, the team has won.

He demands nothing less than excellence from his team, and usually he gets it.

He just picked up his 50th career win against UNLV. He’d like to have at least 60 by the end of the year.

7. Cold Weather Advantage

When the weather gets colder late in the season, the Badgers’ offense won’t be affected too much. They are built for messy conditions, so they are able to pound the ball down their opponents’ throats with the run and put together long drives.

6. Home Field Advantage

Camp Randall Stadium is one of the noisiest and most intimidating stadiums in college football.

The Badgers’ have a strong home field advantage, and they’ll need to take advantage of it in 2011.

They have some key games against Nebraska and against Penn State that they’ll need to win if they are going to win the Big Ten.

5. Ohio State's Problems

Another reason the Badgers can win the Big Ten is that Ohio State is a mess right now.

They lost Terrelle Pryor and their head coach, Jim Tressel, in the midst of an NCAA scandal.

That leaves Nebraska and Penn State as the only legitimate challengers for the Big Ten title.

And, as stated before, both Penn State and Nebraska must come to Camp Randall to play.

4. Giant Offensive Lineman

The running game only goes as far as the big guys up front will carry the running backs.

The Badgers’ offensive line can carry the team all the way to the Big Ten championship game.

No Gabe Carimi is no problem for the Badgers. They’ll be just fine with their O-line that averages 320 pounds per player.

3. Russell Wilson

Wilson gives the Badgers a legitimate dual-threat quarterback to torment opposing defenses with.

He has a cannon arm and is blazingly fast. He’s the best dual-threat quarterback in the conference, even better than Nebraska’s Taylor Martinez. If he keeps playing the way he played against UNLV, he could vault into contention for the Heisman Trophy.

2. James White

White had just over 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2010.

He should at least match those numbers this season.

He’ll be a very solid complement to the stronger Montee Ball.

1. Montee Ball

Ball had a great 2010 season, accumulating nearly 1,000 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns.

Now he’s slimmed down, too, so he’ll be even shiftier running the football.

He’ll definitely eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in 2011 and could score more than 20 touchdowns. He’ll lead the Badger offense to glory in 2011.