College Football Rankings Week 1: 3 Reasons Wisconsin Will Be This Year's Auburn

The Wisconsin Badgers will pull off the unthinkable and not only go undefeated this year, but also win the BCS National Championship.

Heading into the year, every team outside of the Top 10 was hoping to be this year’s Auburn Tigers. Every team wants that magical, undefeated championship season, but only a select few have the opportunity to shock the world like Cam Newton’s Tigers did in 2010.

Wisconsin was my dark horse team to pull off the feat and they cemented themselves with a monstrous Week 1 victory against UNLV. They rightfully jumped ahead of Nebraska in the polls to No. 8 since they look to be the class of the Big Ten and perhaps the entire BCS in general.

Soon, you’ll see them No. 1 ahead of Alabama, LSU and Oklahoma for these three reasons.

3. Defense

The defense let up towards the end of the UNLV game; they forfeited two touchdowns. It wasn’t ideal for this unit, but the game was already far out of reach for the Rebels.

Still, it’s a stout squad that prides itself on tough-nosed defense. This program consistently churns out studs and is full of experienced players this season.

The unit is highlighted by the defensive line. Louis Nzegwu, David Gilbert, Ethan Hemer and Patrick Butrym will obliterate game plans with their combination of pressure and run-blocking.

The secondary boasts three seniors: CB Devin Smith, CB Antonio Fenelus and S Aaron Henry. These three complete an overall stellar defense that will prove to be the best in the Big Ten.

Auburn’s defense only boasted one legitimate stud in Nick Fairley last year, so this unit with six senior starters has more than enough firepower to compete with the best offenses in the nation.

2. Rushing Attack

Wisconsin always has a dominant rushing attack because they pride themselves on smash-mouth, winning football.

This offensive line sent three great players to the NFL last year, but they consistently churn out monster run-blockers. The culture in Wisconsin is to produce mauling offensive linemen to pave the way for the running backs, and that’s exactly what this unit does every week.

James White and Montee Ball create the best one-two punch in the nation. They had an uncharacteristically quiet day against UNLV with just 127 yards on 21 carries collectively, but they also scored a whopping four touchdowns.

These two can do serious damage on limited touches, but they are both workhorse runners at this level of the game. They each carry the rock 15 to 20 times and further cement Wisconsin’s dominance.

It is a lose-lose for the opposition as it will be impossible to game plan for this rushing attack. Auburn had a three-headed rushing monster with Newton, Michael Dyer and Mario Fannin and Wisconsin is a mirror image.

It isn’t out of the question for this running game to reach 3,000 yards between White, Ball and QB Russell Wilson.

1. Russell Wilson

Wilson is the key factor for Wisconsin.

He shunned Auburn this offseason to play for the championship-caliber Badgers. He is Wisconsin’s Newton and he is the reason Wisconsin will win the National Championship.

This is his fifth year in the game; he is mentally and physically prepared to dominate the sport.

He has great field vision and pocket awareness, but it is his rushing ability that makes him such an upgrade from Scott Tolzien. He can exploit defenses when the pocket breaks down or just run it out of a designed package.

Wilson will create magic this year. He already showed flashes of brilliance against UNLV with a 46-yard touchdown. He will prove to be nearly impossible to defend this season, especially with Ball and White garnering so much attention from opposing defenses.

Wilson has solid arm strength and accuracy. More importantly, he has something Newton didn’t—a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver.

Nick Toon will be one of the top playmakers this season as he enjoys a career season with Wilson. He has 109 receptions for 1,575 yards and eight touchdowns in three years at Wisconsin. The attention given to the rushing attack will open soft spots in the coverage for Toon to exploit.

The play-action will be nearly unstoppable, especially with Wilson using Ball and White as check-down options. Ball scampered for a 63-yard touchdown.

Russell will excel in this simplified offense. He was 10-for-13 for 255 yards and two touchdowns. These are the numbers we’ll consistently see in victory. They aren’t eye-popping, but they are winning numbers.

He won’t be forced to make quick decisions, which will allow him to survey the field and make the right read. He’s not going to be a turnover machine in this offense and will be among the leaders in completion percentage.  

Wilson and the Badgers are tailor-made for success this season. They will run the table in a difficult Big Ten conference and vault themselves to No. 1 in the polls.

Wilson may not follow in Newton’s footsteps with a Heisman trophy and No. 1 overall selection in the 2012 NFL draft, but he’ll lead Wisconsin to a BCS National Championship victory.