Does Wisconsin Have the Anatomy of a Champion?

Wisconsin has the hype, the swagger and the attitude to make major waves in college football this year. But does it have the anatomy of a champion? 

Are the Badgers statistically superior just as a player can be genetically predisposed to success?

To see if the Wilson and Co. can stack up,  the three most recent BCS national champions (the 2008 Florida Gators, the 2009 Alabama Crimson Tide and the 2010 Auburn Tigers) were examined and dissected. While the Badgers have a limited sample to evaluate, trends can still be identified, especially in a sport where the champion is often crowned three months before the season even begins. 

It's the CrimsonGatorTigers versus the Wisconsin Badgers in all three phases of the game, plus penalties. 

Offense

The CrimsonGatorTigers could collectively put up the points to the tune of 38.9 per game. The Badgers see that average and raise it by 10 points.

Pundits will point to competition level...again, but very few truly elite defenses in the Big Ten exist. (Michigan State, Ohio State and Illinois are all very strong units, but would not be considered championship caliber.)

Russell Wilson provides the same spark that both Tim Tebow and Cam Newton gave their units. His combination of speed and accuracy cannot be underestimated, but just like the aforementioned signal callers, Wilson is blessed with strong receivers and tight ends. 

Expect Wisconsin to live up to its aggregate competitor in every way offensively. 

Defense

Touchdowns are few and far between when dealing with the CrimsonTigerGators.

The teams allowed barely two touchdowns per contest. Once again, the Badgers seem to be on the right side of the margin by shutting down opposing offenses and giving up a paltry 10.2 points per game.

A big part of that success lies in the fact that the other teams' offense only converted third downs in one-third of its attempts at a rate of 33.2 percent.

Wisconsin is hovering around that stat line as opponents have only turned 35.3 percent of their third downs into first downs or touchdowns.

Special Teams

So far, the Badgers have been trending nicely when compared to those who have hoisted the crystal football. 

This is where those good feelings come to an abrupt stop. 

When it comes to field-goal percentages, the CrimsonGatorTigers are kicking around 84 percent of their footballs through the uprights. Wisconsin is kicking at .500. 

Punt returns seem to be another sore spot. While the average punt of Wisconsin is comparable as are their own returns, they allow almost double the return yardage.

Penalties

Great teams don't beat themselves.

Our national champions saw the flags fly around 5.9 times per game in their campaign years. Wisconsin is sliding under that average at 5.6 whistles every 60 minutes.

The yards taken away from those penalties is almost exactly 52 yards per game for both the CrimsonGatorTigers and the Badgers. 

Takeaway

Wisconsin is matching up nicely with past league achievers.

But, the road only gets harder from here.

History shows ,though, that the Wisconsin machine tends to get stronger as the year goes on and the competition stiffens.  

So far, there is no discernible anomaly that can account for the Badgers' success this year. All the teams used in this amateur experiment were balanced. For example, high scoring offenses were usually offset by strong but not dominant defenses, and vice versa. 

Does Wisconsin have the anatomy of a champion? Through five games, yes.