Ranking the Top 100 College Football Teams for 2018: No. 4 Wisconsin

In the 100 days leading up to the kickoff of the college football season on Saturday, Aug. 25, HERO Sports is ranking the top 100 teams in the FBS. Each day, starting May 17 and ending Aug. 24, a new team is revealed in the HERO Sports Top 100. 

No. 4 Wisconsin

If Quintez Cephus and Danny Davis miss the season, Wisconsin is not the fourth-best team in the country. But since the 96 spots below the Badgers in the HERO Sports Preseason Top 100 are occupied, they can't be moved. So here Wisconsin sits at No. 4. 

Without Cephus and Davis, they're still one of the best teams in the country and can make the College Football Playoff. They have the best offensive line in the country, a Heisman front-runner at running back and one of the most sought-after assistant coaches in the country running a reloaded defense.

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2017 Record: 13-1 (9-0, Big Ten)

Wisconsin won 13 games (and nine Big Ten games) for the first time in program history, beat Michigan and reached their fifth Big Ten Championship in seven years of the game's existence.

But they fell behind Ohio State, 21-7, early in the title game and never made it up, missing their first College Football Playoff berth by six points. Just another one-loss season, their fourth since 1993.

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Head Coach: Paul Chryst (4th Year, 34-7)

Finally, Wisconsin has a head coach who wants to be there. 

Madison native and former Badgers' quarterback Paul Chryst won more games in his first three seasons than any coach in program history. He's still only 52 years old but after 13 job changes in the first 26 years of his coaching career, it feels like he's a Wisconsin lifer and will lead the Badgers for as long as they let him.

And if Chryst delivers the elusive national championship, move over Barry Alvarez.

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Player Losses

TE Troy Fumagalli, DE Alec James, DE Chikwe Obasih, DE Conor Sheehy, LB Garret Dooley, LB Leon Jacobs, CB Derrick Tindal, CB Nick Nelson, S Natrell Jamerson, S Joe Ferguson

Wisconsin lost eight all-conference selections…on defense.

Nick Nelson declared for the draft after a strong junior season, his first at Wisconsin after transferring from Hawai'i, following seniors Derrick Tindal, Natrell Jamerson and Joe Ferguson out the door. Nelson had 21 pass breakups and 35 tackles, while Jamerson added 10 breakups, two interceptions and 51 tackles.

The front seven was gutted, losing their top three ends and two pressure linebackers, including Garret Dooley, who led the team in sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (12), and Alec James (6.5 sacks).

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Returning Offensive Players

QB Alex Hornibrook, RB Jonathan Taylor, WR Quintez Cephus, WR Danny Davis, WR A.J. Taylor, WR Kendric Pryor, TE Zander Neuville, OT David Edwards, G Beau Benzschawel, G Michael Deiter, C Tyler Biadasz

For as much heat as Alex Hornibrook took last year — including a lot from yours truly — you'd think he was a quarterback who couldn't hit a wide-open Randy Moss on a five-yard slant.

Guys, he wasn't that bad. 

Yes, the interceptions were a problem (15) and he was terrible vs. Michigan, Ohio State and Northwestern, but he made some big-time throws and showed enough improvement throughout the season (and was terrific in the bowl win over Miami) to suggest he can improve an offense that often struggled in the red zone (84 percent) and on 3rd-and-long.

Wisconsin has a Heisman candidate at running back in Jonathan Taylor and the best offensive line in football. All four starting linemen will contend for All-America honors, especially if Jonathan Taylor averages 6.6 yards per carry again and flirts with a 2,000-yard season.

“Paul inherited a mess on the offensive line,” former head coach and current athletics director Barry Alvarez said in the spring. “We played guys who weren’t ready to play. They were injured all the time. We were mixing and matching, moving them all over. But we got through that year. And we’re back to where we were with depth on the offensive line.”

Here's where things get messy. The recent revelations of criminal charges against receiver Quintez Cephus, which may also involve Danny Davis, are a big blow to their playmaking depth. (Obviously, and this goes without saying but we'll say it anyway, the charges are miles above football and how it impacts Wisconsin's season is irrelevant.) 

If Cephus and Davis miss extended time — or the entire season — Hornibrook has A.J. Taylor, who averaged 15 yards on 31 catches last year, and potential rising start in Kendric Pryor. No other returning receiver caught a pass last year. There are a couple freshmen (see below in Player Additions) that will step in, though suddenly Wisconsin is very thin at a position that was supposed to be a strength.

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Returning Defensive Players

NT Olive Sagapolu, LB T.J. Edwards, LB Ryan Connelly, LB Andrew Van Ginkel, LB Chris Orr, CB Dontye Carriere-Williams, S D'Cota Dixon

Three years ago, Jim Leonhard was a retired football NFL player who hadn't coached any level — ever. Now, Wisconsin's second-year defensive coordinator is one of the most revered assistant coaches in the country who fended off interview and job offers over the offseason.

"I think I owe it to myself to entertain some phone calls and see what the interest is and where it is, but also knowing that I’m very happy where I’m at,” Leonhard said last December. "Wisconsin is home. I love the university. I truly believe everything about it on and off the field. I feel like we do it the right way. We’re not the only team doing it the right way, but we’re one of them.

He took over for Justin Wilcox last year and led a defense that ranked among the nation's best in points per play (0.23, third in the FBS), yards per play (4.2, third), red-zone scoring (73 percent, 13th), third-down conversions (29 percent, fourth), yards per carry (3.2, seventh), takeaways (2.1 per game, 17th) and sack rate (9.6 percent, fourth). And if he can match those numbers after losing nine starters and several other contributors, programs will again line up for the 35-year-old former Badgers' safety. 

The headliner is AP First-Team All-America linebacker T.J. Edwards, a 39-game starter who was "close to going" to the NFL but instead enters his final season with 250 career tackles. 

“I came back for a reason,” Edwards said. “I feel like we have the pieces to do something special. Coming back, I wanted to go out knowing I did everything I could to help bring a Big Ten championship and possibly a national championship. It’s very important to finish what I started here.”

The return of Edwards, along with Ryan Connelly, Andrew Van Ginkel and Chris Orr make this a top-five linebacker group in the FBS. Wisconsin allowed only seven rushing touchdowns all season, tied for second nationally, and the return of big nose tackle Olive Sagapolu (6-foot-2, 346 pounds) ensure their run defense will remain elite.

Van Ginkel can rush the passer (6.5 sacks in 2017) and Leonhard is a magician with creative pressure packages, but if they don't find others to replace the production of Alec James, Garret Dooley and Leon Jacobs, no way will Wisconsin have a top-10 sack rate again.

D'Cota Dixon is back at safety, and corner Dontye Carriere-Williams is ready for a bigger role, though both missed most of all spring practice with injuries. Despite the turnover, Leonhard is fired up.

“I love their approach,” Leonhard said of the defensive backs. “Pretty much that whole group of DBs is hungry to get better. They ask questions. They want to learn. And any time you have that mentality, you have a chance."

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Player Additions

WR Aron Cruickshank, WR Taj Mustapha, TE Jake Ferguson, DE Aaron Vopal, NT Bryson Williams, S Scott Nelson

The Cephus-Davis situation has put true freshmen receiver Aron Cruickshank and Taj Mustapha in the spotlight. Cruickshank may remind fans of former Wisconsin receiver and return man David Gilreath, though the 5-foot-9, 154-pound Cruickshank is even smaller. 

"The two young guys, they've got skill," A.J. Taylor said of the pair in the spring. "But they're still trying to learn what to do."

Redshirt freshman tight end Jake Ferguson, 247Sports' fourth-ranked tight end and top-ranked state-of-Wisconsin recruit in the 2017 class, is competing for time behind Zander Neuville and Kyle Penniston.

Elsewhere, redshirt freshman defensive end Aaron Vopal is getting opportunities in camp, as is true freshman nose tackle Bryson Williams. Safety Scott Nelson has turned heads and earned the respect of the secondary's leaders.

"Scott is very mature for his age,” D'Cota Dixon said. “Much more mature than I was as a freshman. He epitomizes what it means to be a leader.”

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Schedule

With all due respect to Western Kentucky, New Mexico and BYU, Wisconsin's real season begins with a Week 4 trip to Iowa, who's been a nightmare for top-five road teams.

From the Big Ten East, the Badgers miss Michigan State and Ohio State but get Michigan and Penn State — both on the road.