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I feel like Wisconsin's schedule doesn't quite have the top-end that Michigan's has but it is deeper.  Michigan plays three of the preseason top-4 teams, that is a brutal top end but after that there is a notable dropoff.  Wisconsin "only" has one of the preseason top-4 but they have more ranked teams overall and they have Rutgers and Nebraska both of whom have potential to end up ranked. 

I'll also note that Wisconsin's schedule would be ideal for a NC contender.  They get all their toughest opponents at home:

• #3 Oregon in Camp Randall on 11/16
• #5 Bama in Camp Randall on 9/14
• #9 Penn State in Camp Randall on 10/26

The problem is that if Wisconsin isn't close enough to take those teams out with Camp Randall's famously strong HFA, the Badgers could be looking at a slew of losses because the next group are all on the road:

• #23 USC at the LA Coliseum on 9/28
• #25 Iowa at Kinnick on 11/2
• ORV Nebraska at Memorial Stadium on 11/23
• pretty good Rutgers in Jersey on 10/12

This is a great schedule for a top-5 team but it could be a brutal schedule for a team at the fringes of being good enough to be ranked. 

This. I do think they are a year away, but this team is going to be MUCH better than last year's team. And even then, they could have a worse record to show for it!

My facebook somewhat lit up over this, it's amazing how many folks take this seriously.  Some Michigan fans think they should be #1 instead of UGA, who didn't even make the playoff last season.

It's fun.

I think the defense is going to win them plenty of games and keep them in games against elite teams. Edwards and Loveland should help alleviate overwhelming pressure and Orji has great athleticism to buy himself time. That being said, can he make a difficult throw? Can he avoid major mistakes? He will definitely be the factor that determines 2024.

I am excited to see if Edwards can be the dude I think he can be. We saw flashes of it in '22 when he took over after Corum got hurt and he went ballistic, but he was fighting through injuries and kind of in the coaches doghouse for most of '23, until he had a really nice game late in the year on the road vs Penn State and then went nuts in the Natty. Edwards is so fluid and explosive and has rare route running and pass catching abilities for a RB. He could be in store for a monster year now that Corum is gone and he's "THE GUY". 

QB is the achilles heel of the team. And that's probably the worst achilles heel a team can have. I just don't think they have a dude there. All due respect to Jack Tuttle, Davis Warren, or Alex Orji...but I don't see it. 

The defense will keep them in every single game and has a chance to be the best in the country. They lost Junior Colson and could actually wind up being better at LB this year with the emergence of Ernest Hausmann and the transfer Jaishawn Barham. Barham is a freakish athlete for his size and has been creating tons of buzz since day one in the spring. They return a ton of starting experience and talent at DT/EDGE but will have to rebuild depth at EDGE losing Braiden McGregor and Jaylen Harrell. Losing FS Rod Moore for at least half the year really sucks but they still have Makari Paige and Quentin Johnson coming back at safety. If CB Jyaire Hill has the kind of breakout season he's capable of they will be really tough to throw the football on.

if your QB sucks, your offence sucks

ask the Big Ten West teams from last season

yup. QB ain't the most important position in all of sports for no reason....

if they've just won a national title........ they stick to their modus operandi

This. I do think they are a year away, but this team is going to be MUCH better than last year's team. And even then, they could have a worse record to show for it!

The funny thing about HFA is that I feel that if tOSU and UW swapped schedules, it would benefit both teams.  

Wisconsin gets their three toughest opponents at home but unless I'm underrating UW, it probably will not matter.  I don't think they can beat Oregon, Bama, or Penn State even with HFA so that HFA is likely to be "wasted" for UW.  Then they have four tough games where HFA might be the difference (USC, Iowa, UNL, RU) but all four of those are on the road. 

If Wisconsin had Ohio State's schedule I'd pretty much write off the road games at Oregon and PSU and figure that the Badgers would have a limited chance against Michigan with the benefit of HFA but that UW should beat UNL and Iowa at home and win the rest of their games for a 9-3 or possibly 10-2 record.  

While I want to see it that way, I can't seem to shake how i feel they played and handled Shea Patterson as well as insisting to play Cade over JJ in 2021. Yes there was an experience gap.. a massive gap, but there was also a clear talent gap.

The other part I hated with a passion is that there were many games they could have lost because of the refusal to do anything but run up the middle on first down and Ray Charles could have seen the play coming. That won't work this year. Not even close.

So there were moments of missing elite qb talent, but there were moments of lack of creativity that could have elevated qb play as well.

not starting JJ by the midway point of the season in 2021 was definitely a big mistake imo. hindsight is 20/20 and I realize it's tough to say that with a straight face considering they won the B1G and made the playoff in '21.