We have made it to August and college football is in the air! The Wisconsin Badgers begin practice for the 2022 season this week. They will look to get back to the Big Ten Championship Game after falling one game short last season. The offense should be better this year and more consistent. Here are my three predictions for the offense.
Graham Mertz Is A Middle-Of-The-Pack QB In The Big Ten
There is no doubt QB1 for the Badgers needs to improve and this has to be the year to do it. Mertz doesn’t lack confidence and nor should he. When he’s on, he throws a great ball and his arm strength shows as well. His problem is when his footwork gets sloppy under pressure. As a result, we see interceptions and overthrown receivers.
Mertz has all the tools to be a very good quarterback. In his fourth year in the Wisconsin program and third as the clear starter, I believe this is the year we see a more consistent player. Asking for him to be a top-three QB in the league is unrealistic at this point. If he’s average, this will be a good football team.
Braelon Allen and Chez Mellusi Combine For Over 2,000 Yards
I feel good about this prediction. Even though Chez Mellusi might not be 100% by the start of the season, Braelon Allen will get his yards and a lot of them. I would expect Allen to be the bell cow early with Mellusi and Isaac Guerendo coming back from season ending injuries last season.
When healthy, Mellusi is the clear No. 2. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mellusi still rushed for 600 yards this year. Expect Julius Davis to be the No. 2 back in fall camp and potentially to start the season. Either way, this is a loaded running back room.
The Receivers will Start Slow But Will Be A Balanced Group
Chimere Dike will be the clear WR1 for Wisconsin. After that, who knows? Most Badgers fans are high on Skyler Bell and rightfully so. Markus Allen is young and talented and Keontez Lewis is an established receiver from the transfer portal. Also, Dean Engram moves over to receiver from the cornerback room and Stephen Bracey Jr. is a upperclassman as well.
While the Badgers are unproven at receiver, I think there’s a lot of talent and receptions to go around. While Dike is the No. 1 wideout, can he be the go to all year? I think there will be a lot of talent running around the field and this could be a more balanced took than what we think.
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