Way too early 2021 Big Ten power rankings | Where does Penn State Football stand?

The Badgers looked dominant in their first two games of the season, outscoring their opponents 94-18 , but finished the year losing three of their final five games, including pathetic offensive performances against Northwestern and Indiana.

Freshman quarterback Graham Mertz looked like a potential Heisman candidate early in the season, and did throw for over 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns, but was disappointing late in the season, including their bowl game win against Wake Forest.

The Badgers were second to last in the conference with 22 points per game and looked limited offensively, lacking a true ‘dude’ in the backfield like they usually have, and void of a true threat on the outside.

Defensively, Wisconsin will be solid after allowing just over 15 points per game in 2020, and may have to carry the load if the offense doesn’t dramatically improve next fall.

A tough schedule early on will show what Wisconsin is made of, as they host Penn State football in week 1 and play Notre Dame in week 3 at Soldier Field.