The summer is upon us, which means it is time to begin discussing the upcoming football season. For the Wisconsin Badgers, it should be another solid year. The first order of business for the Badgers will be replacing their departed players. The Badgers ended up with three players drafted into the NFL, and several others who signed as un-drafted free agents. The first to go was quarterback Bart Houston, who went un-drafted and signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, departs. Alex Hornibrook now takes over full time. Hornibrook was inconsistent a year ago. He will need to shore that up. The Badgers ended up with two players being drafted in the first round this year. First to go was outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who went to the Steelers late in round one. The other was offensive lineman Ryan Ramczyk, who went to the Saints with the last choice in round one. The other Badgers draftee is outside linebacker Vince Biegel, who was the Packers first choice in round four. They will also have to replace the departing running back Corey Clement, who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles after the draft.
Badgers 2017 Schedule
In 2017, the Badgers begin the season at home against Utah State on September 1. That game will will be broadcast on ESPN, so it’s a good chance to see the “new look” Badgers on national television. Eight days later, they take on Florida Atlantic at home. The following week, they hit the road for the first time, heading to Provo, Utah, to take on BYU. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. The Badgers have an off week and then they come home for their Big Ten Conference opener, against Northwestern on Sept. 30. The Wildcats will be looking to build on their 7-6 record from a year ago. The following Saturday the Badgers hit the road for the first time in conference play, heading to Nebraska. The following week they come home to take on Purdue.
The second half of the schedule is where it gets testy for Wisconsin. After a home game against Maryland on Oct. 21, they hit the road to take on Illinois. That is not always an easy game for this bunch. The following week they stay on the road to take on Indiana. The final three games of the season is where the Badgers could face their biggest challenges. The first of those three games is at home against Iowa. The second of those two games is also at home against Michigan. Their final game of the season, as always, is at Minnesota.
