Wisconsin Football: 5 bold predictions for the 2017 season

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ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 02: The Wisconsin Badgers celebrate with the trophy after the Wisconsin Badgers beat the Western Michigan Broncos 24-16 in the 81st Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT /

1. Badgers secure first ever College Football Playoff berth

There’s no sweeping proclamation that the Badgers will run the table and end up national champions with an undefeated record. In fact, this very post states the Badgers will lose in week three to BYU, yet as we have also already stated- it’s not how you start, but how you finish.

More: College Football: Top 50 breakout candidates for 2017

Even if the Badgers do slip early, there are plenty of opportunities in the schedule to catch up ground and reestablish themselves in the mix of all the playoff talk and rankings. Road games against Nebraska and Minnesota, paired with home games against Iowa and Michigan already provide an opportunity to pad the resume, but with another West division title- the Badgers will have another high-quality opponent looming on their schedule.

The USA Today coaches poll was released earlier this month, with four Big Ten teams sitting in the top ten. Three of those Big Ten teams (Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan) will be battling out for a chance to win the East and potentially meet the Badgers in Indianapolis for the the conference title game.

Barring any drastic happenings in the conference or college football world, it is safe to assume the winner of that game will in fact represent the Big Ten in the College Football Playoff, especially after last year where Penn State was left out and the non-Big Ten champion Ohio State was blanked 31-0 in the semifinal by Clemson; an embarrassing look for the committee.

Next: Top 5 breakout candidates for Badgers in 2017

Win the Big Ten West and then get revenge in the title game and it’s off to the College Football Playoff for the Badgers. That’s the plan.

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