Wisconsin Football: Can Badgers reclaim Big Ten West crown in 2019?

Northwestern shocked everyone by claiming the Big Ten West crown in 2018, but Wisconsin football has other plans for the 2019 season.

In years past, the Big Ten West looked like a cakewalk.

Paul Chryst took over in 2015 and immediately won 10 games, but lost out on the division title to Iowa which finished the regular season undefeated. He then went on to win two straight division titles with a 24-4 combined record.

Wisconsin was the king of the West but wasn’t able to take care of a red-hot Northwestern team in 2018, leading to Chryst’s second runner-up finish in four years.

But can the Badgers reclaim that crown in 2019?

It all starts with quarterback play. The defense is going to be good like it always is with a solid secondary returning and a front-seven that should be just fine. The running backs are set with Heisman-hopeful Jonathan Taylor leading the way. As for receivers, the top four are returning, led by A.J. Taylor and Danny Davis — and Jake Ferguson at tight end.

Quarterback is key, though.

Graham Mertz is a highly-regarded freshman coming in with the rest of the 2019 class and there are high hopes for his future with the program. But his time may have to wait as junior Jack Coan is projected to start after Alex Hornibrook decided to transfer to Florida State.

Coan had an average 2018 season as the backup to Hornibrook, passing for 515 yards and five touchdowns with three picks but will he succeed in a full-time role? It’s hard to tell, but the Badgers’ 2019 hopes rest on his shoulders or any quarterback who takes over.

If the Badgers want to have a chance to compete with Nebraska, Iowa, Northwestern and even Purdue for the West crown, the quarterback play must be exponentially better than it was with Hornibrook under center.