With the Wisconsin football team’s debut in just under two weeks, anticipation for the Badgers in the new Big Ten is growing.

Wisconsin will play five teams from the preseason AP Top 25 in the 2024 season. With Oregon, Washington, UCLA and USC moving up to the Big Ten, the conference championship game matchup will be decided between the top two teams in the entire conference, eliminating the Big Ten East and Big Ten West.

The Badgers will enter 2024 with a new quarterback, as Tyler Van Dyke was named the starter on Wednesday in place of Braedyn Locke. Van Dyke threw for 2,703 yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with the Miami Hurricanes last season.

Due to some highly anticipated matchups, it looks like the Big Ten will pass through Wisconsin in 2024. USC (23), Penn State (8), Iowa (25) and Oregon (3) all face the Badgers, as does Alabama (5) from the SEC.

With five top-25 teams and one of the best unranked opponents in the country on the schedule, Fickell and Co. have a chance to make a splash and secure a spot among the country’s elite teams.

The biggest question mark will be the offense, with a new quarterback in Van Dyke, running back Chez Mellusi stepping into Braelon Allen’s role, and the return of some receivers who didn’t help much last season.

Will Pauling and Bryson Green are the top receivers, but they have not been as reliable compared to the rest of the Big Ten and the country and will need to step up and make big plays as Fickell tries to incorporate the air attack.

Defense is what can move this team forward. Ricardo Hallman, Hunter Wohler and James Thompson Jr. highlight the other side of the ball, however, the front seven needs to make a big jump as Thompson was their only playmaker in that group. The secondary, led by Hallman and Wohler, can still make big plays and did well last season.

Wisconsin enters its second year under head coach Luke Fickell and will enter 2024 outside the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2016.

Given all of this, the question is, what is the Badgers’ maximum potential and how far could they fall after a 7-6 season in 2023?

Ceiling: 9-3

Wisconsin had one of the best defenses in the country last season, finishing in the top 40 in points per game (21st), yards per game (35th), passing yards per game (35th) and first downs per game (36th). The secondary is expected to be just as good, if not better, and the defensive line is expected to improve.

If the defense can do its job, the offense will beat some of its toughest opponents. Most of the time, the Badgers’ defense holds opponents at bay in terms of points while the offense fails to score. The offense scored more than 24 points in just six of 13 games last season, and they played against worse opponents than they will this year.

It will be a challenge, but if they can pull off some big upsets in just two of their five top-25 opponents, their high mark would be 9-3 and they would have a chance to contend for a Big Ten Championship Game appearance with a top-25 ranking.

The ceiling will depend on their offense, it’s as simple as that. Last season, Iowa had one of the top five defenses in the country, but with a weak offense, they barely made the top 25 at the end of the season. Wisconsin isn’t expected to be as good on the other side of the ball, but it’s a strength for 2024.

For the Badgers to achieve this record, Fickell, Van Dyke and their weapons must be significantly improved.

Floor: 5-7

The positive thing about this team is that they have less room for error since most of their key players are returners. While Wisconsin has faced some tough opponents, they also have some teams from last year’s Big Ten West including Iowa, Purdue, Minnesota, Purdue and Northwestern.

The Badgers will have to settle for an 0-5 record against their top-25 opponents and a 5-2 record against unranked teams. The reverse dynamic from their top-25 losses would carry over to unranked conference opponents.

Failing to qualify for a bowl game for the first time since 2001 in the second year of the Luke Fickell era would be a huge disappointment, but for the Badgers, it’s their absolute worst performance.